Vitamin D: A new old, phenomenon

For about 12 years I have been preaching to my patients about vitamin d, make sure you take vitamin d or get in the sun.

Why, because your body requires it, and there are highly evolved mechanisms created over thousands of generations to syntheize vitamin D from sun exposure. So why would the body go through such trememdous biochemical cartwheels? Something really important must be going on.

First, the US RDA for vitamin D is 400iu, enough to prevent rickets, but this thinking was in place years ago, without a full understanding of what roles vitamin d plays in the body besides calcium absorption.

Now the medical community has embraced some of the amazing findings that have surfaced over the last several years including vitamin d's role in the nervous system, immune system, endocrine system and musculoskeletal system.

Blood test can now measure vitamin d levels. People with auto immune diseases or people who just plain dont want to have auto-immune diseases need to monitor vitamin d. The major hurdle with vitamin d was the alleged toxicity. In comparison Tylenol is thousands of times more toxic, so we need to first get the truth out about what we are dealing with. Patients often balk at taking such a large sounding number. A caucasian person can synthesize 20,000 iu of vitamin D in about 20minutes of sun exposure. Supplementing 4-5000iu is not a big dose. I recommend some folks take 50,000iu for a few days to raise their levels and then a maintenance dose to keep their levels in the optimum zone.

I have used 50,000iu to 100,000 iu dosages myself and with my family for many years safely and effectively, and the only downside is the energy that comes from taking it too late in the day and not being able to sleep.

Now everyone is on the bandwagon, and medical doctors frequently prescribe vitamin d, although the typical prescription is for ergocalcifol or vitamin D2. To put it bluntly, this is the wrong nutrient, and I dont care who prescribes it. The proper compound is vitamin D-3 cholecalciferol, which is the natural and much for effective supplement.

D-3 is superior is raising blood levels and is the compound familiar to your body. Its not a prescription, thus the D2 alternative arose. This is more about money and less about common sense.

I recommend Bio Tech vitamin D-3, in the 50,000iu dose. I have used it with hundreds of patients, and I find it to be a must have in my regimen. I seldom recommend specific companies, so that should be something to think about. Have bloodwork done to monitor your vitamin d levels.