I have to admit…with all the knowledge I’ve gained over the years regarding the potential health benefits of supplements, not even I was aware of the effects of vitamin D. Sure, I knew it was called the “sunshine vitamin” because our skin is able to synthesize UV light from the sun and convert it to vitamin D. I also knew you could receive more from dairy products, such as milk, cheese, and yogurt. But I didn’t “see the light” until earlier this year. That was when I began to really dig into the benefits of vitamin D.
A Theory is born.
You see, I’ve had a theory for quite some time. Here in Wisconsin, our cold and flu season begins in the Oct/Nov time frame. And it lasts until early spring. I started to wonder WHY we don’t see more colds and cases of influenza in the spring or summer. The old song-and-dance from your mother may have gone something like this: “Make sure you put a hat on and dress warm when going outside or you’ll catch a cold”. Sound familiar? If you think about it, it makes sense. You get colds in the winter. So as soon as I would get one, I would go back and try to remember when I had gone outside without a coat or hat.
The problem is, it’s not true. Even Mythbusters debunked it in one of their shows. The fact is, these are spread through germs and contact with people. Someone sneezes into their hand, then grabs a doorknob, shakes someone’s hand, and passes a glass around. Everything that person touches becomes a little time-released germ bomb.
So if colds and influenza are actually spread around from these germ bombs and NOT cold weather, then why wouldn’t we see more cases in the summer. If they truly have nothing to do with the temperature outside, we shouldn’t have a cold and flu season…it should be a year-round thing. But that’s not the case…WHY?
Getting Closer to the Truth.
I started to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I knew we absorbed vitamin D from the sun. I also knew, in order to accomplish this, we needed our skin exposed while outdoors. Outside of a couple crazy fans watching the Packers play at Lambeau Field in December…without shirts on…the odds are pretty slim one would have much of any skin exposed during the harsh Wisconsin winters. Not to mention the fact people tend to stay indoors more often. Could this be the reason we have colds in the winter? That’s when I started researching.
It turns out, I wasn’t far off. While skin exposure to the sun is very important, the main issue here is the angle of the sun in the sky. During the fall, through the winter, and into spring the sun is at such a low angle in the sky that our bodies do not absorb the UV rays critical for the creation of vitamin D. You could sit outside in a swimsuit for 3hrs with snow blowing around you and it wouldn’t help your vitamin D creation one bit.
Upon listening to presentations by Dr. Myron Wentz and Dr. John Whittcomb, I felt compelled to write multiple blog entries on vitamin D. And as you have probably noticed, this is the topic I have written about the most. Namely because I feel it is information everyone should have. But this time, I wanted to pass along my own personal experiences.
Using Vitamin D to Change Lives.
Following my research, I began to supplement my diet with additional vitamin D. I am already receiving 2000IU from the multi-vitamin and fish oil I take. I began taking an additional 2000IU back in early October when I knew I wouldn’t be receiving any more from the sun. Since then, I have increased that amount and have been taking 6000IU every day. My wife also began taking an increased amount of vitamin D. And after watching Dr. Whittcomb’s presentation and reading the research from Japan regarding children taking vitamin D, I started giving my 2 children 2000IU/day. The tablet we use is about the size of a Tic-Tac and is chewable, so it’s easy enough for them to take.
Regardless of the recent FDA ruling to limit yourself to only 600IU of vitamin D/day, based upon the scientific studies I had read, my belief was, and still is, that we are perfectly safe. In fact, physicians are recommending their patients take 5000IU/day in lieu of receiving the flu shot. Suffice to say, my personal opinion is that the FDA ruling was either a matter of being overly cautious or an attempt at protecting the pharmaceutical industry. Perhaps both.
Here we are with January coming to a close. To date, we have had no sickness in our household this winter. An occasional runny nose, sure. But no colds or flu. An amazing feat considering my wife works in a hospital and my children attend daycare, which is a germ-bomb factory.
How Well Has It Been Working?
Now, am I saying my family’s results are typical and you should immediately go out and start taking vitamin D? Yes and no. It is my opinion that it can only help…there are no negative effects that I am aware of. But I’m also not a doctor and can’t “officially” give out that type of advice. So it’s up to you to make your own decision. If you want to base it off my family’s experience, or the various other posts I’ve made is entirely up to you. But before you start up on something, you may also want to consider consulting with your family physician and looking into a pharmaceutical grade supplement.
