Are you Vitamin-D deficient or suspecting that you are based on your symptoms? Then you may be one of the 94% of people like I was two years ago.
It is a shocking statistics. It is rampant. While it is easy to ignore the subtle symptoms of Vit-D deficiency for one reason or another, If not treated, it can lead to life-threatening conditions.
Research on Vitamin-D and its association with human health has evolved over 200 years and scientists have connected it to around 200 diseases. One’s known for bones health, this misnamed vitamin (which actually works as a hormone) has been branched out to a serious health threat. Research links every cell of our body has Vit-D receptor. That makes easy to comprehend how a mess up of Vit-D level can relate your overall health. So treating D-deficiency carries the potential to empower overall health.
The good news is the D-deficiency level could be overhauled. 
This blog will be about how I treated Vitamin-D deficiency from a single digit deficiency level of 4ng/ mL (severe deficiency) to 25.7 ng/ mL (normal as per my doctor, though 30ng/mL is the official requirement).
This post will cover the factors that assisted the uplifting of D-nutrient.
Sunlight-Why and how to maximize Vit-D and minimize sunburn (no sunscreen)?
Supplements-Can it replaces sunlight production of Vitamin- D?
Regular exercise- Is it a must?
The Sperti Vitamin D Light Therapy Lamp
Foods that increase Vitamin-D (Next post)
Sunlight- Why and How to Maximize Vit-D and Minimize Sunburn?
Natural sunlight is the major source of treating Vitamin-D insufficiency. It is abundant and free for all. It is a big piece of good news to the world. No doctor is needed and the treatment is really simple. Stand in the direct sunlight with a bare body for few minutes (15-30 min). Just do it 2-3 times a week. You have all the vitamin-D you need. No overdosing that you have to worry about. There is an enormous health benefit of direct sunlight exposure.
Apart from Vit-D production, sunlight is responsible and beneficial for many other functions.
- Mood enhancement
- Cardiac rhythm (sleep cycle)
- Mental and eye health
- Reduced risk of auto-immune diseases
- Vascular relaxation
- Improved wound healing
- The beneficial effect on the nervous system
- Maintain skeletal health
- Help protect from cancer and cardiovascular health.
With the current statistics of Vitamin-D deficiency, it seems people don’t take advantage of the sunlight although it comes with a multitude of benefits.
Why is the D-deficiency and with so many of us?
It is not always a clear bright sunny day throughout the year when we live. Our civilization and culture are shifting more to an indoor environment, even the sports are played indoors. In a good sunny day, we use sunscreen to protect us from the sunlight of course for reasons. The cons of direct sun exposure risks are
- Untimely skin aging and wrinkling
- Sunburn
- Melanoma skin cancer (the major type of skin cancer)
- Eye diseases like cancer, cataracts, age-related macular degeneration.
These concerns scare away people from sunlight or they use sunscreen when outing or getting their sun exposure. There are several kinds of sunscreens with different Sun Protection Factors (SPF made up of different chemicals and inorganic minerals). Talk to your doctor to advise you some.
But because of the chemical nature of the sunscreen, I personally did not opt for them. Even the so-called organic sunscreens like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide did not pass my test.
Aren’t we convinced that the benefits of sun exposure outweigh risk and sensible sun exposure will help alleviate the problems? In fact many that is what the health professionals recommend. How do we do that?
I refrained myself from chemically synthesized sun blockers but optimized my sun exposure to alleviate the cons. Here is what I did instead.
Maximize Vit-D formation and Minimize Sunburns and Wrinkling
Here is the little graphic I made to demonstrate you how to maximize Vit-D formation with minimum sun exposure via repeated sun exposure. 
The rationale is Vitamin-D is still being produced during this resting time. Every time I come back I expose a different part of the body. The yellow part represents sun exposure, and the dark gray part is the breakout time. Getting in and out of the sun does not disrupt Vitamin-D3 formation. However, it helps alleviate the cons of continuous sun exposure, not getting sunburns and wrinkling. The most important aspect of this variation is it works. It cleared off my white sports resulted from D-deficiency.
This how I do it. I use my deck for sun exposure. After the exposure, I open the interconnecting door to inside the house and get inside and then come back. Find yourself a place of this kind for sunlight treatment.
- I cover my head (very small portion compared to the rest of the body) and eyes to save them from indicated diseases.
- The ideal time is when your own shadow is bigger than your actual height. One can use Vit-D App or other websites to find the timing of exposure.
- It is ideal that the sun exposure for Vitamin-D may not follow a showering particularly with soap, which washes away Vitamin-D from the skin which is still on the process of being made. It is preferred to sun bask after a shower. It typically takes 2-3 days for Vit-D to be completely absorbed. So leave your body as long as you can before taking a shower. I take shower every day.
- Typically, I dress down to expose 70-75% of the body to clear sunlight for 25-30 min, 3 times/ per week. On a cloudy day, 87% percent of the UV rays penetrate through the skin.
- Read UV index of the area you live my entering the Zip code in your phone. It gives you precautionary measures based on the daily index (see the attached pin).
- The major improvement I implemented is my breaking down the continuous mode of exposure to 7-8 min size exposure (not burning) and then breaking out for 2-3 minutes helped. Repeat the exposure when your body is slightly warm.
How long does Vit-D3 stay in the body? The short answer is ~2 months. Vitamin-D3 is a fat-soluble vitamin and get stored in fat and other tissues (June 20, 2018). But remember we consume Vit-D every day. So it needs to be refilled and maintained.
Sun exposure is not an option because of the certain benefits body gets which supplements don’t offer as some clinical studies show, which is followed up in the following section
Supplements-Can it replaces sunlight production of Vitamin- D?
Supplements or no supplements?
There are people across the aisle debating over this issue. Do not get caught between these and consult your doctor. I personally have benefited from supplements and exercises. I was living in Seattle during the winter months and this place has almost no sunlight and the sky is gray most of the time with small sun breaks. My Vit-D level was upped with supplements prescribed my doctor. The table below offers the treatment conditions used to improve my Vitamin-D level.
It is not surprising that the Vitamin-D market is flooding with different kinds of supplements. Supplements of different strengths, liquid formulations, and supplements combined with Vitamin-K1 and K2 are only some names. Your doctor can advise you based on your requirement. I was prescribed with two kinds of Vitamin-D supplements, Vitamin-D2 and Vitamin-D3 and those are commonly used as well.
Vitamin-D3 (Cholecalciferol): This is synthetically prepared from lamb wool. This is the form that our body makes on exposure to sunlight as well. Vitamin-D2 (Ergocalciferol) is similar structural class as Vit-D3 but it is synthesized upon exposure of sunlight on fungi or plants.
While both D2 and D3 are metabolically transformed to the same 25-hydroxy-Vitamin-D3, Studies have shown Vit-D3 offers better blood levels compared to vitamin-D2. Both of them worked in my situation. I save my Vit-D2/ D3 capsules from moisture my tightening the cap after every time I used.
If you have enough Vitamin-D3 in your body acquired my sunlight, additional sun exposure does not lead to any vitamin-D3 production. But Vitamin-D3 supplements keeps accumulating and over time may lead to toxicity. So consult your doctor before you gulp any D-supplement.
I used a combination of Vitamin-D2 and Vitamin-D3 prescribed my primary care physician which worked to fill my Vitamin-D hole. The table below shows the treatment condition I adopted.
Table
The medium for medicine: Because Vitamin-D3 is a fat-soluble Vitamin, I use oil or a nut (almond or cashew) right before I swallow my pills right after my lunch which is my largest meal of the day.
We need to supplement our body at least when the sun is not available. Vit-D supplements are inexpensive and readily available. They are helpful in winter months and may also in summer months if you suffer from extreme deficiency. Consult your physician.
Sun exposure does not seem to be an option because of the certain benefits body get which supplements don’t offer as the most recent clinical studies show. Per the current study
Neither Vit-D nor fish oil actually lowered the incidence of heart disease or cancer. This result was from a phase 3 clinical started in 2009 using 26000 men and women all across US testing the health effect of these supplements. This result was published on Nov 10, 2018.
In contrast,
Sunlight protects and decreases the risk of cancer but not the Supplements
“A new research review that collectively examined data from more than 100 countries concluded exposure to sunlight, which stimulates the production of vitamin D, is protective against cancer”
“The data showed very strong evidence that higher solar UVB exposure decreases the risk of 15 different types of cancer, and weaker evidence also pointed to protection against an additional nine types of cancer”.
Beyond sun exposure, checking the daily UV index before going out is very helpful to protect your body from harmful sun exposure.
Regular Exercise Increases D-level
Research has demonstrated that exercise increases vitamin-D levels and lowers heart diseases. The benefits of exercise are numerous. You feel happy, relaxed, helps in weight loss, helps in blood circulation, good for bones, muscles and skin health, brain health, and memory.
I work out in the morning at least 4 days a week with a minimum of 30-45 minutes each time in the gym. My pre-workout snack just has a piece of sweet potato most of the days and a green tea before I end up in the gym in my apartment complex. This lasted for 1 year. Apart from that, I take 20-30 min walk during the day 4-5 days a week. After one year I moved out of that apartment and my exercise reduced to only walking.
In the daytime, if time allows and weather permitting I take a walk. I try to do 5-6 days in a week covering 3-4 miles with a break of 1-2 days. In bad winter days, I try to walk around my house including my basement to make 2-3 miles. The gym is a few miles away from my home and I am lazy to drive every day. I don’t like to make excuses but I do sometimes.
Securing Enough Vitamin-D3 May not Guarantee Enhanced Vitamin-D- Hormone Level
The simple reason is that the Vit-D3 is not the form to regulate the body functions. This form is biochemically converted to 25-OH-Vitamin-D3 in liver followed by a second conversion to 1,25- (OH)2 in Kidney, to the hormone form which controls the important body functions and ensures the optimal body performances.
Along with sufficient Vit-D3, we also need a well functioned kidney and liver. So check your doctor for your D-level if you are consuming enough Vit-D3, showering with enough sunlight, have all the micronutrients but seeing no improvement of your Vitamin-D-deficiency symptoms.
Vitamin-D Light Therapy Lamp Mimics Natural Sunlight
If you are looking for a replacement of sunlight, there are multiple options available in the market. I just picked a Sperti Vitamin-D lamp and thought is a good choice based on the following reasons. It supplies artificial source of UVB rays producing Vitamin-D on your skin simulating natural sunlight. The shortest exposure time is 5 minutes and does not extend beyond 15 minutes. During the exposure period, you will be projected to a fixed light intensity at a minimum distance of 15 inches to avoid burn.
It automatically shuts off so you are protected against extended sunburn. It has a durable construction. Check out the review if you are interested. There are different kinds of lamp available with different price ranges and functionality and attributes. If you are interested to have one, explore them.
The price of the Sperti Vitamin-D lamp is on the high side ($449.00 at Amazon). I personally have not tried it. It might be good for people who have no time for sun exposure. Just using 5 minutes they can rip the benefit of UVB light which can be equivalent to sunlight. It may address the emerging role of Vitamin-D in numerous health disorders.
Change Your Way to Uplift and Prevent Dismal Vit-D Level
Sensible exposure to sunlight, having doctor prescribed Vitamin-D supplement, regular exercise and consuming Vit-D containing food and fortified food increased my severely murky Vitamin-D level from 4 ng/mL to 25.7 nm/ mL over 2 years.
The education about healthy Vit-D containing food and eating portions is priceless which helped and is helping me, my family and others surrounding me as well. The added bonus: I lost ~30 lb. and maintaining it without dieting.
I live guilt free, have been more active with better stamina, better skin health, sleeping well and feel less stressed. Overall I am much healthier erasing all of the dull Vitamin-D symptoms and sleeping very well my 7-8 hours.
Empower your body with adequate Vitamin-D to fight, heal and prevent from life-threatening diseases. This is what helped me and can help your situation. Consult your physician before you implement a treatment it to your daily life.
Thanks for sharing this informative and educative post.Yes I agree to the fact that natural sunlight is the major source of treating vitamin-D insufficiency because vitamin-D is also derive from sunlight however where many of us are not exposed to sunlight or get exposes once in a while like you also know that many have their day to day activities indoor can we concentrate on foods that gives vitamin-D other than the sun?. In a nutshell to solve the problem of vitamin-D insufficiency can we make vitamin foods a substitute for the sun?
Hey Lok,
I appreciate you taking the time to read the article and found it is educational.
Supplements can never substitute the benefits of Sunlight exposure as per the research.
There are studies comparing sun exposure and supplements with a large population.
It was found sunlight prevents many forms of cancer and skeletal issues while supplement can not.
Take care. Anusuya
Wow, I did not know recognize how pertinent vitamin D is. I understand that it has multiple functions in the body but I had no clue about some of these benefits. How do you find out if you are deficient or not? Thanks for all the info and especially information to help correct the issue.
Hey Alisha,
It is easy to the relate Vitamin-D with so many function if think research has found every cell of human body has a Vitamin-D receptor.
While you may find some subtle symptoms of D-deficiency which you ignore, for example fatigue, you can have another reason for it easily and not think of it.
The best way to know if you are vitamin-D deficient or not is taking the help of your physician and describe your condition. She/ He can order a laboratory test for you.
Thank you for your time reading the article. Take care. Anusuya
I must tell that I found this article to be very helpful and informative. D vitamin is a very important and I know that most people don’t pay much attention on that one. I see that regular exercising increase this vitamin and that is something that I like. I have daily training, cardio and weight lifting and I feel full of energy. Do you think that I should use supplement although I train regularly?
Hey Daniel,
I am happy to know that you have found this article informative.
I can not agree with you more that people don’t think of Vit-D as other Vitamins. It is kind of ignored until you find the body has trouble.
I l appreciate you exercising. Researchers have found that those who exercised vigorously have higher levels of vitamin D as well as higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. This data is based on 3 or more hours of vigorous exercise in a week.
Exercise can not replace Vitamin-D deficiency. It can only use what you have.
How about You get your current D-status from your during your physical?
Take care, Daniel. Anusuya
Excellent post on the importance of Vitamin-D in one’s diet so as to eliminate any current or future health challenges. The ability to utilize sunlight while minimizing sunburn was exceptionally enlightening. You also did well pointing out the other advantages of sunlight in addition to Vitamin-D production.
Nice graphic on demonstrating how to maximize the production of Vitamin D with minimum sun exposure. Very good tips on ways to sunbath safely.
Good explanation on supplements to take as well and the advantages of consistent exercise. Very well written. Thank you.
Hey Joseph,
Thank you for your time reading my article and found it is well written. Yes, it seems sunlight is “mandatory” for big health benefits. I am happy that repeated sun exposure which avoids sunburn but provides Vitamin-D is a great way to get D-from sun and this procedure is science based.
I am making a pin out of this kind of sun exposure.
Researchers have found that those who exercised vigorously have higher levels of vitamin D as well as higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. This data is based on 3 or more hours of vigorous exercise in a week.
Take care. Anusuya
Hello Anusuya, very interesting and informative article about treating of vitamine D deficiency. I really didn`t know that there are so many cases of vitamine D deficiency, I`m really surprised. I agree that sunlight is very good but as you said, you have to be careful and spent very limited time on the sun, the exercise also should be helpful! Have you found any side effects of supplements for replacing vitamine D? Thanks for sharing with us!
Hey Luke,
I am glad that you found the article informative. It is surprising the extent to symptoms that D-deficiency can relate to but I believe in research results.
Yes, it is true, sunlight is the major source of Vitamin-D. Researchers have found that those who exercised vigorously have higher levels of vitamin D as well as higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. This data is based on 3 or more hours of vigorous exercise in a week.
I have not experienced any side effects of supplements.
Thank you for taking your time to read the article. Anusuya
Hi Anusuya – your article about Vitamin D Deficiency is extremely informative and very thorough. This information can be very beneficial for many people. I take D-3 on a regular basis and have learned quite a lot about supplements and different types of Vitamin D that is available.
I live in an area that gets a lot of sunlight, and I always try to do as many activities outdoors that I can. Thanks for this very interesting article.
Michele
Hey Michele,
You are on right path. I am happy for you.
I am glad that you found my article informative.
Thank you for taking time to read my article. Anusuya
I believe my be you agree with me the best time to sun soak yourself should be the morning hours that is from sunrise to around 10am reason being you will still get allot of vitamin D and the sun rays are not violent enough to cause any harm to your body this will reduce the use of sunscreens.
Hey Charles,
My opinion about sun exposure time is entirely different than yours. Research has demonstrated that the high energy UV-B radiation (~297 nm wave length)that triggers Vitamin-D formation on skin happens at ~solar noon time when the is perpendicular to earth. Your opinion about exposure time has been cited in few cites but my research speaks entirely different.
Thank you for taking the time to read the post. Anusuya
Hi Anusaya – thanks for sharing this in-depth article. I never realised it was possible to have a Vitamin D deficiency. That’s an interesting idea of how to get maximum exposure to sunlight without risking any side effects. I wear sunscreen every day so I will certainly be looking into any research on this topic. All the best, Diane
Hey Diane,
You are not the only one not to realize that You can ever be Vitamin-D deficient in life. I was and many of us are now also. But once you know taking care of D-deficiency (if you have, hopefully not) should be on any ones list. It can save them from life threatening conditions.
Research has shown, Vitamin-D keeps forming after your sun exposure over time. One can take advantage of this research and tweak the exposure to get maximum benefit and minimum sunburn.
In this repeated exposure technique, your body does not burn but it is warm enough for Vitamin-D formation.
So you can take off temporarily from bright sun light for few minutes and come back in to sun.
I am happy that you plan to do some research on it.
Thank you for your time reading the post. Anusuya
Anusuya, thanks for your post. My wife suffered from Vitamin D deficiency. She bought some over the counter vitamins but they were not working. She went to her doctor and it turned out that the dose in the over the counter vitamins is tiny to what the doctor can prescribe. She took the course the doctor prescribed and her symptoms cleared up. As you say it is a consequence of living in a place where the sun doesn’t shine too often! I live in London in the UK. I’ve not seen the sun for some time!
Hey James,
I am happy to know that your wife cleared up D-deficient symptoms with high dose Vitamin-D prescribed by her doctor. This is exactly the scenario with me. The OTC D is a kind of maintenance dose, which I take everyday (2000 IU) after my breakfast.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Anusuya
Absorbing Vit-D from direct sunlight during the winter months in North West Pennsylvania is not something that is going to happen before the thermometer rises, but your advice is well warranted and received. We will make sure that we supplement during the winter and go fishing in swim wear every morning. I like that schedule. At age 65 a number of skin spots and tags are showing up and I feel it might be due to this climate that we moved into from central Texas in 2009.
Thank you for your diligent studies on the matter of Vit-D
BCNU, Rod
Hi Rod,
We all need Vitamin-D more than ever to stay healthy. I like your fishing schedule. Catch some fresh fatty fish and help yourself to compensate for sun exposure. But when you have sun, take advantage of it to get Vitamin-D for your skeletal health and there are some research culminating to it prevents more than 15 different cancers.
Thank you for your time reading the post. Anusuya
thanks for reminding us how important vitamin d is for our body and how we can go about getting more of it.
I noticed you said sunlight was a good source but that you have to be careful because of sunburn. Well what I learned frok my wife is that if you go during the early hours of the day and during sun set, you can get the benefits of the sun without worrying about sun burn.
Also I think exercise regardless is good no matter what, and like your doing (30 mins a day) is good enough.
I’m glad to hear that your healthier now, and also have shown everyone how to get enough vitamin d.
Thank you.
Hey Michael,
Yes, having an optimal Vitamin-D serum level is important for your overall good health. The sun exposure time to obtain Vitamin-D producing UV-B light is typically mid-day around solar noon time. Morning and afternoon sun does not carry much UV-B.
Researchers have found that those who exercised vigorously have higher levels of vitamin D as well as higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. This data is based on 3 or more hours of vigorous exercise in a week.
The lower level of Vitamin-D can lead to serious health problem. But early identification and improving the level by various ways that is mentioned in the post with the help of your doctor can mitigate the risk.
Thank you for your time reading the post. Anusuya
I have never heard of Vitamin-D deficiency before. This article is an eye opener for me. I learned about Vitamin-D in elementary biology while I was in school. Just as you noted, the major source of Vitamin-D is sunlight. It seems strange to be that some people will develop Vitamin-D deficiency, but as I read the article, the reason became clearer.
Some of us need to make lifestyle changes in order to avoid certain health risks. A sedentary lifestyle and staying indoors too long has negative consequences. Personally, I think I need to exercise more and stay out more, but if you ask me, I’m a chronic indoors person. It’s a good thing to know that you were able to over this condition. Thanks for sharing your personal experience.
Hey Phranell86,
Thank you for taking the time to read the article.
Lot of people in the world carries the similar knowledge as you. The current world is mostly indoor for reasons. We have even indoor sports. Even if you have sun in your area you can be scared of sunburn and cancer and use sun screen to come out.
Exercise is a habit as I realize. My husband never goes out but I am at least 1 h walking outside enjoying. We all know it is good for us and specially for Vitamin-D.
Take care. Anusuya
Thank you for a kind reminder and informative article. Truth is most people including me know how easy is to get vitamin D. It is daily sun exposure like you have said. The big question is why are we not doing it and the answer that jut came to my mind is because we do not know the extent of harm that its absence does to our bodies.I believe that awareness campaigns should be done on that particular issue.
Hi there,
That is right to be conscious about Vitamin-D and what happens if you are deprived of it. Institute of medicine (IOM) raised its sufficiency level high enough and that made almost everyone deficient.
We should know how to get this critical nutrient.
Sun should be exposed to the base skin (no sun screen no make up on) only at the vitamin-D producing window of time.
If you lack determined by lab result, we got to take advice from the doctor to add supplement to our diet or use capsules, liquid etc per recommendation of a physician.
hank you, for your time reading thios article.
This Article is Great!
I agree with you that sunlight has so much benefits for creating vitamin D. I’m 47 and according to my doctor my Vitamins levels in my body are low, so he always prescribe this supplement for me, I tend to isolate during cold temperatures, but one it starts to get warmer, i do go to my backyard to get my sunlight therapy.
Do you know any good Vitamin D you can recommend?
I usually take daily multivitamins, I do exercise regularly and eat healthy,
Thanks again for sharing this very important information!
Hi there,
I write the blog posts from scientific literature search. Please go to your primary care physician for Vit-D assessment and recommendation.
You can eat foods fortified with Vitamin-D which are widely available. You may visit my website for foods with vitamin D. They could be used to supplement your body with vitamin-D.
Hope this helps you.
I knew I loved the sun for a reason! I live in Florida and love going to the beach. I always wear sunscreen and I always wear sunglasses and a hat. It is not the best way to get vitamin D. You wear your sunglasses and hat but no sunscreen on your body.
To get Vitamin-D, your necked body with has to be exposed to the Vitamin-D producing light from sun. The best time is mid-day when the height of the shadow of your body is smaller than your actual height. It is not fun to be in the mid day sunlight. It can hurt and burn the skin. Stay until feel hot and move to a shady area to cool. Then come back and expose to sunlight again. Do it for ~30 minutes or less depending on the color of your skin. Sun exposure might not work for you well depending on your age.
Vitamin-D is essential for the body and critical. So talk to your doctor to receive supplements and eat food with with or fortified with Vitamin-D.
Please go through the comment again. Please see if you have any more questions about it.
Getting enough sunlight is critical for sufficient vitamin-d intake, but like you say you also need to be careful how much sunlight you are exposing yourself too. It is always a good idea to cover up so that you still get sunlight on your skin but not too much -ie, getting sunlight on the backs of your hands still brings in vitamin-d. Also, I agree with you about supplements and have had similar results as you. I do vitamin-d supplements and they have definitely helped me. Great post.
Hi Max,
I am happy to know that the vitamin-D supplements worked for you. While sunlight is a great and infinite source of Vitamin D, the older you get, the absorption slows down. The more color your skin is, it take longer for Vit D absorption. The bright mid day light, i.e. the vitamin D producing light is not easy to bear for many minutes on. Covering your head helps. In fact, you could play hide and seek with mid day sun and still get D without the sun light penetrating you. Sit for 3-5 minutes and then hide yourself without compromising the D production. Come back again after 3-4 minutes and repeat the process. This process really helps not scorching your body.
Thank you for your time reading the article and comment. I hope my clarifications will help you a bit.