Many people suffer from multiple symptoms, such as dry skin, depression, chronic fatigue and more and they are not treated because conventional medicine does not diagnose vitamin D deficiency optimally. Due to division of medical science to fields and organs people address different specialists in order to solve their problems: dermatologist, endocrinologist, GP, gastroenterologist, psychologist… They are sent to blood tests for various parameters and of course iron, ferritin, hemoglobin and vitamin D. And how surprising, all the tests are within the reference. So, they don’t find the reason for their condition and continue to suffer.
In this article I will try to simplify the understanding of what is vitamin D, what are its function in our body, what are the reasons and symptoms for its deficiency.
What is vitamin D?
“Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in a few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis” (National Institute of Health, 2024).
What does vitamin D do in our body?
- Strengthens the immune system
- Participates in insulin synthesis;
- Suppresses tumor cell growth;
- Provides reproductive function and libido;
- Regulates the endocrine glands;
- Provides good attention and memory;
- Participates in blood clotting;
- Maintains normal blood pressure;
- Maintains healthy hair, nails and skin.
Red flags and symptoms for vitamin D deficiency?
At first, complaints of vitamin D deficiency are nonspecific. Mild vitamin D deficiency is almost imperceptible upon examination. And the symptoms can be characteristic of a number of diseases. With a pronounced deficiency of D levels, the symptoms become more specific.
- Frequent infectious diseases: If you get the flu or a cold frequently – a sign that your immune system has weakened. One of the reasons for this is a lack of vitamin D, which is necessary for the functioning of the immune system. The studies showed that children without vitamin D deficiency get sick much less.
- Weakness and muscle pain: Vitamin D helps the proper functioning of the muscle and its deficiencies cause weakness and pain. The body starts to ache as if it has the flu and if you don’t make up for the deficiency – the situation gets worse quickly.
- Despondency: Another symptom of lack of vitamin D – intermittent sleep, tearfulness, low mood, nervousness, depression, sadness and gloom.
- Excessive sweating: One of the causes of excessive sweating of the hands and head, especially on the back of the head, is a lack of vitamin D.
- Intestinal problems: If you have repeated constipation, loss of appetite and digestion, celiac disease, intestinal inflammation or you suffer from heartburn and constipation – vitamin D will help alleviate the symptoms.
- And even more various symptoms: Chronic fatigue; fragility, brittleness and dullness of the nail plates; skin itching; menstrual irregularities in women; spermatogenesis disorders and infertility in men; caries; hair loss; unclear abdominal pain; slow wound healing.
Symptoms indicate insufficient vitamin D in food or its poor absorption. The condition is simultaneously accompanied by calcium deficiency which affects the condition of muscles and bones. Demineralization of bone and muscle tissue occurs, what predisposes to bone fractures.
The reasons for vitamin D deficiency:
- Insufficient skin contact with sunlight, especially from 12:00 to 15:00;
- Lack of vitamin D-rich foods in the diet;
- Malabsorption – impaired absorption;
- Abnormal metabolism of vitamin D;
- Taking certain medications that use up vitamin D reserves, such as antiepileptic drugs, barbiturates, glucocorticoids;
- Resistance of the body to the effects of vitamin D.
In order you will finally diagnose and treat yourself you must firstly understand that your health is only your own responsibility. This is a very different and not common point of view on our health. If you won’t read, ask and research – no one will do it for you. The doctors must keep you alive, but they are not obligated to provide you with a quality life. Solely you are.
After understanding that your symptoms require vitamin D blood test, the first thing you should be aware of are “laboratory references”. The ranges that appear next to your results are not more than dry statistics. They are a range of results of all the patients who have been checked in that specific laboratory. They are not real optimal ranges. They indicate the levels of each parameter (in this case vitamin D) with which you will not die.
As for our example, in vitamin D the laboratory writes that 20-100 ng/ml is an optimal result. So, the person with 21 ng/ml will understand that his vitamin D level is within the optimal range and is not the reason for his symptoms. But actually, the real optimum is 60-80 ng/ml. So, that person should (MUST) at least triple, or better quadruple, his vitamin D level in order to live full life and not to be exposed to health and mental problems.
How to do it?
In case the reason for vitamin D deficiency is not impaired absorption or abnormal metabolism, a good way to get vitamin D is to stay under the sun’s rays for 15-30 minutes, 4-5 times a week, with as much less clothes as possible. Only during this time, it is not recommended to apply sunscreen.
Another way, especially in not so sunny regions, is the vitamin D supplements. I will not recommend here any company or dosage, but keep in mind that there are official protocols which take into account the initial vitamin D level. Let’s say that the person with 21 ng/ml should take at least 5,000 IU in the beginning of the treatment period, that can take 6-12 months.
Of course, in case of impaired absorption or abnormal metabolism a medical treatment is required prior the use of vitamin D supplements.
In addition, I must mention that there are many common symptoms for different deficiencies. It will be a wise decision to check additional parameters and learn more about each one of them.
In my next articles I will refer additional microelements and their impact on our body and mental health.
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