Vitamin D - To Supplement Or Not To Supplement?

Vitamin D has been a hot topic for the better part of two decades now. It's been hailed as a cure-all vitamin used for everything from heart disease to diabetes and everything in between. Previously, I had written about the benefits of vitamin D in my article titled, How To Feel Vitamin "D"errific!

Now, I provide an update on vitamin D, specifically as it pertains to vitamin D deficiencies and who should supplement in such cases. These findings are based on the latest research.

Supplementing To Treat Vitamin D Deficiency

Two large-scale, systemic reviews published earlier this month have provided some keen insight on this topic and may just change the rules when it comes to supplementing with vitamin D.

Gardening As A Natural Stress Reliever

by guest blogger Mark Carol

Work, family, bills, and other obligations and responsibilities can make stress a part of your daily life. Stress can help you get motivated, but too much stress can increase your risk for illnesses such as stroke, heart attack, and high blood pressure. Natural stress reducing activities, like gardening, can be an ideal solution to finding a peaceful balance in your life.

The Benefits

Gardening has been shown to have many health benefits. In fact, the activity is recommended by the JAMA, or the Journal of the American Medical Association, to lower the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by nearly fifty percent. According to Capital District Community Gardens, tending a garden alleviates stress by immersing you in nature. Gardening requires dedication, care and patience to be successful. When tending your flowers, fruits and vegetables, you are spending time on something that redirects for attention away from daily stress. Gardening also provides you with real results that you can share with family, friends and neighbors.

Dr. Don & The Plant-Based Pharmacist - Vitamin D

Vitamin D - The Sunshine Vitamin

Dr. Don Wagner invited me to join him on his radio show once again! He's such a pleasure to work with and I'm always grateful to get the opportunity to do his show. This time we breakdown the topic of vitamin D and its role in maintaining excellent health.

As you may or may not know I'm one of the few pharmacists in the field of conventional medicine who's not a fan of pills whether they're obtained via the prescription pad or from buying them over-the-counter. I believe America has a pill obsession and it's only making our health worse. Instead I focus on educating others on the benefits of plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine which is why they call me the Plant-Based Pharmacist.

With that being said vitamin D is one of the few supplements/medications I feel everyone should seriously consider taking but only if their levels are low. Dr. Don and I do our very best to get to the bottom of this topic in the segment below as we provide some key insights into the world of vitamin D as it pertains to achieving a state of optimal health. I hope you find the show enjoyable and helpful!

Dr. Don show archive - Vitamin D from 2/16/2012

My article on How To Feel Vitamin "D"errific!

Photo credit: OBMonkey (sxu.hu)

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by Dustin Rudolph, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Check out Dustin Rudolph's book The Empty Medicine Cabinet to start your journey towards better health. This step-by-step guide leads you through many of today's common chronic diseases (heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, and more), giving you the facts on foods versus medications in treating these medical conditions. The book also contains an easy-to-follow guide on how to adopt a whole foods, plant-based diet as a part of an overall lifestyle change, producing the best possible health outcomes for you and your family. Hurry and get your copy today!

We'd love for you to join us in spreading the good word about plant-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine by telling your family and friends about our website at www.PlantBasedPharmacist.com. 

Share and rate this post below or tell us what you think by posting a comment. Thank you again for stopping by and until next time... be happy, be healthy, and live the life you've always dreamed of!

How To Feel Vitamin "D"errific!

Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, has become nothing short of a celebrity over the past few years. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find any doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare practitioner who hasn't heard of all the health benefits it has to offer. From its role in making strong, healthy bones to improving heart health to decreasing the risk of cancer it seems as though there's nothing vitamin D can't touch.

This brings to mind several questions. Is vitamin D the new miracle pill, or is it simply a passing fad benefiting the bottom line of those with clever marketing skills selling supplements? And if vitamin D is really as prolific as they say it is then does everyone need to take it or just a particular segment of the population? How much is too little? Too much? Is it better to get vitamin D in the form of a pill or from the sun?

I hope to answer these questions and more as I sort through the vitamin D maze of confusion to offer practical, reliable, and evidenced-based information on exactly what you need to know about this new superstar of the supplement world.

What Is Vitamin D And How Does It Work?

Vitamin D is not a vitamin at all but rather a prohormone produced when the skin gets adequate amounts of exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from the sun [1]. The vitamin D produced by our skin is called vitamin D₃ or cholecalciferol [2]. Cholecalciferol is transported from our skin to the liver where it's metabolized into calcidiol, also known as 25(OH)D. Think of calcidiol as the storage form of vitamin D in our body, much the same way that a large amount of propane acts as the storage form of fuel inside a large holding tank ready and waiting to run various appliances inside a person's home. The propane cannot be used when stored inside the tank but without this supply a person cannot run the appliances located in their home when they need to. Calcidiol is the same, it needs to be converted into a usable form in order to be utilized by our body.