Vitamin D Deficiency May Affect Trauma Patients

It's a beautiful, sunny (but cold) day here in NC, so it's time for an article on Vitamin D. This post from NaturalStandard.com discusses a study in which a signifcant majority of trauma patients were found to have either deficient/insufficient levels of Vitamin D. As someone who ended up in a trauma center 20 years ago because of a severe car crash, this article hit a nerve---I will guarantee you that I was deficient in Vitamin D. I was not eating at all healthy at the time, did not take supplements, and lived in the Northeast (where we rarely saw the sun from October to March!). I shudder to think of how bad my Vitamin D level likely was. Remember if you are taking Vitamin D supplementation to take Vitamin D3-----and it's important to take a good quality vitamin. I use OrthoMolecular brand (I take 5000 IUs daily----check with your doctor).

Avoiding sun may increase risk of vitamin D deficiency in light-skinned people

Today is a good day to share this article from News-Medical.net........there isn't much sun to be had in NC today. According to a study out of Stanford University, light skinned people who avaoid sun exposure are twice as likely to suffer from Vitamin D deficiency as those who do not avoid the sun. One interesting note is that the use of sunscreen did not significantly affect the blood levels of Vitamin D......it is theorized that it's likely because the people using sunscreen were not applying enough sunscreen or only using it sporadically.

I need to note on this that the study used a a Vitamin D level of 20 ng/ml (blood test) as the cutoff point for determining deficiency, which in many professional's opinions (including my own doctor) is far too low. Dr. Carr (my own physician) likes his patients to be at an optimal level of 70-100 ng/ml, and most integrative physicians use at least a level of 50 ng/ml as optimal. Even the lab I use (LabCorp) states that any level below 30 ng/ml is flagged as deficient, and the labs are notoriously slow to embrace the newer standards of sufficiency for any blood level. As always, check with your doctor about the optimal level for you. If you have not had your Vitamin D level checked, seriously considering doing so-----as we age, our bodies do not absorb Vitamin D from sunlight as efficiently as when we were younger. People who live in sunny climates are not immune to Vitamin D deficiency........Dr. Carr practices in the desert area of Southern CA, and he has a lot of patients who all but live on the golf course, and they are seriously deficient in Vitamin D.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Seasonal Affective Disorder: Tips to Break Out of Your Winter Rut

I'm not kidding when I tell people that I moved out of NY State because I couldn't take the winters up there anymore. Besides the heavy snow (upwards of 150 inches most winters), the sun would disappear for a week at a time, and by the end of January my depression (this was before I got my hormones balanced) was even worse than usual.

I'm much better now that I am in NC because 1) my hormones are balanced, 2) I take 10,000 IUs of Vitamin D each day (talk to your doctor about this) 3) most winter days in NC have at least some sun (today is not one of them) and 4) because the winters are milder, I am able to get out pretty much every day (being housebound two days last week because of snow and ice was very unusual).

I saw this article today on the HuffingtonPost.com by Oz Garcia, and it has some great tips to help you cope with the winter blues/blahs. I used to use a BriteLight box when I was in NY, and actually found that it did help a little. I sat with it 30 minutes each morning. I think one of the most important tips in the article is to get some exercise----that way, when spring rolls around you will be in better shape, and will feel like getting out to enjoy the fresh season!

Take Vitamin D With Largest Meal

This article is of particular interest to me ------ I just got my latest blood work back this week, and damn it, despite the 5000 IUs daily of Vitamin D3-----I'm still too low! Bumping it up for a while to see if we can't get my levels up (and it's also going to be a great excuse to get out and get a little extra sun!). This is from WebMD.com ----- apparently we should be taking our Vitamin D with our largest meal of the day. I've been taking it in the morning with my protein shake, which is NOT my largest meal of the day. I have an email in to my doctor to ask him about this, but WebMD is usually a pretty reliable source of information.

Link Between Vitamin D And Skin Cancer

A Henry Ford Hospital study has shown a link between Vitamin D levels and basal cell carcinoma, a finding that could lead researchers to better understand the development of the most common form of skin cancer. Click here to read the rest of the article----

New Recommendation: Why You Need More Vitamin D

I'm a big fan of Dr. Andrew Weil, he has a common sense approach to medicine and he comes across as someone you can trust. I was pleased to see this article featured in TheHuffingtonPost.com --- Dr. Weil has increased his recommended daily dose of Vitamin D3 (which is not really a vitamin but a prohormone) to 2000 IU's daily, up from 1000 IU's daily. As always, talk to your doctor about this, and if needed get your levels checked (most insurances will pay for it, but check with your carrier). For the record, I have been taking 5000 IU's daily for about 4 years, I feel great, no side effects.

Why Vitamin D is suddenly so trendy

The sun shining brightly here in NC today (now we just need warmer temperatures---coming tomorrow) reminded me to remind you (again) about the health benefits of Vitamin D (which is really a prohormone, not a vitamin!). The second half of this article from the St. Louis Beacon has some great information on Vitamin D---where it comes from, why it is beneficial, etc. Check it out!

'D' Is for Do It

My weekly reminder about Vitamin D (which, all together now, is a prohormone, not a vitamin)-----click here to read the article. As usual, the caveat is to talk to your doctor/healthcare professional, but I've been taking 5000 IUs Vitamin D3 for over 3 years, and my levels are just fine.

Kids work their apps, not abs

The percentage of children who are Vitamin D deficient is staggering, and is likely to have long term consequences on their health. This article from the Myrtle Beach Sun popped up on my newsfeed this morning and I thought it was interesting enough to share with you. Have a great day!

Vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of stroke, heart disease and death, finds study

You know it wouldn't be a complete week without a post on Vitamin D (altogether now, it's a prohormone, not a vitamin)----this week's article is from medical-news.net----check it out by clicking here.

Do Statin Drugs Cause Vitamin D Deficiency?

I went to a terrific bioidentical hormone seminar a couple weeks ago, and one of the issues discussed was how the statin drugs for lowering cholesterol should be taken with a CoQ10 supplement---many doctors still don't know this. Now this article from stopagingnow.com (they sell supplements--I'm not endorsing them as I do not know anything about them) asks if the statin drugs are causing a Vitamin D (which is really a prohormone) deficiency, which in turn is causing the muscle aches so commonly associated with the statin drugs. Interesting reading!

Heart and bone risk from low vitamin D

Another reason to take Vitamin D----check out this article from UPI.com. It's funny how so many of these articles show up on my newsfeed on days that I need to be extra vigilant about taking my Vitamin D ---- no sunshine here in NC, and it's pouring down rain.

Two worthy supplements

From the Westlibertyindex.com----an article detailing the benefits of fish oil and Vitamin D3. I take both---ask your doctor about what supplements are right for you!

Doctors start to include vitamin D in fight against cancer

There is much debate about using Vitamin D as a tool in cancer prevention---this article from the Globe and Mail is just one of many that have crossed my desk the last couple weeks. The usual caution to check with your doctor about the amount of Vitamin D you need to be taking---the recommendations vary wildly (although I must say that the 1000 IU's listed in this article seem low, especially since the study was done in Canada, which is far enough north of the equator that it is widely thought that Vitamin D levels are almost always insufficient because of the lack of sunshine in the winter months). Be sure to check with your doctor before adding any vitamin to your regime (I personally just downed 5000 IU's of Vitamin D3 about five minutes ago with my protein shake).

Sunshine vitamin stirs new debate

From the Washington Times----a lengthy, but comprehensive article on Vitamin D (which, by the way, is a prohormone, not a vitamin) and its effects on the body. I for one plan on getting out today and enjoying the sunshine of NC---it's a beautiful day here!

A dose of vitamin D a day keeps the doctor away

This article from Tulsaworld.com is important reading for everyone---diabetic or not! Remember to get Vitamin D3 (as stated in the article) as it is the most useable form of Vitamin D (how ironic, I just heard that at a BHRT seminar this morning!)

Fight Off Back Aches & Pains This Winter With Extra Vitamin D

Good morning, everyone! Today even if I wasn't taking my daily supplements (and I will be as soon as I finish blogging) I would probably get an adequate dose of Vitamin D - it's bright and sunny here in NC, a beautiful Fall day. However, we are coming up on the part of the year where if you live much above the bottom third of the country, you cannot get enough Vitamin D from the sun (November through March the sun isn't strong enough) ---- so it's important to start supplementing your Vitamin D in pill form (always get Vitamin D3, absorbs better). I take 5000 IU's a day (under doctor's supervision, of course)----and I know I have mentioned this before, but I am a big fan of Dr. Soram Khalsa's book The Vitamin D Revolution (get it on Amazon.com---best price).

This morning an article popped up on Medical News Today on Vitamin D---it's a good one, click here to read it. Enjoy your Sunday----I'm off to the movies (Amelia) and lunch with a friend today!

Vitamin D may improve colorectal cancer survival

I thought it would be a good idea to include an article on our friend Vitamin D today-----since I am not sure we are EVER going to see the sun again here in Charlotte! (We are fortunate however, to not have the terrible flooding rains that some parts of the Southeast are experiencing.....I'm keeping those affected in my thoughts). This article from Natraingredients.com talks about a study on how Vitamin D levels affect colorectal cancer (and if you are over 50 and have not yet had a colonoscopy, what are you waiting for?)

5 reasons women should still take Vitamin D

This article is from US News and World Report---outlines five reasons women should be taking Vitamin D. Of note is that the article talks about the recommended doses for most Americans being too low----you need to talk to your doctor and find out what dose he/she recommends.

Vitamin D, magnesium, other nutrients may influence cardiovascular disease risk

I know, it's very confusing----which vitamins and supplements to take?? It's a talk you need to have with your doctor---and this is very, very important----if you are seeing a new doctor for any reason (hormonally related or not) you need to be very accurate and tell him EXACTLY what medications, vitamins and supplements you are on. Just because it is over the counter does not mean it's not worth mentioning. This article from FreshNews talks about magnesium and Vitamin D and cardiovascular health.