Vitamin D

Vitamin D.  It's been all over the news for the past 5 or so years, being touted as a miracle to aging.  Have you tried it?

I have.  My primary doctor is an MD, practicing in holistic based medicine.  He routinely runs tests, checking to see that my health continues to be balanced and strong.  To be honest, sometimes I feel like I would need to take out a second mortgage to pay for all the supplements he recommends, so with his guidance, I pick and choose what makes sense to me.  Without fail, my vitamin D levels are low or low/normal, and I'm always supplementing with vitamin D pills.

To reference yesterdays blog, I CAN say that my levels are much higher in the summer, when I'm spending more time outdoors.  There is tons of research finding that first and foremost, get out in the sun to boost your vitamin D levels.  The balance you have to find, for yourself, is how much sun can your skin handle without burning, since the findings show that sunscreen blocks the absorption of vitamin D.  For sure discuss this with your dermatologist to find out how much sun you can safely handle.  It's too easy to supplement with over the counter vitamins to risk skin cancer!   I'm not a huge fan of slathering chemicals all over my skin, so I try to find a happy medium.  If I'm sitting on beach, I'm slathering.  If I'm out for a walk, I try to watch to keep from burning. 

How much supplemental vitamin D do you need?  LOTS.  This translates to multiple pills per day, which you not only have to remember to take, you have to be able to afford!  No matter how hard I try, I never seem to be able to be consistent in taking the multiple supplements.  There is a prescription Vitamin D supplement, 50000IUs/pill.  When I found out my 50 pills/week could be reduced to one,  I started with one pill per week early this year.  There is some controversy with prescription vs over the counter supplements, I'm still trying to see if it works for me.  The negatives being discussed about the prescription version is that the 50000IUs aren't as effective as 50000IUs of the supplement, but frankly even I have to take five per week, it's still much more doable for me than 50 pills per week.  In addition, most of the research I could find comparing the two are on websites associated with selling supplements or tanning services, so be aware of their motivation.  I had blood work done after about two months, and while my levels were much better than before I started taking them, they were still too low.  I'm now taking two per week, and I'm due for more blood work, I'm hoping it's helping!  I certainly feel a lot better than a few months ago.

Both conventional and holistic doctors are in complete agreement with the benefits of additional vitamin D to our overall health.  You should always discuss ALL of your supplements and vitamins with your primary care doctor, they should be able to assist you in determining the right amounts for you.  Be sure to ask you doctor for the simple blood test checking your current Vitamin D levels, and then monitor those levels as you adjust your supplements.  Every single solitary person I know, when finally getting their D level tested, found it to be low.  This may be less this in the summertime, so if your levels are OK, get tested again in a few months.

Lastly, Vitamin D does not discriminate!  Men, women, and children alike are all not getting enough vitamin D, so get your kids tested also.

This blog could go on forever with the long long list of benefits of proper Vitamin D levels, so I'll spare you and leave you with a few links to check out!  I would love to hear about your personal experiences.

Live as if time is infinite!

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/articles/2008/06/23/time-in-the-sun-how-much-is-needed-for-vitamin-d.html

http://health.learninginfo.org/benefits_vitamind.htm

http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/16353/

http://www.bing.com/health/article/healthwise-1250036537/Vitamin-D-Getting-Enough-Topic-Overview?q=prescription+vitamin+d&FORM=FFF

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/20590122/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-soram-khalsa/vitamin-d-if-you-cant-get_b_83626.html