Should You Be Taking Vitamin D?

Every day, researchers find new ways that vitamin D affects our overall health. Vitamin D may help regulate mood, behavior, bone density, immunity, and more. It's hugely important to keeping our body functioning.

The problem? Our bodies require exposure to direct sunlight in order to make it and it's hard to get enough from food alone.

Living in Iowa, we have limited exposure to sunlight during the winter months. During the summer, being outside for 20 minutes around noon is enough for most people's bodies to make all the vitamin D they need. In the winter, we don't have strong enough sun exposure. Vitamin supplements are one way we can ensure our body has enough vitamin D. Some experts recommend that people living in the Northern Hemisphere should take vitamin D supplements year-round.

It's hard to determine a standard daily dose of vitamin D for everyone. The best thing you can do is ask your primary healthcare provider about being tested for vitamin D deficiency. Based on those results and your health history, your provider will be able to advise you on vitamin D supplementation. Before taking any vitamin supplement, it's a good idea to check with your provider. There are many different factors that go into determining whether or not you need supplements and not all vitamin brands are created equal. Your provider is the best resource to help you.

As a house-call chiropractor, I assist my patients with many different health concerns. In the past several years, I've begun to recommend vitamin D testing more and more. It has become a starting point for solving the puzzle of my patients' health issues. For many of them, vitamin D deficiency has been the missing piece of that puzzle. Ask your provider if you could benefit from vitamin D supplements.