Vitamin D

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For about the last year or so I have had a lot of issues with muscle and joint pain. I thought it was just from old age setting in. It got to the point when I would get down on the living room carpet to play with the dog, I could hardly get up! It really hurt. Then about 6 months ago I had a doctors appointment for a checkup and routine blood panel, and he called me to tell me I had a large Vitamin D deficiency. He also was questioning my Thyroid results. He said that could be effected by me lacking Vitamin D as well.

He told me to immediately start taking 2,000 units a day. So I did. I couldn't believe the difference! Within a couple of weeks I started to improve. Most all the muscle and joint pain I was having went away. I can bounce up off the floor like I was 30. I just had my blood panel redone, and my thyroid was completely normal. I had no idea Vitamin D was that important. He said many adults in their 60's lack it.

So now I make sure I take 2,000 units a day regularly. All of the pain and discomfort I was experiencing all went away. The stuff is cheap, and can really improve your life. Try it and see. I doubt you will be disappointed in the results.
 
I've read before that vitamin D is one of the few supplements for which there is really evidence that many people are deficient and that taking the supplement really improves health.
 
Since your in Arizona I'm sure there isn't a lack of sunshine you could also utilize. I've read in the past that 15 minutes per day is all you need to get all of your daily vitamin D but I'm sure that varies from person to person.
 
I'm over 60 and can get plenty of vitamin of D3 from the sun during the warmer months of late March-mid Sept. Half a dozen Vit D blood tests over the past 6 years confirm that. The warm weather season is longer in Arizona though there still are gaps. Considering the 1/2 life of VitD3 in your blood is 3-6 weeks it can go away fairly quickly. Most of us northerners will have a very minimum amount of D3 left by the time the new year rolls around....unless we supplement.

While your doctor may state that 15 min in the sun on hands, arms, and face is enough, it's probably well short of optimum considering your body's overall skin is probably 10X to 20X that amount. And if you want to get the most, get your sun within an hour either side of the peak sun for the day (highest azimuth)(your dermatologist will no doubt complain). Sun azimuth tables (see USN observatory link below) will tell you when your peak hours are. In checking Phoenix or Tucson, the azimuth doesn't get back above 50 degrees until March. UVB rays get filtered out as the sun azimuth decreases, with clouds/smog, etc. Only UVB rays produce Vit D3 in the skin. While the Vit D3 pills are helpful, they certainly aren't as effective as the sun. And the sun's UV rays contain hundreds of beneficial photo-isomers that don't come in any pill. Scientists have a long ways to go to figure out all the effects of UV rays. Getting only UVA rays without any appreciable UVB can be damaging to your skin and health. Doctors have scared the majority of the population out of the sun over the past few decades. And if you're out, they recommend full sunblock during the peak 4 hours of the day. In other words, they don't want you to get any VitD3. The increases in numerous diseases of the general population over this period may be less than coincidental.

Sun azimuth tables for Arizona
 
I'm reading this stuck indoors with a big skin graft on the side off my head (4 days in hospital) - leg is worse off where they harvested some skin. Neck cut to tie in nerves. Drain bottles etc.
This was behind 3 smaller day cuts and 6 weeks radiation.
Going forward it will be early and late in the sun and D3 from Walgreens ...
 
I take it in (Norwegian sourced) cod liver oil which is naturally rich in D and A also. I had a borderline deficiency previously...
 
We simply spend a lot of time in the sun. Both my wife and I have plenty of energy-the daily exercise in the sunshine helps-just simply walking a few miles everyday in the sun is a huge boost. No need to pop pills or supplements at all.
Maybe once we get old we might have to reconsider. But for now, we're just in our early 70's and maintain a lifestyle that doesn't include gulping handfuls of pills in an attempt to create better health.
 
Originally Posted By: 4WD
I take a high dose per dermatologist (skin cancer) ...


I take it in very high doses for my MS. Helps a lot with it studies have shown.

I take 10,000 IU every day.
 
Going to be hard to get sun during peak winter. All bundled up against the cold, and short days to boot. Too bad moonlight isn't good enough, plenty of that.
 
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
Problem is vitamins are Not all the same some are total fakes. Which ones are the real ones they are not regulated


I would think most of them are fairly decent. I've used Carlson's and Nature Made brands when I've needed to supplement during the winter months. If you do buy them get the D3 vs. D2 pills. The only way to know how you're doing is to take a Vit D 25 Hydroxy test. Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) supplements are nowhere near as effective as D3 (cholecalciferol)....at least from the sources I've read over the years. You'll find the "ergo/D2" in many of your cheap supermarket supplements/multi-vitamins. Since everyone's body is different, we all manufacture D3 at different rates. Some people can barely make it at all.

During peak summer time sun I'm getting 10,000-20,000 IU per day via UVB (45 min) at 2-3X per week. During periods of minimal or no effective sun I'll take 4,000-6,000 IU D3 per day. Numerous sources now recommend 2,000 per day. Even the govt's RDA was recently increased up to 600 per day. I think it was as low as 200 IU in previous years. And that's just enough to keep you near the minimum recommended blood levels of 30 ng/ml. Those in the "sun" trade seem to support a level of 50-65 ng/ml as being very beneficial. Yet, just recently I saw a graph from nutritionfacts.org that indicated that the lowest overall mortality rates for the general population occurred with D3 levels of 28 ng/ml (ie below the current recommended "sufficent" level in the US health care system). Anything over approx 44 (or under 20) showed a marked increase in overall mortality rates. Very confusing. It's not easy to do any study these days without numerous other factors interfering. I mean, how do you isolate "mortality" down to a single factor when all of us have hundreds of other risk factors that are very different? Someone gave us this UVB to cholesterol to VitD3 mechanism in our skin....probably a good idea to use it.
 
Vitamin D is vitally important because it puts calcium in your bones, among other many good things, but vitamin K is also essential to prevent that calcium from being deposited in your arteries. You don't need as much K as D, but supplements are available.
 
Originally Posted By: Nickdfresh
I take it in (Norwegian sourced) cod liver oil which is naturally rich in D and A also. I had a borderline deficiency previously...


Same here...crazy expensive up here in Canadaland, but it's REALLY worth it

I prefer taking my oils at night to aid sleep.
Boy do I have some awesome dreams from it and wake up feeling amazing. Just last night i revisited my elementary school crush Tami! She was just as youthful, and vibrant as I remember her in the second grade
lol.gif
 
Consumer Reports shows D3 a more consistent vitamin to purchase - but price is all over.
The calcium + D version + some wee little gels is what I do to get 5000+

In my case - sun is not fun anymore- way too much intense sun in the past ...25 years of cancer treatment ...
 
Been taking D3 in the winters for years now. I get lots of sun in the summer so I only supplement in the overcast times.. It makes a massive difference, its one of the only vitamins I can actually feel that works.

I always recommend it to people at least where I live.
 
The optimal dose of Vitamin D is far from settled. So advice like "15 minutes in the sun is enough" has to be considered unproven.

It's an important nutrient for human health. Like everything, it's important not to over do it, but evidence seems to suggest the conventional Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) may be on the low side.
 
I take 5KIU per day. I'm in my 40s, but had a similar experience to the OP. I like the Doctors Best brand for quality and price.
 
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