By Jennifer Jacques, NP
Background
You need Vitamin D because it is an essential nutrient that is needed for proper bone growth and maintenance, for proper immune function, and also to protect against some malignancies. There is also some research that shows an increased risk of poor sleep quality, mood swings, depression, low energy, and skin conditions with a deficiency.
How do you get it?
There are two types of D that you can get through your diet, D3 and D4, and they are often found in foods like milk, salmon, mackerel, and tuna. The other way to obtain vitamin D is through direct sunlight. Fair skinned and younger people are able to convert sunlight into vitamin D more efficiently than those with darker skin and those who are over 50 years old.
What are the signs and symptoms of low Vitamin D?
It is not quite as obvious in adults as it is in children, but includes fatigue, bone pain, bone loss, muscle weakness, muscle aches, muscle cramps, impaired wound healing, getting sick frequently, and mood changes like depression.
How do you know your vitamin D levels?
Have your medical provider draw blood work and check your levels. Based on your findings, he/she will recommend a dose for you. If your levels are low, many times your provider will prescribe a higher dose of supplement to replenish your levels.
How do you treat low Vitamin D levels?
I had a professor in graduate school that told us it would take 20 minutes of sun exposure per day with no shirt on and no sunscreen to achieve optimal results of daily vitamin D. Studies show this to be true.
Adding a daily D supplement to your routine will likely be enough for most people. The dose varies per person depending on age, gender, and pregnancy status. Generally it was believed that 600-800 IU daily is sufficient, but anecdotal evidence supports higher dosing. If your levels are below 40, you may want to take 5,000 to 10,000IU per day for a couple months and then have your levels redrawn. Some people do not absorb Vitamins well from the stomach and find that Vitamin D shots work well for them.
We carry high quality supplements and Vitamin shots at our local Austin clinics and we can draw and send your blood for testing if you would like to know what your levels are.
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Want information on other vitamins? https://lalongevity.com/all-about-b12-injections/
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