Living in the Pacific Northwest we just don’t get a lot of sunshine. You get seven months of winter with a couple more months of cool temperatures, then add to that a house located where the sun hits our place after
9 a.m and even in the summer is gone by 6 p.m ; you know we are really not getting enough sun to provide our D3 needs. Vitamin D3 can be consumed in a few food sources, supplementation or synthesized in the skin via ultraviolet radiation. I used to think that taking a huge dose once or twice a week was fine but research makes me think that a lighter dose each day is better. It is laughable the difference in what people think of in terms of a large dose, for some it is 1,000 IU, others, 50,000 IU. All depends on where they get their information. Many-a-year ago my family was given several large bottles of 50,000 IU from a naturalistic doctor; this was back in one of those “swine flu “ years. That seemed like a staggeringly large dose to me, again, at that time. All of the not-tiny humans in my house took two or three a week (back in the large-dose infrequently days) and at the first sign of anything coming on we took one a day for three to four days in a row. That year as spring came, I realized that though we had had plenty of exposure, we had been blessed with an entire winter without a serious bug holding us up. Research shows how optimal D levels can positively affect our immune system, including supporting white blood cell function and warding off countless illness. This gets me to thinking D3 should be something I pay more attention to.
If you read some of the articles, it can become a real concern to not overdose. It was something that worried me, until we did it, three times. The first was my ten year old, I had some good tasting chewables in a 5,000 IU strength. I was giving them a few a week when she broke out in a rash on her torso. She had never had a rash before. I asked my medical adviser (who I also called mom), she suggested to look at how much D3 she was taking. I knew I wasn’t giving her a lot. When asked, she had a very guilty look on her face. I’m not sure how much she was actually eating but it was more than she should have. She stopped taking it and within 48 hours the rash was completely cleared up and it never happened to her again. A few years later her sister had the same thing happen, this time with a delicious-tasting liquid. When she showed me the rash, and was questioned about how much D3 she was taking, the same guilty look appeared. After discontinuing taking that yummy too-large dose, within two days the rash was gone. The last time we experienced overdose symptoms, it was my husband and I. It was February, we were both feeling tired and depressed. At that time we were doing D3 in a 5,000 IU drop. It was hard to tell just how many drops came out each time when we took it each day . Within just a few days we were feeling better, within a few weeks we were really feeling good, so we continued to take some drops each day, (not positive how many, did I get two today, or eight? Hard to say). Then we both got heart palpitations, weird for it to happen to both of us and at the same time. A little research pointed at D3. We discontinued use and again with 48 hours were back to normal. Some might think “that’s scary”. Not me, I feel like now I know what too look for and go on my merry way giving us all lots of D3 especially in the fall, winter and spring.
I used to not take it or give it to my family during our few summer months. I’ve changed my mind on that and try to keep it going although I’m not as dedicated. We have less summer illness now I’ve noticed. For husband, our now-teen daughters and myself, I like 10,000 IU daily with a 50,000 IU thrown in if we are traveling, planning to be around a lot of people or have been exposed to someone who has a cold or flu. Last summer my kids helped at a kids playground at our local county fair and all got sick afterward. This year I got them all to take 50,000 IU of D3 the day before and the day of and they didn’t come down with anything.
While sunlight can help increase natural vitamin D levels in the body, to much UV radiation can cause skin cancers, and skin damage, which means folks are stuck in a tricky place when it comes to the sunshine vitamin. Sunscreen has only been around in its modern use since the 30’s and with all those cancer causing chemicals it is something my family avoids as much as possible. I do think sunshine, if it is not causing a burn is really beneficial. I encourage my family to partake liberally, but carefully. A burn is to much and can even cause permanent damage.
If you read about D3 the benefits are huge, including, thyroid health, as it helps
regulate the production of thyroid hormones
, beneficial to
metabolism
, weight, mood,
sleep cycle
, reproductive health,brain function and of course what I’ve been raving about,
immun
ity. Some also say vitamin D has shown to play a role in
promoting beneficial gut bacteria
. Vitamin D is also critical for your bones because it helps the body absorb minerals, like calcium and phosphorus, which are essential structural elements of our bones helping with musculoskeletal health. Research points to at least
5,000 IU of vitamin D3 per day
, regardless of where you live, the tone of your skin, or what time of year it is.
Vitamins D3 and K2 can provide greater benefit together than what each nutrient offers individually. When combined, D3 and K2 (especially in the form of MK7) can help prevent vitamin deficiency (particularly during winter months), promote normal blood clotting, oxidative stress and my favorite, supporting a healthy immune system. These two powerful, fat-soluble vitamins also work synergistically to promote healthy cognitive functioning,
strong bones
, and maintain a healthy circulatory system. regulate calcium levels, promote bone health, and lower the risk of heart disease. I have spoken to people who had bone spurs but after supplementing with this vitamin combination, the bone spurs cleared up.
When my son was in high school he came to me saying he was coming down with something, what should he do? I handed him my bottle of D3, told him to take 50,000IU a day and a bottle of olive leaf and told him to take that twice a day. The bug didn’t settle into his system and he was able to kick it without slowing down. There are a lot of supplements that we take three or four times a day, I envision punching the bug and then punching it again to keep it down. I don’t treat D3 that way though, we do one dose per day, in the morning with a fat containing meal. The fat aids absorption and D3 can interfere with melatonin production so later in the day might create problems with sleep.
As temperatures are starting to drop and we are spending less time outside and then we wearing long sleeves instead of short I am making sure that bottle of D3 is handy!
