Do You Have a Vitamin D Deficiency and Not Know It?

The first time I received a call from the doctor’s office the nurse was yelling at me that she had tried to call me for three days. I said it is just a vitamin D deficiency, but she said levels like mine are very dangerous. I was really dumbfounded that a vitamin deffiency could be so harmful to someone. The doctor put me a pill called Drisdol once a week for six weeks and 1000 IU vitamin d and 600-800mg calcium every day. My first reaction was to look online to see what the big deal was because after all it was just a vitamin deficiency. I was totally wrong about my assumption.

After doing a lot of research on vitamin D deficiencies I found out that it can lead to heart disease, fibromyalgia, Chrohns Disease, Lupus, PMS, Chronic Pain, Hypertension, endocrine system disorders, cancer, and several other disorders. When I looked back I realized I have lived with a vitamin D deficiency at least ten years before I was diagnosed with the deficiency. While I was pregnant with my daughter I drank at least a gallon of milk and pieces of my teeth were chipping. It should have been a red flag to the doctor, but he probably thought it was just another crazy pregnancy craving. Years ago there was not the same amount of awareness.  

To get enough vitamin D everyday in your diet you would need to consume 50 glasses of milk a day according to the Vitamin D Deficiency Council. In order for you to get enough vitamin D, you need to get regular sun exposure during all  seasons without getting a sunburn, regular use of a sun tanning bed, taking 5,000 IU of Vitamin D 2-3 months a year ( depends on the person). Too much sun is just as dangerous as having not enough sun; it can lead to skin cancer.

According to the Vitamin D deficiency Council that say people who live in Florida do not have to worry about being vitamin D deficient, but I respectfully disagree with them, at least for myself. For most of my life I lived in Florida and I am still vitamin D deficient. I think, it depends on the person and their genetics, and location if they are going to be vitamin D deficient. If it was me, I would get myself checked for a vitamin D deficiency because lacking vitamin D can cause so many medical issues. The treatment for a vitamin D deficiency can be as easy as taking vitamin D on a regular basis.  Visiting the Vitamin D Deficiency Council’s Website is a good place to learn more about it.

The test to check for a vitamin D deficiency is as simple as a small blood test. The Vitamin D Deficiency Council is offering the blood test through ZRT lab for $65.00, at the time of this post.  You can contact your doctor to do the test as well. Explain to your doctor the symptoms you are having and they should test you for the vitamin D deficiency. Not all health insurance companies will cover the test, which I do not understand. I would think they would prefer to prevent an illness rather than paying the high cost for treating the illnesses related to being vitamin D deficient. It does not make sense that they will pay for the medications to treat the above conditions, but they will not pay for a test to prevent the deficiency (thankfully they do cover the treatment for the illnesses).