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 Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:06 pm
Vitamin D! Probably the most controversial vitamin out there. Some doctors claim direct sun exposure is the best way to get enough of this essential vitamin while some dermatologists seem offended at the idea that any sun exposure be good. Then more people would argue that the sunblocks we put on to shield ourselves may be just as harmful as the sun it blocks.
Lately I have been wondering if I have a deficiency of the "sunshine vitamin". Although what amount I should get is also largely debated... All I know is that in the summertime, I spend nearly every day outside in direct sunlight. I wear natural sunscreens in the beginning while my skin is still light and sensitive to the sun but towards the end of the summer don't bother.
I live in Canada, but relatively close to the US border, about an hours drive. In the summer, I am a picture of health, tons of energy and never sick. Come winter, I am constantly congested, and fighting off sore throats and colds. I am almost always sick, and it's very frustrating. I know besides sunshine, mushrooms and fish appear to be the next best way to get vit D. I don't eat fish terribly often even though I like it because my father and my brother don't. Mushrooms I don't eat in abundance either. I was considering getting fish oil capsules. I thought cod liver oil would be good. One site, I think wikipedia, says it contains something like 1000IU of vit D but the bottles it comes in don't say anything about vit D only says how much omega 3 an 6 is in it. Then I read something about how Cod Liver Oil doesn't contain a good ratio of nutrients and so isn't as good as once thought and that Krill oil is the best. But no where can I find how much vit D is in Krill Oil.
The more research I do, the more confused I get. I prefer taking a natural suppliment or whole food to a pill suppliment. Partly because vit suppliments are not regulated and partly because the body does not absorb a pill as well as it does an oil.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sick of being sick. I eat healthier than anyone I know. Drink green tea, take immune boosters like garlic and oregano. eat loads of fruits and veggies. Even make my own juice lately but Im congested and have a sore throat yet again. I want to kiss my boyfriend but I feel gross and im scared to get him sick. I'm willing to try just about anything.
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2010 6:43 am
First of all, "eating healthy" won't necessarily prevent you from picking up sicknesses. It can help, but it isn't a panacea. (There simply is no universal dietary panacea - despite what some claim.)
Secondly, the cold takes an energy toll on peoples' bodies, making them more susceptible to viruses. Not only does this mean that you're more likely to get a virus if you come into contact with one, but it also means that there are more viruses to go around.
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Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 9:26 am
Yanueh First of all, "eating healthy" won't necessarily prevent you from picking up sicknesses. It can help, but it isn't a panacea. (There simply is no universal dietary panacea - despite what some claim.) Secondly, the cold takes an energy toll on peoples' bodies, making them more susceptible to viruses. Not only does this mean that you're more likely to get a virus if you come into contact with one, but it also means that there are more viruses to go around. Prevent maybe not, but I think it can reduce my chances quite a bit. Since micro nutrients fuel the body, it only makes sense that my immune system will not be working at full capacity if it is not getting enough or the right balance of certain things. Especially in a climate like this, where vitamin D is in such short abundance.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:33 am
Well, you could try taking a supplement and seeing if that helps.
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Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2010 7:12 am
Yanueh Well, you could try taking a supplement and seeing if that helps. I want to, but I don't know what kind of suppliment I should take. From what I understand your body absorbs liquids much more than dried out extracts. So something like Cod Liver oil which is suppose to have lots of VIT D might be great, but the bottles don't print anything about it being a good source of vitamin D. Then I read somewhere that Cod Liver oil is not as good as once believed because the ratios are all wrong for us and that krill oil is best but no where can I find amounts of Vit D in krill oil so im very confused
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:13 pm
I don't really know what are your views on what kinds of vitamins you usually take but I just take my Centrum chewables. They have vitamin D.
You really should not get too worked up on the winter health downer, since everyone's bodies works a little different. You don't sound as 'sick' as the flu, in fact it sounds like my equivalent of hay fever in the spring, where I get the spring fevers and whatever other colds I didn't catch in the winter because my body is going crazy over pollen grains in stead of other pathogens.
Sore throats and your congestion sounds like you don't have enough air circulation in your house. When winter comes most people close the windows and lock the doors and the air inside is recycled so whoever is sick was you met was sick end up growing in your house until you get the 'mysterious cold from nowhere!' And your humidity must be low.
Its good that you're hearing what the demermas are talking about but what they're crying over is usually people who say "I'm going to go get my Vit D without my sun screen!" You can actually get your D's worth by just basking in the sun inside your house, winter sun is much 'softer' than summer light. From what I learned going out with your face expose usually is good enough too.
And....too much OMEGA 6's aren't good for you, they pale in comparison to OMEGA 3 benefits.
So in general, if it's not all that bad outside, let some air in, hang some wet towels or get a humidifier, drink plenty of water, and bask in the sun, besides, sitting in the sun in your house before going to work or after work is so relaxing.
That's what I do anyway.
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Posted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 3:08 pm
I've read some of what Mercola has posted, and one thing he suggested was a tanning bed.
But there are certain kinds that are "safer" and don't give you as much of a risk of cancer.
Maybe an hour every two weeks(to a month) in the winter months could help?
I'm personally against tanning beds, but then again, I don't live in Canada...
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Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 8:39 pm
Maybe try milk with vitamin D if you don't like mushrooms and other sources of the vitamin. You can add it in fruit smoothies : ) And, if you're feeling ill, you might be deficient of Vitamin C, but I'm not sure since I don't know exactly what you're munching.
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