Beating Upwind » energy http://www.beatingupwind.com Thoughts of a gay New Yorker living in Upper Manhattan Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:51:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 Get Tested For Vitamin D Deficiency http://www.beatingupwind.com/2008-02/get-tested-for-vitamin-d-deficiency http://www.beatingupwind.com/2008-02/get-tested-for-vitamin-d-deficiency#comments Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:13:11 +0000 Jay Harper http://www.slicksurface.com/jay-harper/2008-02/get-tested-for-vitamin-d-deficiency Dan and I went to the doctor the other day and it turns out we both had a Vitamin D deficiency. Apparently it’s pretty common - something like 40% of Americans have it and it’s particularly a problem among people in northern climates that don’t get much sun in the winter.

Scientists are urging the government to raise the recommended daily allowances (and “maximum safe” levels) for Vitamin D since they’ve found that having good Vitamin D levels significantly reduces the chance that you’ll get cancer.

The symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency are:

  • Depression
  • Difficulty in sleeping
  • Excessive fatigue
  • Low energy levels
  • Low immunity levels
  • Mood swings
  • Muscle pain
  • Weak bones (which might result in fractures)
  • Weight Loss

The last one might be desirable, but that list sounded way too familiar to Dan and me - so we’re hoping the 10 week therapy our doctor put us on will help.

When you see your doctor next time ask that your Vitamin D level gets checked - especially if you’ve been feeling some of those symptoms listed above. And in the meantime, take your vitamins and eat things like beef to keep your Vitamin D levels up.

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