Almost everyone I know that has been tested for Vitamin D is low, and some absurdly so.  This last November, my boyfriend broke his foot. Now, more than 2 months later, it's still not completely healed.  His blood test showed low Vitamin D, despite the 2000 IU supplement he was taking. What's going on?

For one, it's normal that Vitamin D levels should drop slightly in the Winter time since we're spending less time in the sunshine. Here in San Francisco, CA, at this time of year, we could stand naked outside all day long and still fail to generate enough Vitamin D. This has to do with the season and the angle of the sun in relation to where we are on the planet. We won't be able to make adequate Vitamin D until March.

And even in Spring and Summer, we still may have a hard time generating the Vitamin D we need; I have heard that smog actually blocks the UV rays that stimulate Vitamin D, but not those that can cause skin cancer. Bummer.

Here's an additional bit of information which I gleaned from one of my favorite nutritionists, Ann Louise Gittleman. Vitamin D3 is an ideal radioprotectant. She recommends at least 5000 IU daily to protect yourself from all of the EMF pollution (cell phones, power lines, etc.). Guess what? Those hybrid vehicles may be wonderful for gas mileage and the environment, but they also generate tons of EMF's and you're trapped inside that metal box, absorbing all of it. Could it be that the new technology we've created is zapping our Vitamin D?



Low Vitamin D has been linked to every type of cancer and other degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis. It's even associated with weight gain and depression. Obviously, we can't fight "progress." We're not all going to get rid of our cell phones and stop sitting in front of computers. But we can't ignore the fact that we human beings are designed to run, play, and to be outside in the sun. Meanwhile, we can all benefit from getting our Vitamin D levels checked, and supplementing accordingly.