Does anyone have low vitamin D levels?

[robin416]

Quote:
I am pale-skinned, live in the desert of southern California (born and raised in the SW US), a geologist by occupation (in the field a lot...not all the time, but a lot), a hiker/backpacker by hobby, garden, etc and I rarely wear sunscreen (some native american blood is great..I rarely burn!). I am still low (at the bottom of line of normal) in Vit. D.

Oh....not being treated yet as my doctor is currently finishing up the last batch and tests and has mentioned that if the cortisol test comes back high again, that I will be seeing a endocrinologist. I assume it will all be addressed when I see him/her.

My cortisol levels are one notch above too low. I wonder what it is now after taking the D supplement for nearly a year. Considering D is not actually a vitamin but a hormone there might be some elevation change on mine.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

Have to chime in on this. I have no thyroid due to cancer removal, so am on numerous prescriptions for that and type 2 diabetes.
I had not been sleeping well and had no dreams for well over a year. Very restless. Heard about Vitamin D on a thyroid group and decided to start taking it at 2,000-3,000 /day. Within a month I was sleeping so much better and dreaming away That was 2 years ago! I have slacked off on the dosage occasionally. One side effect that was interesting is that I did not get my semiannual sinus infections since I started taking it. Had strep a month ago for the first time, too, but I had not been taking Vit D. I take calcium supplements and had assumed the D with the calcium would be sufficient. Started taking D again and feel much better.
I am a Vit C advocate, but I think the D helps even more in my case.
Have shared my Vitamin D story with gals at work and a number of them have had improved sleep and benefits from the supplement.
I buy it in the liquid capsule form when the drugstore has the BOGO free offers. Hubby takes it too. Cheaper that any prescription!

 

[Wifezilla]

No other animals cook their food.

No other animal has a brain like a human either. That isn't a coincidence. Cooking makes many vitamins more bioavailable to the human body. You should have a good balance of raw and cooked foods. I strongly recommend reading "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon.

Not only will you miss out on some vital nutrition by only eating raw foods, improperly prepared food scan actually rob your body of nutrients. Beans are a good example. If you do not soak them, you do not neutralize the phytic acid.

"Phytic acid has a strong binding affinity to important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. When a mineral binds to phytic acid, it becomes insoluble, precipitates and will be inabsorpable in the intestines. This process can therefore contribute to mineral deficiencies in people whose diets rely on these foods for their mineral intake, such as those in developing countries.[8][9] Contrary to that, one study correlated decreased osteoporosis risk with phytic acid consumption.[10] It also acts as an acid, chelating the vitamin niacin, the deficiency of which is known as pellagra.[11] In this regard, it is an anti-nutrient, despite its possible therapeutic effects (see below). For people with a particularly low intake of essential minerals, especially those in developing countries, this effect can be undesirable."

More info on proper preparation...
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/497-be-kind-to-your-grains.html​

 

[noodleroo]

Wifezilla; I like the way you think even thought we may not agree...

When eating properly, what I consider properly that is, I don't consume beans or any legumes (including peanuts) for that very reason - they rob nutrients from the body. Now don't get me wrong; I love the taste of beans and rice. Love them. But even though I know that the two properly cooked make a complete protein and can be a positive addition to a human diet, I choose not to consume them when trying to up my enzyme intake from live, raw foods.

To be clear, I would never eat a bean raw...

 

[6chickens in St. Charles]

This website also promotes somebody's book, which I am not really endorsing, but the link leads to current articles to help you read up on the subject:

http://www.vitamindhealth.org/

The MOST current vitamin D3 research is also relating it to autoimmune dysfunction, usually related to inflammatory bowel diseases. So perhaps your doc is onto that subject, since you also suffer diabetes, which is considered along the spectrum of autoimmune disorder these days. I have been a working RN since 1993; I have given a lot of vitamin D3 in the last 2 years, it seems to be commonly accepted practice now. A year ago I researched it online, apparrently Boston, Mass did a very large study including the whole city, and found many people benefitted from vitamin D3 supplements.

I know that people with darker pigment in their skin tend to get deficient very quickly when living in the world's northern hemispheres, so its something to seriously consider if there's brown skin in your genes! The melanin which makes skin tan/brown actually serves to protect people from manufacturing too much vitamin D, which makes sense if that person lives near the equator, but would work against them when living where the sun comes in at a different angle and less available. Beginning every September, I start a vitamin D supplement twice a day, even though I am an outdoor person 4 days a week. Since taking Vitamin D, I no longer suffer from chronic bronchitis all winter. All my life I have been ill from Halloween to Easter, but not any more! On both sides of my family there are photos of small brown women in the gene pool, my dad used to say he was half cherokee (they came from the southeastern U.S.).

A basic overview on the subject:

 

[HyLinda]

Not all supplements are created equal - Nutrilite makes the best Vitamin D3 supplement.

Check it out on my website: http://www.amway.com/HyLinda/Shop/Product/Product.aspx/NUTRILITE--Vitamin-D3-2000-IU-plus-K2?itemno=109760&dsNav=N:4294966638

PM me if you have any questions.