It’s been brutally cold around here lately. I just heard that February 2015 will be the first month since 1978 when the temperature has not gone above 0 °C in the Greater Toronto Area. That’s how cold it’s been!
To make matters even more depressing, the days are short at this time of the year and that usually means low vitamin D levels. Yet, my levels always score high around this time of the year and I do not take any additional vitamin D supplementation other than what is found in my multivitamin.
How do I do it?
Through the use of safe sunlamps. I own a special stand-up tanning unit that shields harmful emissions and has been recommended by the Vitamin D Council as a safe and effective method to achieve natural levels of vitamin D. Unfortunately, this UV device is no longer available for purchase.
In Mass Explosion, I talk about the optimal tanning dosage and it’s really not much, but suffice it to say, this method beats supplementation any day. Assuming that you start low and build up your exposure gradually, it’s a safer form of vitamin D (you can’t overdose from skin exposure, but you certainly can through supplementation) and a more effective form of vitamin D (oral unsulfated vitamin D3 from supplements do not provide the same benefits as vitamin D3 sulfate that’s synthesized from the skin).
In fact, I would like to extend a challenge to any healthcare practitioner that prescribes vitamin D in supplement form to their (non-infant) patients or clients. Your supplements against my sunlamps and we’ll see who wins.
