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3/7/2012 – Series 1: Vitamins and Minerals – Vitamin A
From the Desk of Dr. Hildy™
March 7, 2012©
Series 1: Vitamins and Minerals
VITAMIN A
Vitamin A has a special relationship to the “lining cells” of the body, including the skin, eyes, urinary tract, bones, teeth and the gastrointestinal tract (pertaining to the stomach and intestines). It is also known as an anti-infection vitamin, helping the body to fight off diseases, such as viral infections. This vitamin as an essential constituent of the pigments which the retina of the eye uses to register visual stimuli.A lack of Vitamin A affects the skin, the digestive system, respiratory tract, genitor-urinary system, special senses, and the glandular system of the body. The skin will probably become rough and dry. Also bones are affected, so that growing children will have problems with bone formation, bone repair and faulty tooth formation. Insufficient Vitamin A is likely to decrease the amount of acid required by the stomach to digest food, and diarrhea may be an obvious symptom.
There may also be an inability to gain weight, and in fact there is likely to be a decrease in weight. The hair may start to fall out and become gray, and there may be a disposition toward abscesses of the scalp. Small pus formations (pustules) may form on the scalp and on other parts of the skin. The forearms and the thighs will be especially noticeable for the roughness and scaliness. Read the rest of this entry