Well, Winter is upon us. The skies darken obscenely early, the ground is cold and hard and we all (at least those of us not in Florida, San Diego and Southern Arizona) succumb to a little bit of the doldrums, aka Seasonal Affective Disorder. Some of us worse than others. I have recently been diagnosed with a rather severe vitamin D deficiency and while researching the treatment (vitamin D supplements, duh!) I discovered that some doctors think regular supplements of D may help this seasonal malady. Since our bodies manufacture the majority of our D through exposure to sunlight, when we’re not exposed to the sun very much, we have much lower D levels and thus, we have symptoms a D deficiency. Rocket science it ain’t! What are they? Well, according to Easy Immune System health, some are: colds and flu, cavities, depression and S.A.D. (a ha!), Osteoporosis, hypertension, asthma, several cancers and MS.
According to the Vitamin and Supplement guide:
Can you get enough vitamin D from sunlight alone to avoid vitamin D deficiency symptoms?
If you live north of 40 degrees north latitude (about the latitude of New York City) or south of 40 degrees south latitude (about the latitude of Wellington, New Zealand), for at least half of the year, you can’t.
In Boston, Massachusetts, for instance, there is insufficient ultraviolet radiation in the sunlight for skin to make adequate amounts of vitamin D from early November to early March. On the South Island of New Zealand, vitamin D deficiency is a real risk from early May to early September. In Calgary, Alberta, residents don’t get enough vitamin D even if they get daily sun exposure from October until nearly April. And in northern Europe, Alaska, and Russia, the problem is even worse.
Go ahead and do a Google search on Vitamin D and you’ll notice a lot of new research that points to D being important on a number of levels and indications that it can help safeguard against many maladies (fatigue, chronic pain, cancer, MS, obesity, stroke, etc.) can be found all over the net.
All that said, I am taking supplements because I went to a doctor and was tested and prescribed 5,000 IU, daily. DO NOT take my word for it, especially if you’re on any medication. However, if you find yourself down in the dumps, getting frequent colds or just want to make sure you’re as healthy as you can be, go to your doctor and get your vitamin D levels checked. I’ve only been on the D for a few days and I’ll let you know how I feel in a couple of weeks!
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