Fawn....or anyone who knows about being Vitamin D deficient....

[aim in Fla*working]

what shall I take. I am Vitamin D deficient. I was taking Carlson's fish oil just to actually LOOK on the bottle and it says Vitamin a and d FREE My doc has prescribed infrared sauna and a Myers cocktail of vitamins but wants me to take vitamin d. I thought I was ....

[aim in Fla*working]

no one knows?

[SashimiMark]

I take cod liver oil for vitamin A and D.

[aim in Fla*working]

Thank you for the response. may I ask what kind Mark? Carlson's?

[40winks]

If i recall correctly, Dr. Atkins recommends 15 minutes a day of sunshine as the ideal source of vitamin D.

[SashimiMark]

Living in FL, you may be able to get make enough vitamin D from sun exposure. But during the winter months, it is not possible to produce vitamin D from sun exposure if you live north of Atlanta as the sun never gets high enough in the sky for UV B rays to penetrate the atmosphere. But a new study out of the University of Wisconsin tested young adults who live in Hawaii and were getting plenty of sun exposure, but 51% had low serum levels.

[KajunDC]

Originally Posted by SashimiMark

Living in FL, you may be able to get make enough vitamin D from sun exposure. But during the winter months, it is not possible to produce vitamin D from sun exposure if you live north of Atlanta as the sun never gets high enough in the sky for UV B rays to penetrate the atmosphere. But a new study out of the University of Wisconsin tested young adults who live in Hawaii and were getting plenty of sun exposure, but 51% had low serum levels.

Because they slather that silly sunscreen on.

Get out in the sun 20 minutes a day - no sunscreen and no sunglasses - and you will get all the D you need. Sunglasses prevents your body from allowing the proper conversions to happen. Your eyes must experience the light to allow the conversions to start taking place.

You cannot get all the D you need through supplementation. The sun is our friend and is necessary for life... both north and south of Atlanta.

[misz_nk]

I know this is bad, but I go to the tanning salons

seems to do the trick, plus tan fat looks better than pale fat...

[lisabinil]

I am one of those who are Vitamin D deficient and get plenty of sun. I took prescription Vitamin D for about 9 months and supplemented with CLO and my levels are within normal ranges. I still take CLO and a Vitamin D3 sublingual.

[Magicsmom]

Originally Posted by aim in Fla*working

what shall I take. I am Vitamin D deficient. I was taking Calrson's fish oil just to actually LOOK on the bottle and it says Vitamin a and d FREE My doc has prescribed infrared sauna and a Myers cocktail of vitamins but wants me to take vitamin d. I thought I was ....

If I were you, I'd ask the doctor specifically what is it that he/she wants you to take (name of product or get a prescription), and ask specifically what dosage you are supposed to be taking. My doctor monitors my vitamin D levels. Being in the Pacific NW, I am deficient (as most residents here are), and my doctor prescribed a product in a specific dosage.

[jenna...]

New York to Dallas (and more on vitamin D) | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D.

Dr. Eades has a few posts in his Blog about the importance of Vitamin D (D3 type)

[shapeup1]

I take 1000mg capsule a day ....

[wifezilla]

Here is a good calculator to find out how much sun you need...
Vitamin D Calculator | The Vitamin D Cure - Vitamin D Research, Vitamin D Book, Vitamin D Supplements, Healthy Living Using Vitamin D

Tanning booths do NOT produce vitamin D unless they have UVB lights. Most don't, so don't count on that as a source of D. If you live in a cold area and work inside, you most likely will need to supplement in Winter.

I use Carlson's brand liquid vitamin D3.

[amiga74]

carlson's cod liver oil has vitamin D. i take that

[wifezilla]

It also has a lot of vitamin A. Too much A can be an issue. It is very hard to OD on vitamin D3. Even infants don't show signs of overdose unless they take over 40,000 IU/day over a period of several weeks.

[Shimmerfly]

Originally Posted by KajunDC

Because they slather that silly sunscreen on.

Get out in the sun 20 minutes a day - no sunscreen and no sunglasses - and you will get all the D you need. ...

There is nothing silly about sunscreen especially if you are living that close to the equator. (HI)

Vitamin D would be the least of your worries if you have ever had a melanoma removed.

[Stevie Renee]

I like this site..
Vitamin D Council | Understanding Vitamin D Cholecalciferol

Do you know your vit d levels?

[YampyPie]

Thanks for the links...gonna read up about this, as I'm curious. Always enjoy Dr. Eades' blogs.

[Cyndal]

Did your doctor say how much vitamin d to take?

I was told to take a vitamin d that is in a gel form. I take Finest Natural Vitamin D from Walgreens, purchased when they're buy one get one free, so the price isn't bad since I take quite a few - 8,000 units a day.

Cynthia

[MarcellaSF]

Originally Posted by wifezilla

Here is a good calculator to find out how much sun you need...
Vitamin D Calculator | The Vitamin D Cure - Vitamin D Research, Vitamin D Book, Vitamin D Supplements, Healthy Living Using Vitamin D

No offense, but I didn't find that calculator useful. It requires you to enter in your name, email address, and zip code, and then it just said I didn't get enough vitamin D exposure and to buy the book. It said that anybody with a UV exposure of less than 3 doesn't get enough sun, BTW, so if that's you, don't even bother to use the calculator.

[Mimosa23]

Totally useless calculator.

I too recommend getting 15-20 minutes of midday sun per day. Living in Florida, you should be able to up your vitamin D this way. It is also the best source of vitamin D that you can get.

As for skin cancer, you may want to avoid the chemicals in sunscreens too, as they do not seem to help avoid the issues of skin cancers. Try finding a natural sunscreen to protect yourself.

That said, 15-20 minutes of unprotected sun exposure will not do any harm to you and will give you a vital vit D boost!

[fatnutritionist]

I take 2000-4000 UI Daily

[KajunDC]

Originally Posted by Shimmerfly

There is nothing silly about sunscreen especially if you are living that close to the equator. (HI)

Vitamin D would be the least of your worries if you have ever had a melanoma removed.

I beg to differ. The sun is not our enemy, even if you live at the equator. I would not go from being inside most of the time for several years to 8 hours continuous exposure but if a person is used to the sun, sunscreen is absolutely unnecessary and many of them with their chemicals are quite dangerous over time.

[aim in Fla*working]

Originally Posted by SashimiMark

Living in FL, you may be able to get make enough vitamin D from sun exposure. But during the winter months, it is not possible to produce vitamin D from sun exposure if you live north of Atlanta as the sun never gets high enough in the sky for UV B rays to penetrate the atmosphere. But a new study out of the University of Wisconsin tested young adults who live in Hawaii and were getting plenty of sun exposure, but 51% had low serum levels.

My problem is I have had skin cancer and i am not allowed to be in the sun without serious protection from the sun. That is my dilema...I used to BE a sun bunny...for 2 years, I cannot be in the sun.

[aim in Fla*working]

Originally Posted by Shimmerfly

There is nothing silly about sunscreen especially if you are living that close to the equator. (HI)

Vitamin D would be the least of your worries if you have ever had a melanoma removed.

I feel this way. However, my depression and bone pain from fibro is out of hand and the doc said my d levels are low and this would really help me.

[emmyjane]

Originally Posted by Chantel

I like this site..
Vitamin D Council | Understanding Vitamin D Cholecalciferol

Do you know your vit d levels?

I like that site too! I have taken what they recommend- 5,000 iu/day for the last 4 weeks, and WOW. I haven't felt this "good" (mentally, physically, etc.) in 20 years! It's almost as if I "feel" sunnier taking Vitamin D.

Anyhow, my sister had a similar effect from taking Vit. D.

I take store brand (Meijer) Natural softgels, Vitamin D-3 as Cholecalciferol.

[TAMYRAJEAN]

my D levels are contiuously on the low end. I was taking 1500IU in capsule form and it was not raising my D levels. I have researched and I am now taking 2500IU of D3 in capsule form. My doc was not much help in telling me what form to take just how much more to take. I am trying 2500 of D3 for now and my next lab appt. is in May. I get plenty of sun in the summer but that still was no help.

[dawnyama]

I just went to the doctor on Mon and she told me that my levels of D were low as well. She told me just how much to take per day, the type--D3, and that it was to be "encapsulated"--whatever that means! She didn't suggest a brand, but did suggest brands with all the other vitamins and supplements she wants me taking so I will just pick one from one of the websites she told me to go to. Oh and I looked at cod liver oil while at the Kroger yesterday and it didn't have vitamin D listed on there as well. Just vitamin A and the omegas. I thought that was what CLO was for--the D??? My mom is in Florida and was told her vitamin D levels were low too. Easy since she is in Florida right? Well she refuses to do what the doc suggested--walk for 30 mins in the sun. She says she cannot do it because her back won't let her walk on pavement. So she is supplementing, but doesn't know if it is enough. Doctor's need to do better I think.....

[oceandiva]

After suffering with a pain in my arm for years that no doc or healer or physical therapist to alleviate, a friend suggested that I get tested for VtD. My doc respects my suggestions and tested for all minerals. My D was extremely low. After taking a perscription dose, my pain went away. I take it once a week and supplement with low dose during the week. It is always clear when I forget my dose because the pain returns. Testing for D is relatively new for docs so I'm grateful that mine listened to me.

[weasel!]

Here are some links I've been rummaging through:

Vitamin D and flu:
Avoid Flu Shots, Take Vitamin D Instead by Donald W. Miller, Jr., MD (The Vit D part starts about halfway down; the first part is criticism of flu vaccine)


Some interesting cold- and flu-related articles in this particular one, and the heartbreaking story of a woman whose baby died:
Vitamin D Newsletter Oct 2008 | Vitamin D in Pediatrics

Links to less-mainstream articles from various news sources:
Best Vitamin D News Articles

Headline feed:
Vitamin D News

Also search for terms like "cold" and "flu" and whatever interests you on the Vitamin D Council | Understanding Vitamin D Cholecalciferol site's search box, which is inconveniently located a ways down the page in the lefthand column.

Here is a mainstream -- and skeptical -- overview, which contains some biases that make me angry to read (like describing a case of rickets in an infant as "caused by breastfeeding" (as if breast milk causes disease!) rather than perhaps saying "caused by being breastfed by a mother who was herself Vitamin D deficient." But it provides a snapshot of the controversy (although it is not as objective as it pretends) and a lot of links.
Shedding light on vitamin D deficiency ?crisis? - Diet and nutrition- msnbc.com