Minutus

One should also read about connection between Vitamin D and flu, immunity, and cytokine storm--e.g. by the Vitamin D Council, but unfortunately I don't have that website address handy; it should be easily googled. There seems to be a HUGE connection there also, and from what I keep reading, the first thing people should be doing for "flu prevention" is to either have at least 15 min per day in the (morning is fine) sun *without sunscreen*, and/or (depending on factors such as climate and skin type) take 2,000-5,000 IU vitamin D per day for maintenance and protection, and up to vastly more when one is ill--I can't remember the exact numbers, but it seems VERY well worth reading up on!

Shannon

agree that vit d is critical in health generally. they are finding dozens of
needs for vit d in the human body. it clearly affects the immune system.
i have read that 2500 iu of vit d had been identified as a typical amount
in the mammalian body and this number is translated to humans.
last winter i upped my vit d to 5000 iu/day. it had such an impact on my
s.a.d. in a really good way.
it appears that almost all of us living in the temperate climate have become
vit d deficient. raw, full fat milk was one food source of vit d and that has been
destroyed with pasteurization and the removal of almost all the fat. and getting
sun exposure has become a feared practice among many people. i was at
a homeopathic retreat last month and there was someone going around with
a parasol to avoid sun--she was afraid of getting aged looking by the sun! others,
though, were just as bad covering up, staying inside and/or applying sunscreen.
and then there is the issue of immediately washing--with soap--when coming indoors
the uv a produced hormone on the skin requires 24-48 hours for the body to absorb
it in order to convert it to vit d. that practice alone covers about everyone in the usa
at least. so where it leaves us is in an unhealthy state.
what makes matters even more sinister is the fda list of minimum daily requirements
which people misinterpret to mean the required daily dose. minimum means the level
below which we become noticeably ill, not a high enough level to maintain good health.
tanya