Vitamin D and how to get it free -
One of the Vitamin D facts today is that Vitamin D deficiency is becoming epidemic in this country in the population at large. Most people are deficient, some severely, and they are not even aware of it at all.
Vitamin D is one of the fat soluble vitamins, and as such, you can overdose on it. But since most people’s levels are way low, there’s not a great chance of anyone doing that. However, to be certain that you are in the proper range, you should have your levels of vitamin D tested regularly, around twice a year. The optimum levels should be 60 ng/ml. One of the Vitamin D facts is that if you are under 30 ng/ml, you are deficient.
Testing should ideally be done through Lab Corp, as Quest does not use the same standards and therefore you will not get an accurate reading. Be sure to use the 25 hydroxy Vitamin D test (also called 25 OH D).
I had my levels tested and initially it came back as 22 ng/ml. That is way deficient! I started taking Vitamin D3 drops (not D2 which is an inferior kind) and going out in the sun for 15 minutes on each side of my body a day.
I hate being out in hot weather but I was so dangerously low that I was motivated to do it. By doing the sun time and taking drops together, my next test for levels of Vitamin D came to 404 ng/ml, way too high.
So I finally settled on going out in the sun when time and weather allowed, and on the days when I couldn't, I took 4,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 a day. The next test (these were all approximately 6 months apart) came back at 32 ng/ml, which is in the "normal" range according to the regular medical standards of Vitamin D facts.
My goal is to get my levels around 50-60 ng/ml so I am still experimenting some. I preferred the sun since that is Nature's way of giving us the proper dose of Vitamin D, so I purchased one of Dr. Mercola's tanning beds for use on rainy days and during the winter time.
It fits over the top of a door inside your home so that it is out of the way but readily accessible when you want to use it.You must use goggles over your eyes to protect them while using it, but other than that, you just stand in front of it for six minutes on each side at first, depending on how dark your skin initially is.
For more information on this tanning bed, or any of the others that Dr. Mercola has, click on the banner below.
Another of the Vitamin D facts is that those who live above the 35th parallel in the United States will not get sufficient Vitamin D from the sun during the winter months. This is the reason that people get sick so much during the winter – there is not enough sun shining.
Vitamin D can be found very inexpensively in drops which you can take during the wintertime. D3 is the type that you want to take.
In the Spring, Summer and Fall, you can get Vitamin D for free compliments of the sun. Ideally, you want to expose your entire body to the sun for 15 minutes on each side, or until your skin turns a very light shade of pink.
Those with dark skin will need to stay out longer in order to get the beneficial amounts of Vitamin D from the sun. Never, ever get sunburned!
The 15 minutes of sun will give you the optimum amount of Vitamin D you need. Anything more than that will not give you more benefits – it will simply damage your skin.
For complete, in-depth instructions on what to do and why to do it, please go to this link on Dr. Mercola’s site. It will give you the information you need to be optimally healthy.
I urge you to read this information and watch the videos because new research has brought out some startling facts. A few of these are: if you do not have proper oils on your body, you will not make Vitamin D. If you get sunlight through glass, it will destroy your Vitamin D. Optimally you need to be out in the sun's rays at 12:00 noon. Intriguing, huh?
As you can tell, this new research has brought some interesting things to light. If you want to use a tanning bed, make sure that it is a safe one with the information Dr. Mercola lists in the banner above.
Happy sunning and getting free Vitamin D!
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