Low on energy & moody? Blood sugar issues? Hair loss? You need to give your hormones some love!
These are all signs that you may have a vitamin D deficiency, but vitamin D isn’t actually a vitamin… it’s a hormone your skin produces when exposed to UV light!
If you’re low on vitamin D, you’ve got hormonal imbalance that you don’t want to ignore.
That means you want to be extra, extra careful with supplementing vitamin D because it will directly affect your hormones.
We don’t want to overdo it, take it if we don’t really need it, or take a low quality supplement that can make us feel worse long-term.
There’s a lot of information out there about vitamin D and how being deficient weakens your immune system and predisposes you to so many diseases.
There’s also information out there that points to the possibility that you are low in vitamin D BECAUSE you have certain health issues.
So, what do we do with all this seemingly conflicting info??
Well, you always want to start with the question, “Why?”
Why are you feeling so tired all the time? Why does your mood feel unstable? Why the blood sugar issues? Why is your hair falling out?
Vitamin D may contribute… so why doesn’t your body have enough vitamin D?
I suggest taking a holistic approach to this issue, remembering everything in your body is connected.
It’s been drilled into our heads to fear the sun and slather on sunscreen constantly throughout the day.
How often are we told to get sunshine on our bodies?? Not as often.
We - like the rest of nature - get ENERGY from sun exposure.
Our bodies produce the hormone we call vitamin D through sunshine on our unprotected skin for 15-60 minutes a day.
Darker skin and those who live farther north of the equator need more direct sunlight than lighter skin.
Taking a vitamin D3 supplement cannot fully replace sunshine, and should always be taken with vitamin K2 and with the guidance of a knowledgable practitioner.
There have been studies that have shown a link between higher vitamin D levels and protection against various forms of cancer (as well as improved survival rate).
In contrast a study (25,000 participants over 5 years) showed that taking vitamin D supplements did not lower cancer or cardiovascular risk. Those with skin cancer who completely avoid the sun have even been shown to actually worsen their prognosis.
The best thing you can do to try to raise your vitamin D is to go for a walk in the morning (without sunscreen or sunglasses on)!
Your pineal gland is located right behind your eyes and is crucial to your circadian rhythm, which helps you produce hormones, like cortisol and melatonin, at the right times.
Hello more energy and better sleep!
While not a replacement for sunshine, you can also eat natural sources of vitamin D as well:
eggs from pasture-raised hens
raw milk and butter from pasture-raised/grass-fed cows
wild-caught fatty fish (salmon and sardines)
cod liver oil
maitake and portobello mushrooms (when grown outdoors to absorb UV light)
Get that sunshine!
Some extra resources: