Do yourself a favor and get enough vitamin D

Vitamin D has recently been identified in the media as cutting-edge care for your immune system. At my practice, The Doctor’s House, we cut that edge a long time ago.

For years I have been talking about how important vitamin D is for the immune system. Yes, some of my patients have “rolled their eyes at me” during my vitamin D speeches. However, I find it heartwarming when these same patients come back and say, “Thank you, you told me how important it is to be vitamin D sufficient, and I am really glad that I listened!”

Taking vitamin D in addition to sensible daily sun exposure is especially important during this pandemic. A recent study done in China demonstrated that 96% of patients who had a vitamin D level at 30ng/ml and above were asymptomatic or had very minor symptoms of COVID-19.

Patients with levels below 30ng/ml who tested positive for COVID-19 experienced severe or critical/fatal outcomes. The standard practice I follow at The Doctor’s House is to keep my patients at a blood level between 50 to 70 ng/ml, which is optimal to strengthen the immune system so that it is better able to fight disease.

You are doing yourself a favor by taking vitamin D because there are so many other benefits. These including lowering your risk of osteoporosis, arthritis, autoimmune disease, heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer, thyroid disease, type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure.

What’s not to love? It’s easy to take a vitamin D supplement in order to raise your blood levels to acceptable limits, especially since it is very difficult to get enough vitamin D from your diet and sun exposure alone.

Just remember that too much vitamin D can be harmful, so please be sure to check in with your physician before starting supplements. They will determine your baseline levels and can monitor you to keep you in the recommended range.

Just for fun, Google “COVID-19 and vitamin D” to read more!

Dr. Adepero Okulaja grew up in Africa and knew that she was destined to be a doctor. Her practice, The Doctors House, is located in Edina. She considers herself “a do-er and a problem solver who tries to make a positive impact on people through medicine. She says, “My passion is people. I let my patients know that even if they have to deal with a medical issue I am here to help them live well. That is what I live for.” Dr. Okulaja can be reached by phone at 952-999-4049 or via her website, www.thedrshouse.com.