The Power of Vitamin D

Vitamin D: not only is it powerful, it's vital for good health. Although it's called a vitamin, D is actually a steroid hormone that acts as a catalyst for processes that protect our cells. 

Every tissue in the body needs vitamin D, yet a large percentage of the world's population is deficient, or borderline deficient, in this critical hormone. Even a mild deficiency can contribute to chronic and autoimmune diseases such diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, cancer (including ovarian, colon, and breast), multiple sclerosis, and psoriasis. 

Nature intended for us to get vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, but absorption is blocked by sunscreen. We need bare-skin sun exposure for 15-20 minutes a day; most of us don't get that. Additionally, we don't eat enough D-rich foods, which include egg yolk, cod liver oil, shitake mushrooms, and wild salmon. Fortified milk/dairy is not the best source because you need several cups every day. For anyone intolerant of dairy products, this food category is off limits. 

The best way to help the body establish optimal levels of vitamin D is to take a supplement.

The recommended blood level of vitamin D (above 25 nmol/L) was established to protect people from bone disease (rickets and osteomalacia). From the natural medicine perspective (and emerging scientific data), that threshold is too low to protect against serious illness or to promote optimal health. Depending on the individual, holistic physicians identify 45-90 nmol/L as the ideal vitamin D bloodlevel for disease prevention. 

Age, gender, diet, stress level, and lifestyle factors affect absorption of vitamin D. I often have my patients obtain a blood test prior to starting a supplement, to help ensure they take the appropriate amount and form of vitamin D. Follow-up testing tracks improvement in your levels and health conditions, so I can then adjust the supplement dose accordingly.