Boost Your Immune System – Vitamin D

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So the last two weeks have been hellish. My entire family has been down for the count with a local, virulent virus. My husband got sent away on business so I was left to care for two 15-month old whining, tantrumy babies on my own. Week. From. Hell.

I’ve been experimenting with Vitamin D lately. I had read an article on the antibiotic properties of Vitamin D so thought I would try it out. At the first sign of illness, I downed 12,000 units. The next day, 10,000 and another 10,000 the next. Nothing. Flat-on-my-ass sick. When my head cleared enough for me to get on the Internet, I read that article again and realized that I had goofed. I needed to take 25,000-50,000 units each day. Next time I get sick, I’ll try more cause it sure as hell didn’t work this time.

A rough rendering of my recent cold.

Most of us are Vitamin D deficient, which is why we seem to catch every cold and flu going around. The darker your skin, the more Vitamin D you need. To figure out how much the average person needs, multiply 35 x your weight. That’s how many units you should take each day. For my 22 lb kids, that means they need 770 units a day, almost TWICE the RDA for an adult.

The RDA for Vitamin D is horribly outdated. 400 units a day is the minimum amount needed to prevent rickets, but won’t do much more for you. Unless you’re outside for 6 hours a day without sunscreen, wearing nothing but a loin cloth, you need more.

I wear sunscreen on my face and neck because I’m vain and I don’t want wrinkles. I don’t put it anywhere else, or on my kids at all unless we’re going to the beach. Regardless, we just don’t spend enough time in the sun to get our full daily requirement. So, we have to supplement.

I had been taking 3000 units of Vitamin D a day for over 6 months. I decided to go and have my blood levels tested and found that they were actually LOW. Only 59. Ideal levels are between 60 – 85. Since I was so close, the doctor wasn’t concerned, but I was. How could I be taking 3000 ui a day and have less than ideal levels? Well, here’s why: First off, when I use the above equation, I actually require 5915 ui a day for optimal blood levels. (Do the reverse math, now you know how much I weigh, LOL) Not only that, but I was taking my Vitamin D in tablet format.

These are the drops I got at Vitamin Adventure.

Unfortunately for the people who take tablet supplements, Vitamin D is fat soluble. That means you need to take it with some fat in order for your body to absorb it. I had been taking it at the same time as my fish oil, but obviously that wasn’t doing the trick. I immediately switched to 6000 ui a day of Vitamin D3 drops in coconut oil – 1,000 units per drop. (If you can’t find these drops, you can always get olive oil gel tabs.) I almost immediately felt a difference. I’ve always suffered from seasonal depression, not bad enough that I can’t function, but at certain times, I have low energy, feel a little down, a little depressed and things can get overwhelming. I shit you not, the very next day after starting the Vitamin D drops, I felt a shift. Those feelings were GONE. Just gone. I feel fantastic now.

I try to remember to take 3000 ui in the morning and another 3000 at night. Or if I’m afraid I’ll forget later, I just take it all at once. Whatever. It’s next to impossible to overdose on Vitamin D, so don’t be scared of it (but don’t let your infants play with the bottle, either. You still need to be responsible. Tsk.). My mom refuses to up her dosage even though most of what she’s getting is a) in tablet form, b) taken along with Vitamin A, which blocks the absorption of Vitamin D, and c) an insufficient amount.   Mom, according to my calculations, you should be taking 4340 ui a day, not the paltry 2000 you’re taking in your One-A-Day now. Maintaining optimal D levels prevents the following plagues of modern society. We should all urge our loved ones to get their levels right. Upwards of 85% of us are vitamin D deficient and it shows:

Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency:

I’ll have my blood levels checked again in 6 months and report back. In the meantime, I feel fan-frickin’-tastic. So, why did I get sick? Aren’t optimal Vitamin D levels supposed to boost our immune system and keep us from catching most stuff that’s going around?

In the midst of this cold from hell, my mother-in-law asked me for some information on how to boost your immune system. I thought it was ironic since I was horribly ill and was evidently doing something wrong. Upon further reflection, I figured it out. Here’s what I did to make myself sick:

The day I was exposed to the virus, I went out for dinner. I ate a great Primal meal of bacon-wrapped filet mignon, salad and sautéed vegetables. Then, I ate half of a slice of cheesecake for dessert. With whipped cream. In retrospect, the salad dressing tasted a little sweet and there were dried cranberries in the salad so I had already eaten sugar before dessert was even ordered. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease. The sugar lowered my immune system just enough to let the virus in. I traced it back for the last couple of cold that I’ve gotten, and realized that I get sick every time I deviate from the Primal lifestyle in regards to sugar AND there’s a cold going around.

Beware of supplements claiming to "boost your immune system." They're expensive and they don't work.

(Click on that link and you’ll find 76 other reasons why you shouldn’t eat sugar.) I had also forgotten my evening dosage of Vitamin D two days in a row.

So, boosting your immune system. Can’t say I’m the best person to ask at this particular moment in time, but start with Vitamin D. Then cut out sugar. Get lots of sleep, exercise and nurture yourself. Get outside and get some fresh air. Eat lots of vegetables and some fruit. Everything else is just a gimmick.

Comments

Boost Your Immune System – Vitamin D — 15 Comments

  1. Tara, I have M.S. I was diagnosed 11 years ago. A year after my oldest son was born. I take Vitamin D now, but I never did before. I am fortunate that my M.S. has not made me disabled. And I never want that to happen. So I figure and my neuroligist feels that if it might help my disease then go for it! Talk soon. And stay healthy!

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  2. LOVE your blog! This is valuable info which I’m going to put to use right away – I’m on the 3rd phase of this cold/flu thing and it’s no fun at all. Thanks so much for the great info!

    Kristina – Kick M.S.’s butt!! Sounds like you have a great attitude and you’ll do it!! My Aunt Mary had it back in the 60′s so I know what you’re fighting.

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  3. Tara, I still haven’t gotten mine, but will hopefully get out tomorrow! I think we’re all finally better here at home. But, I just wanted to add/make sure that people who are darker would need more Vit D, right? I know it’s something to that effect. Please remind me :) Thanks!

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    • I can’t find info anywhere on exactly how much you should take, only that you need more time in the sun. I would just take the same amount as everyone else. But have your blood levels checked too. THat’s the best way to see if what you’re doing is right.

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  4. Great info Tara – someone said to me a while back I should take Vitamin D – but I thought being here in sunny Africa I really didn’t need it. Am thinking now I will give it a go. Will also check my last blood work & see if it was checked. Have suffered from chronic fatigue (though no diagnosed as that – just easiest way to describe it) for 15+ years… will try the vit d suppliments. Hopefully I can get the drops here.

    Two thoughts though – first is that my understanding of fat soluble vitamins is that you CAN overdose on them. Water soluble ones are expelled by the body, but fat soluble is stored. Granted – you would usually have to take maga doses for it to cause ill effect. Second, I thought my dad did “OD” on it when we were in BC – can’t remember how much he was taking, but it cause EXTREME crabbiness. Will double check thoguh – maybe I am mixing it up with another vitamin…

    Thanks again!

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    • Vitamin D overdose typically happens over a period of time rather than from a single large dose. Anyone who takes Vitamin D supplements CAN take too much Vitamin D. But the majority of documented overdoses are from:

      • Children whose parents accidentally give them massive doses of vitamin d
      • Elderly people incorrectly taking massive vitamin d dosages
      • Adults who take more than 10,000 IU’s per day for long periods of time.
      • ‘Industrial Accidents’ where massive quantities of vitamin d are put into fortified foods in error

      These categories comprise nearly all people who have had Vitamin D overdose symptoms. There are very few Vitamin D overdose symptoms.
      But those Vitamin D overdose symptoms that might make you seek medical attention if you are taking large amounts of Vitamin D Supplements are:

      abdominal cramps
      nausea
      frequent urination
      weakness
      nervousness
      itching
      and eventually kidney failure

      You would have to be taking doses like 40,000 ui a day for a long period of time to overdose. (It says 10,000 above, but other research I’ve found says 40,000, another one studied the effects of 100,000 ui in PREGNANT women. There were no ill effects.)

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  6. According to Health Canada the “Upper Tolerable Limit” is 2000 i.u. per day. This recommendation comes from research from 1997. It also recommends 400 iu for infants under one year old. (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/vitamin/vita-d-eng.php) There is a study underway that will be released this summer by the Institute of Medicine (joint CAN/US funded) that will put forth new recommendations.

    The Canadian Cancer society recommends 1000 iu/day for adults. It says “The evidence is still growing in this area, but we want to give guidance to Canadians about this emerging area of cancer prevention based on what we know now,” says Heather Logan, Director, Cancer Control Policy, Canadian Cancer Society. “As we find out more we will update our recommendation. We’re recommending 1,000 IUs daily because the current evidence suggests this amount will help reduce cancer risk with the least potential for harm,” says Logan. “More research is needed to clearly define the amount of Vitamin D that will maximize health benefits.”

    I don’t know if this would relate to those with MS already, but on Feb. 5, 2009, a Canadian-funded study found that vitamin D seems to help control a gene that’s known to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis “Our study implies that taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy and the early years may reduce the risk of a child developing MS in later life,” said co-author Dr. Sreeram Ramagopalan.

    Really crazy case of Vit D overdose:
    We present the unique case of a previously healthy, 2-year-old boy with resistant hypercalcemia and hypertension resulting from an unintentional overdose with an imported vitamin D supplement. The patient presented initially to the emergency department with colic and constipation and was discharged after a benign physical examination. The symptoms persisted and, on the second visit, the patient was found to have a serum calcium level of 14.4 mg/dL. Despite therapy with intravenously administered 5% dextrose solution at one-half normal strength, furosemide, calcitonin, and hydrocortisone, the calcium concentration increased to 15.0 mg/dL on the second hospital day and did not decrease until the fourth hospital day, when it fell to 13.9 mg/dL. The vitamin D concentration peaked at 470 ng/mL on hospital day 3. With additional questioning, the mother revealed that she had been giving her son a daily dose of 1 ampule of Raquiferol, an imported vitamin D supplement, instead of the recommended 2 drops per day. Each ampule contained 600,000 IU of vitamin D; therefore, the boy received a total of 2,400,000 IU over 4 days. The patient’s hypercalcemia persisted for 14 days and was complicated by persistent hypertension. No renal, cardiac, or neurologic complications were noted. At discharge, the vitamin D concentration was still elevated at 389 ng/mL and the total calcium level had decreased to 11 mg/dL. The boy made a complete clinical recovery. This case highlights the need for caution when using imported and/or unregulated medicines, as well as the dangers of parental dosing errors.

    With regards to your illness:

    I would say that it would be difficult to pinpoint some cheesecake and salad dressing as to the reason you got sick. Some viruses are just virulent little f’s and no amount of staying away from sugar will prevent you from catching it. Hand washing and keeping your hands away from your face are going to matter much more than such relatively minor sugar intakes (perhaps if you binge on sugar long term, like a lot of North Americans this could lead to hormonal issues leading to decreased immune response, but since your diet is tight I doubt this one time sugar intake would send your body crashing metabolically) I am not an immunologist of course so take that for what you want. I guess my analogy is that even though my diet is tight, I exercise regularly and get 9 hours of sleep a night, even if my immune system is running top notch I could still expect that if I had unprotected sex with Thai hookers that I would come down with one or many STD’s. The immune system can only handle so much.

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    • I just realized I never thanked you for this post Jeffy! My diet wasn’t tight. I’m trying to reign it in now. Stupid carbs!
      So do you agree with the recommendations from Health Canada then? I still think they’re too low.

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  8. Make absolutely sure you take vitamin D3. A lot of what is on the market is D2. After my blood tested low my rheumatologist put me on 50,000 IU megadoses for a couple of weeks. After 3 rounds, my numbers did not budge. I switched to 5000 IU of D3 and voila! Up it went.

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    • Thanks Adriana!!! I can’t believe I didn’t put the D3 part in my post. I learned about that a few years ago and must have assumed that most people know that by now or just completely forgot to include it. You’re absolutely right.

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  9. thanks so much for posting this! i need about 6,000 and i was only taking 4,000 not only that the first ingredients of mine were soybean oil and corn oil and lastly D3? i got on amazon and ordered what you suggested AND used subscribe and save also :) never thought i’d be so excited to be me some D3 in the mail. LMAO!!!!

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