Tarry Home: Vitamin D Deficiency

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Vitamin D Deficiency - could you have it?

It has been called the silent epidemic here in Australia, and was first discovered when Muslim women new to Australia became vitamin D deficient because they no longer had private court yards where they could remove their coverings. It then followed that sunblock/sunscreen was doing the same preventing of sun getting to skin.

In recent weeks we have discovered that our family has a Vitamin D deficiency problem and probably for a lot longer than we have realised. Testing for it came about because one child was very tired and run down after glandular fever, ongoing flue etc and I had taken him back for a third opinion over a period of 18 months. His symptom - just tired! We stumbled across a GP who has an interest in Vitamin D deficiency and figured symptoms and testing for it among a ream of other tests. As it turns out he is not the least deficient, and some of the kids are radically deficient! The consequences can be quite profound and scary. And I wonder if we have been misdiagnosing a number of things over recent years. Take a look at these web sites. (I see no mention of mental agility, but if it effects mood and tiredness, no doubt it could effect mental alertness and ability to learn too!)

http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/v/vitamin_d_deficiency/intro.htm
http://www.womentowomen.com/healthynutrition/vitamind.aspx

Why are we so deficient? Well, all good parents "slip, slop slap", don't they? In our case too much of a good thing was not so good.

So get out with your kids minus the "slip slop, slap" and soak up some sun in the early mornings and late afternoons before the sun is dangerous.

And don't hesitate to get ask your GP to test for Vit D deficiency if your child has any possible symptoms. The cure is fairly easy... to start off heaps of a Vit D supplements, with follow up tests to monitor and of course sun minus the "slip, slop, slap"!