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vitamins

Published on
4 mins read

The 5 Best Vitamins for Hair and Nail Growth

best vitamins

Vitamins are a kind of organic micronutrient that is vital in keeping our bodies healthy. They are responsible for keeping the cells in our body functioning normally, regulating growth and development, and also for the maintenance of healthy hair, skin, and nails.

This makes the fact that up to 92% of African-Americans may be vitamin deficient even more alarming.

If you are struggling with brittle nails that chip off easily, hair that is thinning, or skin that is dull and lifeless, you may have vitamin deficiencies.

Studies show that vitamin deficiencies can not only cause hair loss but also worsen hair loss that is caused by other circumstances.

Different vitamins are responsible for keeping different bodily functions healthy.

Here is a look at some of the vitamins most responsible for healthy skin, hair, and nails.

Biotin

Biotin is of the most important vitamins for hair growth. It is also known as Vitamin B7. It is found naturally in small amounts in foods like egg yolks and meat. Keep in mind that if you are taking certain antibiotics, medication for epilepsy, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, you are at a higher risk of being deficient in biotin.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is essential for your gut to be able to absorb iron, an essential mineral nutrient that carries oxygen to all parts of your body. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia, fatigue, and pale skin.

To avoid this, ensure that you eat foods rich in vitamin C like citrus fruits, potatoes, and bell peppers. Taking vitamin supplements can ensure that you always have enough vitamins in your body irrespective of your diet.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is naturally made in our body when our skin is exposed to the sun. However, pigmentation can reduce the production of this vitamin and so, African-Americans are at a higher risk for developing Vitamin D insufficiency.

This vitamin is responsible for calcium and phosphorus regulation and is essential for maintaining strong bones, teeth, and nails. A lack of this vitamin may also result in red, dry, itchy patches on your skin.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps protect the skin’s two outermost layers against sun damage. It is an antioxidant, so it shields the skin from oxidative stress, allowing the skin cells to heal and regenerate at a much quicker rate while simultaneously destroying the free radicals that break down collagen. It is naturally available in cheese, eggs, and oily fish.

Vitamin E

Apart from maintaining a healthy immune system, this vitamin is essential for healthy hair, skin, and nails. It is a fat-soluble vitamin with several forms, but alpha-tocopherol is the only one used by the human body. It is naturally available in sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds, and beet greens.

Although vitamins are available from natural sources, availability, affordability, diet restrictions due to illness, and lifestyle choices may make it difficult for you to maintain optimum levels of all these vitamins through natural sources alone. This is why supplements are advised.

 

Check out Problk Health Vitamin supplements specially crafted to help ensure healthy hair and nail growth.

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Published on
3 mins read

5 Ways to Prevent Spring Allergies

allergies

Want to enjoy the beauty of spring without having to deal with pollen allergies? These five helpful tips are a good starting point to prevent watery and itchy eyes, runny nose, and sore throat this spring.

Top 5 Tips to Prevent Spring Allergies

Limit Your Outdoor Time

If you are particularly prone to allergies, it makes sense to limit your outdoor time. In spring, trees release billions of pollen grains into the air, which can trigger an allergic reaction when inhaled.

Try to stay indoors during the early morning hours and on windy days to avoid inhaling pollen. Alternatively, wear sunglasses and a mask as a preventive measure if you are heading out. You should also shower and change immediately once you get home.

Consider Natural Treatments

Instead of pills, consider natural vitamin supplements. For instance, you can consume Problk Health’s apple cider vinegar to keep your allergies at bay.

According to research, ACV has several natural healing properties, including the production of protective enzymes and antibodies in the mucus to curb allergies. ACV is also known to reduce body inflammation and help manage allergies better.

Eat Healthily

Consuming a vitamin-rich and balanced diet can help your body stave off allergies more effectively. Make sure to include allergy-alleviating foods, such as nuts, fish, apples, red grapes, and tomatoes, in your day-to-day diet.

Clean Your Home

You can keep your indoors clean by investing in a high-efficiency particulate air filter. These types of tools can successfully remove harmful irritants and make your home a pollen-free zone.

You can also consider buying indoor air-purifying houseplants, such as English ivy, bamboo, and snake plants, that naturally get rid of pollutants. Also, try to keep your windows shut as much as possible to keep the pollen out.

Seek Medical Attention

If your symptoms persist, consult with your doctor. Based on the severity and persistence of your allergies, they may prescribe eye drops or oral antihistamines to help alleviate the symptoms.

Some medicines might make you drowsy, so take them with caution, preferably at night. Also, remember that the symptoms won’t go away overnight. You can also talk to your doctor to figure out if allergy flu shots are the right option for you.

If your eyes start to water and you’re sneezing non-stop, visit your doctor and get a prescription for anti-allergy medications. Being proactive can stop the allergy in its tracks before it becomes a full-blown problem.

Looking for more suggestions to prevent or deal with springtime allergies? Problk Health Vitamins can help you find the solutions you need to live a healthier life.

Get 15% off your first order using code “shoppeblack”

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Published on
4 mins read

Quick Beginners Guide to Vitamins A to K

vitamin

Vitamins are organic nutrients that our bodies need to function correctly. Most vitamins cannot be produced by us, at least not in sufficient quantities to meet our needs. As a result, they must come from the food we eat as well as multivitamins.

Read on to learn about the importance of each vitamin from A to K and the foods that contain them.

A Quick Guide to Vitamins A to K

Vitamin A

vitamins

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient that helps your body form healthy teeth, bones, soft tissues, and skin. Additionally, you can prevent bacterial and viral infections, keep your hair and nails healthy, and prevent night blindness.

Vitamin A is exceptionally high in the following foods:

  • Sweet potatoes
  • Winter squash
  • Carrots
  • Apricots
  • Cantaloupe
  • Kale, spinach, and collard greens

Spices such as paprika, red pepper, cayenne, and chili powder are also high in vitamin A.

Vitamin B

vitamins

Vitamins B-6, B-12, and B-9 are necessary for your body to function appropriately, synthesize DNA, and form red blood cells. Additionally, they help maintain brain function, prevent anemia, and support metabolism.

The following foods contain particularly high levels of vitamins B-6 and B-12:

  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Meat, poultry, and fish
  • Seafood, including mussels and oysters

Leafy green vegetables and poultry are exceptionally high in B-9 or folic acid. Certain breakfast cereals, fruit juices, and other products are fortified with folic acid.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect the health of your cells. It also improves your body’s iron absorption and ensures healthy teeth and gums. Besides that, it heals wounds and helps you resist infection.

The following foods contain Vitamin C:

  • Papaya
  • Broccoli
  • Strawberries
  • Peppers
  • Citrus fruits
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Dark leafy greens, such as kale, mustard greens, and chard

Vitamin D

vitamins

Vitamin D is a unique nutrient. Besides absorbing it from food, your body can synthesize it from sunlight. Your bones, immune system, and calcium absorption depend on vitamin D. According to the National Cancer Institute Trusted Source, it may also lower your risk of colorectal cancer.

Although vitamin D comes mainly from the sun, foods that also provide this nutrient include:

  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Shiitake mushrooms
  • Some seafood, such as salmon, herring, catfish, trout, and oysters

Vitamin E

Vitamins

Vitamin E is a potent antioxidant that protects your cells from damage. It is also essential for your body’s ability to use vitamin K and repair muscle cells.

Vitamin E is abundant in the following foods:

  • Bell peppers
  • Asparagus
  • Sunflower seeds and almonds
  • Spinach, swiss chard, and turnip greens

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is essential for your body’s ability to form blood clots. Without it, you could die from a simple cut. Older adults may also benefit from vitamin K for maintaining bone strength.

Among the foods that are particularly high in vitamin K are:

  • Parsley
  • Broccoli
  • Asparagus
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Romaine lettuce
  • Kale, spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard, turnip greens, and mustard greens

With dozens of alternatives on the market, picking the right multivitamin can be tricky. Problk Health Vitamins is a Black doctor-owned company that can assist you in determining which vitamins you require to strengthen your diet.

Visit their website or email them at Hello@problkhealth.com for detailed information.

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Published on
6 mins read

This Couple Started a Vitamin Business to Reduce Vitamin Deficiency in the Black Community

Problk Health

Problk Health Vitamins is a doctor and veteran-owned health company on a mission to improve health and wellness in the Black community.

The Atlanta-based business was started by husband and wife team Dr. Karleena Tuggle-McDaniel and Darian McDaniel. Both HBCU grads (Howard Medical School and Morehouse College) decided that in order to promote healing in the Black community, they would have to be the change they wanted to see.

We caught up with Problk Health Vitamins co-founder Dr. Karleena Tuggle-McDaniel to find out more.

Problk Health
Dr. Karleena Tuggle-McDaniel

What inspired you to start Problk Health Vitamins?

(Dr. K) If we could boil down this answer into two words, they would be ‘need’, and ‘purpose’. The need being that I have trained, worked in, and served majority Black communities for over 20 years.

Whether it be New York where I was raised, D.C. where I received my education, or Atlanta where I settled and now practice, a common theme that I see almost daily is that Black people do not focus on preventative care.

We are young in age and old in disease while being plagued with illnesses that are often preventable if addressed before progressing to more harmful stages. We do not prioritize our most valuable asset which is our health. 92% of Black people have at least one vitamin deficiency.

After watching an episode of Shark Tank where a company was highlighted that donated a percentage of its profits from the sales of beach towels to benefit marine life, we thought if they could do that for fish, imagine what we could do for Black people.

The purpose is that Darian and I wanted to have a passion project or leave a legacy that would outlive us and benefit the Black community for generations to come.

The combination of these factors helped shape our vision were educating and providing vitamins for people both helps the individual’s health, and the health of the community by donating 50% of the net profits to non-profit organizations that work on improving the health in the Black Community.

Problk Health

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How does your vitamin company differ from those that already exist?

We use the highest quality ingredients to create our premium vitamins and supplements. We make a conscious effort to use select formulas that fill the most nutrient gaps for our customers.

Problk Health Vitamins also donates 50% of its net profits to non-profit organizations that have missions that focus on irradicating health disparities in the Black Community.

It’s a win-win scenario that most people should be able to get behind. We often like to ask people, “Does your current vitamin give back to the community?” We have yet to hear ‘yes’ as a response.

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Describe your individual personalities and how you fuse them to make the business work.

Darian is the strategic, business marketing guru that is the key to catapulting our growth. He is moved more by logic than emotion which helps us to choose the most appropriate and beneficial partnerships. He is a genius at curating the brand from aesthetic details to scaling opportunities.

I, on the other hand, am a way more emotional person. Much of my passion or zeal for this endeavor is my daily encounters with people who look like me or someone I love who is suffering from preventable illness or haunted by suboptimal lifestyle choices that result in inferior health.

I wholeheartedly believe that part of living our best lives is harnessing and enhancing our health to truly maximize our potential, longevity, and happiness. Together we are like the Wonder Twins cartoon from back in the day that can adapt to any obstacle or situation. It works to be able to see things from different perspectives.

Problk Health
Dr. Karleena Tuggle-McDaniel and Darian McDaniel.

Where do you see the company in 5 years?

In 5 years we hope to be a well-respected household name that is synonymous with quality vitamins and supplements, education and community give back.

We want to potentially have mobile health vans that can visit different neighborhoods, fostering the idea of prioritizing our health through healthy habits and preventative care.

We would like to grow the business to the point that we are able to donate millions of dollars in support of nurturing our people and the communities we come from. The sky is the limit, and Black people need to enlighten and improve their health more so than ever.

To learn more about Problk Health Vitamins, visit their website and get 15% off Your first order using code “shoppeblack”

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Published on
3 mins read

New research shows link between Vitamin D and COVID-19

covid

According to a recent study by researchers from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University in Safed, Israel and the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel—vitamin D deficiency may contribute to the severity of the disease from Covid-19 infection.

The role of vitamin D in protecting against severe COVID-19 is less well established. Continue reading to find out the link between vitamin D and COVID-19.

What Does the Research Suggest?

When comparing patients who had sufficient vitamin D levels before contracting COVID-19 with those who did not, scientists found “striking” differences in the chances of serious illness.

According to a study published in the journal PLOS One, people with vitamin D deficiency before getting COVID-19 were more likely to develop a severe illness than those who had an adequate amount of vitamin D in their blood.

Dr. Amiel Dror, a physician at the Galilee Medical Center and author of the study, said, “It was quite remarkable and striking to see the difference in the chances of becoming a severe patient when one lacks vitamin D as opposed to when one does not.”

The findings are based on 253 admissions to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel, between April 7, 2020, and February 4, 2021—before the highly contagious Omicron variant emerged.

Is Vitamin D Effective against COVID-19?

ACCORDING TO DROR, Vitamin D is believed to be a key player in the immune system’s ability to deal with viruses that attack the respiratory system.

According to the UK Health Security Agency, the research does not advocate avoiding vaccinations and taking supplements instead. Vaccines reduce the risk of Omicron hospitalization by up to 90%, especially after a booster shot.

The many health benefits of vitamin D include:

  • Promoting healthy bones and teeth.
  • Lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • Supporting the immune system.

During the pandemic, physicians advised their patients to take vitamin D to boost their immune systems. However, there is little evidence to support this advice.

The majority of vitamin D is obtained from direct sunlight on the skin. It can also be found in foods like fatty fish, mushrooms, egg yolks, and supplements.

For most people, vitamin D levels of over 20 nanograms per milliliter are considered sufficient, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—which is also the benchmark used by researchers at Bar-Ilan University and Galilee Medical Center.

Research conducted before the emergence of COVID-19 found that vitamin D reduces the risk of other respiratory infections compared to dummy drugs.

In their published report, the researchers concluded—”Our study contributes to a constantly evolving body of evidence that suggests a patient’s history of vitamin D deficiency is a predictive risk factor associated with poorer COVID-19 clinical disease course and mortality.”

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