To Caitlin/Has anyone had these problems after physical therapy?

[Guest guest]

Hi Caitlin,

I was wondering, How much vitamin D is made when I am exposed to

sunlight for an hour and a half a day. Should I also take a supplement

of Vitamin D too?

I had forgotten all about the over the counter " Leg Cramps " pills.

They had helped me tremendously in the past. I'll ask my pharmacist to

order them for me.

/New York

[Guest guest]

--- " Oconnell " wrote:

>

> Hi Caitlin,

>

> I was wondering, How much vitamin D is made when I am exposed to

> sunlight for an hour and a half a day. Should I also take a supplement

> of Vitamin D too?

-

I'm not Caitlin, nor do I play her on TV <ggg> but I will answer this one.

It only takes 5 to 20 minutes of sun exposure (to arms, legs, face and back) to

generate

more than 10000 iu's - much more than any supplement. Realize that shade and

clouds

reduce the amount created, and sunscreen completely blocks it. Exposure must be

without sunscreen.

Recommended iu's for an adult male under age 50 is only 200 iu's, for over age

50 it's 400

iu's. There has been some speculation that some people need higher levels than

even

that, but there's a lot of conflicting evidence in the research results.

People who are at risk for deficiency usually are those who (1) live in a

climate where the

sun rarely shines in the winter, so they don't get any exposure; (2) are

incapacitated/hospitalized so they never get outside; or (3) use sunscreen

religiously so

they never get any exposure at all. Plus, you'd have to have a pretty bad diet.

We get a

LOT of Vitamin D from a variety of foods, including dairy, fortified orange

juice, fish, eggs,

even fortified breakfast cereals.

However, bottom line, : If you're getting 90 minutes a day of sun exposure,

you had

better be using sunscreen!!! Vitamin D deficiency won't kill you (with a modern

healthy

diet you won't even have a bad enough deficiency to get rickets, let alone die

from it!), but

skin cancer will take you out in a heartbeat. And it's an ugly way to go.

Protect yourself.

Cheryl in AZ

Moderator

[Guest guest]

One more thought -

Also be aware that it is possible to take too much vitamin D supplements,

resulting in

Vitamin D Toxicity, which can be dangerous, not to mention painful! As with any

drug or

supplement, we all need to be sure that if we want to take larger than

recommended doses,

we should only do so under the supervision of a doctor who can monitor our

health and

vitamin levels.

Cheryl in AZ

Moderator