Happy Tuesday! Dr Kelly here.
What’s your number? Your Vitamin D number?
Initially get tested right now. Get your starting point. The normal range is from 20-100. That is a big range. The lab may say 20 is okay, but I recommend shooting for the 50’s. Too much vitamin D can be dangerous.
Vitamin D helps with bone support (osteoporosis prevention, stronger bones – less likely to have fractures), immune system support, helps maintain blood sugar levels and with calcium it helps to regulate insulin secretion. May prevent depression during the winter months & some types of cancer.
Be careful with sunscreen as it may interfere with the production of vitamin D in your body. If you are low, I recommend three days of a higher dose to get you started. Then you drop down to a level to continue with for 6 months.
After 6 months, you retest!
We need to know how well you are absorbing vitamin D.
Did your levels go up? By how much. This will let me know what the best dosage of will be moving forward.
Did your levels only increase slightly? Was there no change? If yes, you may need K.
You retest in 6 months.
Once again, I re-assess. Numbers go up, stay the same? If you are not within the 50 range, you may need Magnesium. Magnesium helps you absorb vitamin D. Do you tend to have muscle cramps. I may have started with magnesium plus your vitamin D.
Are your levels still off? Could you have GI issues preventing you from absorbing nutrients?
WOW, do you wish you had that biochemistry degree? Nutrition is all biochemistry. I am recommending certain vitamins because they are needed in your body for particular chemical reactions. I use the levels in the blood to determine which nutrients are needed.
You re-test after another 6 months. Once you are within a healthy range, a maintenance dosage will be recommended.
You can now re-test every year with your annual blood work. A great way to remember to take a test is at the end of the summer. This is when you would have come off the most sun exposure. You are preparing for the winter to make sure your levels are high enough to support your immune system and the winter blues.
Do you not get annual blood work? Do you not want to go to the lab to have your blood drawn? We can send you a kit to your home. You can do a finger prick on yourself and mail the kit to the lab. I will receive the results in about a week.
Text VIT D or respond to this email if you would like to order a Vitamin D testing kit or a physician quality Vitamin D supplement. Or better yet, ask me on your next visit.
Yours in Healthy Naturally,
Dr. Kelly