Vitamin D, It does a body good!!
Lately there has been a lot of talk in the media about vitamin D, and for good reason. Vitamin D is involved in important processes in the cells of our body. On that list of importance processes are decreasing inflammation, immune modulation, it is involved in the encoding of proteins by our DNA, cellular differentiation and apoptosis. Most of us are aware of vitamin D’s role in regulation calcium absorption and bone formation and that’s why milk is fortified with vitamin D. But not everyone is aware of its function in the immune system.
What is especially important is Vit D’s role in cell differentiation and apoptosis. Differentiation is when a cell takes on a special role in the body that sets it apart from other cells. Apoptosis is the programmed death of a cell. When a cell divides and creates new cells the death of that cell is programmed into the DNA. If the DNA is not transcribed correctly then the cell may live longer than it should. These two important characteristics of cells are important in cancer. If cells don’t die like they are supposed to or are poorly differentiated, that can lead to cancerous growths. Poorly differentiated cells are more likely to be malignant. This is why chronically low levels of vitamin D are associated with higher risk of cancer.
Recently there have been some studies that “suggest” that low levels of vitamin D are associated with higher risks of contracting the Covid-19 virus and needing hospitalization because of it. An article printed in Neurology Reviews on July 30th this year stated “Low plasma vitamin D levels emerged as an independent risk factor for COVID-19 infection and hospitalization in a large, population-based study.” This does not suggest that having normal vitamin D levels will guarantee that a person will not contract Covid-19 but it can only help to have your levels within the normal range to keep your immune system at its best.
Some other things to keep in mind about vitamin D is that it is not well absorbed in when taken orally. Also, even though it is synthesized in our skin when we are exposed to sunlight think of all of the sun-screen we use. Please do NOT stop using sunscreen in order to get more vitamin D!! The risk of skin cancer is very real. But the next time your care provider asks you to get lab work ask them to check your vitamin D levels also. Oral supplements of vitamin D are helpful but they may not be absorbed very well. That is why here at First Coast Wellness Infusions and Ketamine Clinic we offer vitamin D injections as a free add on to our Immunity booster infusion. It is a separate injection that is given into the muscle in addition to the infusion. Yes it is another needle stick but vitamin D is in an oil base that cannot be infused intravenously.
Also remember that vitamin D is not water soluble so it will stay in you body a long time. That means that taking to much can result in levels that are too high and can lead to toxicity. So don’t over do it. Too much of a good thing!
Thanks for reading and stay healthy!! frank@firstcoastwellnessinfusions.com 855-258-0325
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