Here is a VERY simple, inexpensive way you can help protect yourself from colds and flu...
"Is sunshine more than just a home remedy for a cold? New research suggests it may be: In a study that will be published tomorrow, people with low levels of vitamin D also known as the "sunshine vitamin" were more likely to catch cold and flu than folks with adequate amounts. The effect of the vitamin was strongest in people with asthma and other lung diseases who are predisposed to respiratory infections.
People with the worst vitamin D deficiency were 36 percent more likely to suffer respiratory infections than those with sufficient levels, according to the research in this week's Archives of Internal Medicine. Among asthmatics, those who were vitamin D deficient were five times more likely to get sick than their counterparts with healthy levels. And the risk of respiratory infection was twice as high among vitamin D-deficient patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than in lung patients with normal levels of the vitamin."
http://www.sciam.com/blog/60-second...itamin-d-deficiency-linked-to-more-2009-02-23
"Every autumn, as vitamin D levels plummet, the incidence of colds and flu skyrocket. After vitamin D levels bottom out during the darkest days of the cold and flu season, vitamin D levels rise again in the spring and the incidence of colds and flu steadily decrease until they virtually disappear during the vitamin D rich summer. It may be quite simple. Your body's innate immunity, especially the production of innate natural antibiotics called antimicrobial peptides, goes up and down every year with your vitamin D levels. (Acquired immunity is quite different, those are the antibodies you slowly develop after an infection or a flu shot.) Maintaining summer-time vitamin D levels in the winterby taking adequate amounts of vitamin D (5,000 IU)may help prevent colds or the flu by stimulating innate immunity. Preventing some of the one million deaths in the world every year from flu related illnesses is exciting enough; an equally exciting possibility is that large doses of vitamin D may be useful in treating the fluas well as other infections."
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/2006-oct.shtml
I take liquid vitamin D drops in the winter, but I will continue taking it until this flu passes. The average female uses 4000IU/day and males use 6000IU/day. So no, your vitamin d fortified milk ISN'T giving you enough D. The 400IU in your multivitamin is just enough to keep you from getting rickets, but it is NOT enough to cover your daily needs. If you are not getting full sun exposure for 30 minutes a day, you are most likely vitamin D deficient. If you only go outside after slathering yourself in sunscreen, you are most likely deficient. If you are dark-skinned and live in a northern climate, you are most likely deficient. If you are overweight, you are most likely deficient since being overweight impairs your bodies ability to utilize vitamin D.
There is a blood test your doctor can order to let you know if you are getting enough. Get a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test, also called a 25(OH)D. Your levels should be above 50 ng/ml year-round.
The liquid D I use is Carlson brand and a bottle is $14 at Vitamin Cottage. A single bottle can last up to 3 months depending on dosage. If you decide to take D supplements, make sure you take D3, NOT D2. D2 is plant derived and not as bioavailable as D3. Also keep in mind that vitamin D is a FAT SOLUBLE vitamin. If you take the dry tablets, they must be taken with some kind of fat or you are wasting your time.
