It’s no secret that despite all the modern technological advances in pharmaceutical medications and other disease treatments that are available out there on the market today, our society is still dealing with some of the most debilitating and devastating chronic health conditions we’ve ever seen in the history of the human race. This oxymoronic position has to leave people scratching their heads wondering what in the world is going on. How can we be so far ahead of the human race that existed just a half century ago and yet now we’re falling so far behind that generation in terms of living a healthy lifestyle? There are a lot of theories about this floating around out there (including the notion that today’s society is consuming far too much sugar and carbohydrates to be healthy), but Dr. Michael Holick thinks he’s identified the common culprit that has made us fatter and sicker than ever before–Vitamin D! Yes, everybody and their momma is talking about Vitamin D these days and it’s finally getting the recognition is deserves. But as the world’s leading expert on Vitamin D studying it for over three decades, Dr. Holick has been on the cutting-edge of promoting the health improvements that people can experience by raising their Vitamin D3 levels for many years and now he’s sharing all of his vast knowledge about it with us in his book The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problem.
Although it’s referred to as a “vitamin,” the reality is Vitamin D isn’t a vitamin at all. It’s actually a hormone that directly impacts so many areas of the body that it just makes sense to get your D3 levels up. Upwards of 200 million Americans are walking around with a severe Vitamin D deficiency and don’t even know it. They’ve been told by well-meaning doctors that they have fibromyalgia, depression, genetic tendencies, and more. But if you check the D3 blood work, I would venture to guess that nine times out of 10 their Vitamin D levels are probably on the low to extremely low end of the spectrum. My own wife Christine dealt with this a few years back when she was experiencing excruciating joint and muscle pain as well as fits of depression and panic attacks only to find out here D3 came in at a dismal 9 ng/mL! If you don’t know what that means, let’s just say it’s not good at all. She began taking 10,000IU D3 gel caps for a year and was able to raise her levels to 52 ng/mL. Now she has no more joint and muscle pain and she came off of a 10-year reliance on Paxil to control panic attacks. That’s the miracle of Vitamin D and the stuff is dirt cheap, too! Yes, knowing your Vitamin D levels is a big deal.
So how in the world did we suddenly become so Vitamin D deficient? Lack of sunlight exposure, poor nutrition, and inadequate or severely lacking sources of it in supplements and fortified foods (like milk) are most of the problem. But regardless of how we there, the good news is there is a solution just waiting for those people who are dealing with any number of health ailments that cannot be explained by modern medicine or the symptoms are simply being masked by risky drug therapies. What is it? GET MORE VITAMIN D! How do you do that? Well, it depends on where you live, but sun exposure may not be enough if you live north of Atlanta or San Diego and you can’t get enough of it in the foods you consume either (it would take 50 egg yolks to get adequate amounts of Vitamin D–talk about an eggfest!).
Dr. Holick says he prefers you get your Vitamin D from the sun first and foremost and to only use supplementation as an added aide to get your levels increased to where it needs to be. What level do you want your 25-vitamin D level to be? Ideally between 30-100 ng/mL according to Dr. Holick with the sweet spot landing in the middle around 60-80 ng/mL. Below 20 ng/mL is considered deficient while below 30 ng/mL is insufficient. Again, upwards of two-thirds of the American population is Vitamin D deficient right now. This is directly impacting health to the extent that ailments like osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases, insomnia, arthritis, diabetes, chronic pain, psoriasis, autism and so much are likely a direct result of these deficiencies in something you can buy a big bottle of for around $10 at Sam’s Club along with adequate sunlight exposure.
In The Vitamin D Solution, Dr. Holick includes a “self-test” in Chapter 7 to see what level of deficiency you may be experiencing. Things like sun exposure, where you live, what vitamins you consume, what kind of foods you eat, what beverages you drink, your nationality and race, your age, whether you are overweight or obese, your pain tolerance, your energy and strength, medications you are taking, and specific diseases you are dealing with will help you know even before having a Vitamin D blood test conducted whether you have a susceptibility to being deficient. Of course, the best thing you can (and should) do is get tested. What you need to have run by your doctor is the 25-hydroxyvitamin D test, aka the 25(OH) D test. It will show you how much circulating Vitamin D you have in your body. Beware of doctors ordering the wrong test and thinking your Vitamin D levels are fine. And don’t get fooled into filling that useless prescription for a once-a-week 50,000IU Vitamin D2 pill that costs an arm and a leg (although Dr. Holick believes it will help “fill an empty Vitamin D tank!”). What you want is D3 which is very affordable from virtually any drugstore, pharmacy, or Wal-mart in varying doses as low as 100IU capsules to 5000IU gel caps. Get tested and respond accordingly!
The good news Dr. Holick brings with this book is that there is a real “solution” to your Vitamin D deficiency that is as easy as setting aside time for deliberate sun exposure, making sure you are consuming adequate amounts of calcium in your diet so that the Vitamin D can be maximized for health, and making up the difference in your Vitamin D needs through supplementation. And lest anyone, medical professionals especially, warns you of Vitamin D toxicity, Dr. Holick is quick to note that your body cannot manufacture a toxic level of Vitamin D from simple sun exposure no matter how much sun you get. And supplementation isn’t a problem unless you are taking super-high doses well above 10,000IU for longer than six months. The bottom line is to make sure you are taking every measure possible to increase your D3 levels to ward off any potential negative effects on your health.
The Vitamin D Solution is arguably the most comprehensive book on the subject of Vitamin D today and Dr. Holick certainly knows from whence he speaks. He’s been trumpeting the case for Vitamin D awareness for a very long time and is just now receiving the critical acclaim he rightly deserves. My favorite part of this book is in Chapter 13 which is the “Q&A” session that answers anything and everything you can possibly think of regarding the subject of Vitamin D. He also provides a resource guide for finding good sources of Vitamin D supplementation as well as a bibliography of other Vitamin D experts and researchers he cites in support of the conclusions he draws throughout his book. Needless to say, I’m a big fan of Vitamin D and the positive effects it can have on your health. My own Vitamin D levels increased from 42 ng/dL to 68 ng/dL taking 10,000IU D3 gel caps in just six months, so it is indeed possible to overcome many chronic health problems with a concerted effort to make it happen naturally. Isn’t it time to stop suffering needlessly from Vitamin D deficiency?
Read more of my book reviews at my “Low-Carb Book Reviews” blog.
