The Sunshine Vitamin: Vitamin D and Its Significance

Written by: Dr. Jessie Laack, DNP, APRN-C

March 23, 2023

You've probably heard that all you need is 15 minutes of sun exposure per day for your body to generate adequate amounts of Vitamin D. On the surface that sounds great. Except for the winter months when you're bundled up in jackets, or spending summer at Lake Tahoe with globs of sunscreen on. In fact, because Northern Nevada is above 37th parallel north, it is virtually impossible to get enough of the sun's UVB rays in the winter. This explains why I very often see patients deficient in Vitamin D, including otherwise healthy patients.

If you are a resident of Northern Nevada, I suggest you have your Vitamin D levels checked yearly (via a simple blood test), particularly in mid-late winter. This is especially important for people with darker skin tones and vegans or those with dairy-free diets.

Failure to diagnose and treat a Vitamin D deficiency

Ignoring a Vitamin D deficiency can contribute to fatigue, mood disorders such as anxiety or depression, muscle cramps, joint pain, weakness, dental cavities, and exacerbation of skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. Over time, chronically low Vitamin D levels lead to low blood calcium levels, elevated parathyroid hormone, poor cardiovascular health, weakened bones, poor immune system, and even, a greater risk of cancer.

If your general practitioner told you that your levels on recent lab work was "within normal," I'd be curious to know what their acceptance of "normal" is. You see, like most lab tests, the reference range can be quite ambiguous. Think about it, 30-100ng/mL...that's over a 300% increase from the lowest to highest reference range! I like to have my patients at a specific threshold for optimal health and wellness.

Vitamin D and the immune system

In the wake of the recent pandemic, numerous medical journals have published the clear association of Vitamin D levels and severity of disease. So, what does Vitamin D do in our bodies? When needed, such as when a microinvader is identified in the body, an enzyme converts fat-stored Vitamin D into its active form. This active Vitamin D plays an important role in innate antiviral and antimicrobial immunity. It stimulates antimicrobial peptides to defend against the invader while also preventing an overstimulated immune reaction. Its actions help to improve viral or bacterial clearance (i.e. elimination from the body) and control the amount of inflammation occurring from the infection.

Without adequate Vitamin D, you're setting your immune system up for failure. By the time you have symptoms of being sick, your lack of Vitamin D has already hindered your immune reaction. That's not to say a timely boost of injected Vitamin D won't help to some extent, but the point is, prevention is important.

Whether you're promoting wellness, or are actively fighting an infection, the sooner you raise your sub-optimal Vitamin D levels, the better! While oral supplements are ok for maintenance therapy, a fast-acting, high dose intramuscular injection of Vitamin D is preferred for initiation of treatment.

In the comfort and privacy of your own home, a simple, fast, and relatively painless injection of Vitamin D can set you on the track to wellness. Contact Manna Integrative Medicine for more information.

Please use the Contact Page to submit any questions/concerns you may have. I look forward to hearing from you!

*More posts on the Blog to come, be sure to check back regularly.