Vitamin D and the Sunshine Ban

Posted on June 24, 2008

One of my all-time favorite groups ;)…

You know how when you buy something you’ve rarely seen before that suddenly it seems to start popping up everywhere and everybody seems to have one?

It works the same in other areas too. After a diagnosis of low Vitamin D (7.1) a few months ago, something I thought was hardly possible unless locked up in a dungeon, I’ve come to find out I don’t have a rare disorder at all.

Doctors are finding more and more patients with this disorder. Vitamin D is produced in the skin from exposure to the sun. It has been said that 15 minutes of exposure a day is all the normally functioning system needs to maintain a healthy level.

So what are many people doing today? Frightened of skin cancer, any outdoor activity of more than a few minutes calls most people into action, slathering on the sunscreen. Except doctors now say that even the lowest level blocker also blocks the needed rays so much Vitamin D production is curtailed. Sunshine streaming through a house or car window will not help as the glass blocks that beneficial portion as well.

All this would seem unimportant as the role of Vitamin D has always been seen as preventing ricketts and serious bone damage, as caused by osteoporosis. Those illnesses seemed to only occur when there was excessive avoidance of the sunshine.

There has been a lot of info circulating recently to indicate that much more is involved concerning Vitamin D. Researchers are now pointing to a host of problems that are believed to be connected to Vitamin D deficiencies. One of the biggest is a doubled increase of heart attacks. D is also believed to reduce the incidence of cancers of the pancreas, prostate, and colon. It also is believed to protect against insomnia, depression, and an overactive immune system.