Vitamin D is called the, “Sunshine vitamin,” because we actually get the wonder vitamin when exposed to the sun. Being a California girl, I know all too well the woes of too much sun. That being said, it is crucial to our development, well-being, both mentally and physically. The relatively new Japanese study found that taking 1,200 International Units (IU) of D-3 supplementation daily can cut your risk of catching the influenza A by 50%. That’s pretty big in the winter time of flu season. So many people getting sick, many getting pneumonia. It’s a truly treacherous road ahead when we run low on D in our body.
Vitamin D loves your bones, nerves, muscle tissue, and even blood sugar. It has been found to help reduce high blood pressure, and reduce chances in production of cancer cells in the colon, breast, and prostate gland. Think of all the implications in its benefit to your well-being. So simple.
Most of the people in the US have been found to have low levels of D in their blood, but, I believe with all the publicity it has gotten in the past couple of years, the levels might have gone up, making big changes for people. However, still, many have low levels and it is easy to check. Ask your doctor to run a simple blood test called the 25-hydroxy test and it will measure your levels. If your numbers come back at 30 ng/dl you are too low. You want to get your D levels up between 50-80 ng/dl according to the Funtional Medicine model. Your doctor or naturpath will guide you how much to take. Know not to take more than 4,000 units a day, because of absorption use. Just keep on trucking little by little and your levels will go up. You can recheck in 6 months or so. Your doc will tell you.
Can you imagine such a small thing that is so hugely implicated in your health? Your bone density, blood sugar, blood pressure, and cancers. Not to mention your immune system support. Vitamin D has been found to boost the immune cells’ ability to find invaders like viruses, and kick them out.
You can get vit D in salmon and dairy products. But, since many people do not imbibe in dairy as much as before, I would suggest to find out your levels, find out how much you need to take, and enjoy your fatty fish and sun when you can.
Take some sun and call me in the morning! Elinor Silverstein
