Make vitamin D while the sun shines
Jody Hawkins
Issue date: 6/5/09 Section: Features
It turns out that the gray northwest weather wreaks havoc on more than just our state of mind. Our bodies use sunlight to make vitamin D and as residents of Washington we simply don't get enough of either. Current research shows that lack of sunshine deprives our bodies of crucial levels of vitamin D causing a deficiency, which leaves us at a higher risk for many illnesses and diseases.
Almost every cell in our body requires vitamin D to function and most of us simply do not get enough, either from the sun, food or supplements.
In a March 2009 radio interview Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University Medical Center said, "Without adequate vitamin D you are putting yourself at very high risk for many common chronic diseases, including autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, many common forms of cancer, heart disease and more."
The unexplained aches and pains associated with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome may also be linked to vitamin D deficiency. A recent study done at the Mayo Clinic points to a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain, which goes along with findings by Holick who estimates that, "40 to 60 percent of patients who see a doctor for non-specific aches and pains in their bones and muscles are often misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or depression, when they are actually suffering from severe vitamin D deficiency."
Dr. John Cannell of the Vitamin D Council has explored a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and influenza, including the H1N1 (Swine flu). His website, www.vitamindcouncil.org and many published papers consider the evolutionary details and likelihood that these illnesses are actually symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, not the other way around. He points out that from an evolutionary standpoint, the last 3000 years have seen humans drastically reduce their sun exposure.
There was a period when most of our time was spent outdoors but today, if the sun makes an appearance and we actually have time to enjoy it, we tend to lather on the sunscreen before we head outdoors.
Almost every cell in our body requires vitamin D to function and most of us simply do not get enough, either from the sun, food or supplements.
In a March 2009 radio interview Dr. Michael Holick of Boston University Medical Center said, "Without adequate vitamin D you are putting yourself at very high risk for many common chronic diseases, including autoimmune diseases, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, many common forms of cancer, heart disease and more."
The unexplained aches and pains associated with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome may also be linked to vitamin D deficiency. A recent study done at the Mayo Clinic points to a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain, which goes along with findings by Holick who estimates that, "40 to 60 percent of patients who see a doctor for non-specific aches and pains in their bones and muscles are often misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome or depression, when they are actually suffering from severe vitamin D deficiency."
Dr. John Cannell of the Vitamin D Council has explored a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and influenza, including the H1N1 (Swine flu). His website, www.vitamindcouncil.org and many published papers consider the evolutionary details and likelihood that these illnesses are actually symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, not the other way around. He points out that from an evolutionary standpoint, the last 3000 years have seen humans drastically reduce their sun exposure.
There was a period when most of our time was spent outdoors but today, if the sun makes an appearance and we actually have time to enjoy it, we tend to lather on the sunscreen before we head outdoors.
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