Beat Swine Flu Symptoms with Vitamin D3
5000 Units of the Sunshine Vitamin Daily Increases H1N1 Immunity
Oct 28, 2009
Once upon a time, it was recommended that people take upwards of 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, when suffering with a cold or flu. Although mega doses of vitamin C as a therapy for controlling symptoms of the common cold are controversial, many health care practitioners still advocate taking large doses. Now, however, the new push is for large doses of vitamin D3.
Are High Dosage of Some Vitamins Controversial or Beneficial in Treating the Common Cold
Perhaps the most controversial claims for vitamin C were put forth by the late Linus Pauling (winner of two Nobel Prizes, one for science and one for peace) who wrote the book, Vitamin C and the Common Cold. He suggested that everyone should be taking two to three grams (2,000 to 3,000 milligrams) of vitamin C daily. At the time, this claim was highly criticized but many people today confirm that it helps beat the symptoms of the common cold if taken in high doses. With regard to vitamin D, Professor and Doctor Michael Holick from the Boston University School of Medicine has won the Linus Pauling Institute for Health Research Award for his work in understanding the vital role that vitamin D plays in the body's immune system.
Is Vitamin D Deficiency a Health Hazard?
Another controversial claim is that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of cancer as well as autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D is unique in that it is a hormone made in the skin after exposure to the sun, which is the reason it is also known as the "Sunshine Vitamin." Dr. Holick said in an interview in the New York Times in 2005 that he believed at least 50% of people were not getting enough vitamin D. At the time he recommended taking at least 1,000 IU (international units) of vitamin D. Now, health care practitioners advise even higher doses.
Classic Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency
Dr. Michael Holick, also author of The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure our Most Common Health Care Problem, maintains that patients are often misdiagnosed by their physicians. The classic signs of vitamin D deficiency present as aches in the muscles and bones, which doctors mistake for fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome or depression. Dr. Joseph Mercola suggests that people can take 5,000 units of vitamin D daily and even more. But other physicians and health websites suggest that 1,000 units is plenty.
Only a Blood Test Can Check for Vitamin D Deficiency
The only sure way of knowing if a person is deficient in vitamin D is to take a blood test to check the serum levels. Known as the 25-OH vitamin D test, it measures the amount of vitamin D in the body. A level between 30 and 70 ng/ml is optimal according to an article, The Cancer, Sunshine and Vitamin D Connection, in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute at the Brigham and Women's Hospital online newsletter. The article further explains that vitamin D is fat-soluble vitamin, and helps the body to absorb calcium, promoting good bone health. Also, more and more research seems to conclude that vitamin D3 has a beneficial effect on warding off life-threatening diseases such as the many cancers that affect us.
Vitamin D3 is the new Vitamin C and Helps to Treat the Symptoms of Swine Flu
In the midst of seasonal flu and swine flu scares, a bit of research seems to confirm that taking large doses of vitamin D3, even 5,000 IUs, is not only good for one's health, but may steer the present vitamin deficient population towards a healthier life. The sunshine vitamin is good medicine.
Sources:
The Brigham and Women's Hospital Women's Health Focus Newsletter
Vitamin D Council.org
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