Recently I’ve noticed more and more people jumping on the vitamin D supplement bandwagon. Have you?

I’ve had clients come to me taking 2,000, 5,000, or even 10,000 IUs.

While COVID-19 brought to light the importance of nutrients like vitamin D, I think this is a dangerous trend.

Oftentimes I see people supplementing with it and it’s putting them at high risk for everything from weight gain and thyroid issues to decreased energy and even depression.

If you’re supplementing with vitamin D, you might actually be making things worse.

And trust me, I get it – I used to be on the vitamin D bandwagon myself. My doctor tested me for it when I was dealing with my own health issues and it came up low. I decided to start supplementing with it so I could start to feel better.

Looking back, I realize now that I shouldn’t have done that because it only kept perpetuating the issue rather than fixing it.

Now don’t get me wrong, vitamin D is very important for optimal health and there is plenty of research pointing to that.

But one thing to know is that supplemental Vitamin D is actually a hormone, not just a vitamin. It’s ideal to get it from natural sunlight; taking a pill isn’t going to necessarily plug the hole and it’s not the same thing as what we’re getting from the sun or other natural sources.

What vitamin D supplements do is lower VITAL minerals and vitamins – such as:

• potassium
• magnesium
• vitamin A

Vitamin D also increases the amount of calcium in tissues, and that can be extremely problematic.

Additionally, when someone gets a low reading on their vitamin D test, that typically is more of a sign from the body that potassium, magnesium, vitamin A are already depleted and calcium is already high.

That’s because all of that happens before vitamin D is lost from the body. The body lowers vitamin D after those are imbalanced almost as a way to protect it.

Meaning – low vitamin D is actually a symptom of a bigger problem – it’s not actually the problem. 

Thus, taking a vitamin D supplement is only going to continue to make the problem worse.

You know those commercials for medications and they spend the last 20 seconds of the commercial reading off all the potential side effects?

I believe that’s what should also be happening when someone is told to supplement with vitamin D.

Let’s dish on some of those for a second…

If someone is deficient in potassium, the following symptoms are common:

• Allergies
• Constipation
• Fatigue
• Irregular heartbeats/heart palpitations
• Low blood sugar
• Low blood pressure
• Muscle weakness
• Exercise intolerance
• Skin problems
• Edema
• Water retention

If someone is deficient in magnesium, the following symptoms are common:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Hyperactivity
• Bone issues
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis

Vitamin A is necessary to decrease inflammation, but if vitamin D is lowering it, then that can lead to iron anemia.

And when we’re dealing too much calcium, that leads to a ton of problems. Some of which include:

• memory loss
• depression
• migraines
• apathy
• hearing difficulties
• fatigue
• joint stiffness and weakness
• hypothyroidism

At the bottom of this email, I’ve linked to a full article I wrote about the dangers of excess calcium.

So yeah, there’s a lot of concern with taking so much vitamin D.

There are some people who might benefit from a short-term lower dose of vitamin D, but this is more the exception.

So what do you do about it?

Step 1: Focus on getting your vitamin D from natural sources

First, get your vitamin D from the sun.

This is the #1 best way to get it. Getting outside daily for a walk not only helps you get your daily dose of vitamin D, but it also is great for helping you de-stress and calm your nervous system down.

Aim for at least 15-20 minutes during lunch daily. This is the best time to capture the most benefit from the sun’s rays. 

Here are some great food sources:

• cod liver oil – this is a particularly excellent source of Vitamin D because it is also paired with Vitamin A.
• fish – specifically salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel fish roe
• eggs – 1 egg contains roughly 10% of the recommended daily value
• shiitake and button mushrooms – though a poorer source and ONLY if they have been grown in sunlight
• grass-fed butterfat and organ meats,
• cheese
• bone broth

Step 2: Get Tested for the Right Things

Find out your existing magnesium, potassium, and calcium levels.

If those are already out of whack, then that’s going to tell you that your body isn’t going to benefit from vitamin D. It’s also going to tell you what to do about your mineral levels, which are vitally important for good health.

The test to run is the hair tissue mineral analysis (HTMA). A blood test is not going to adequately show what someone’s levels are because we need to know what’s going on in the cell, and blood tests can’t look at that.

But the HTMA can.

Easily.

Investing in yourself and learning what your levels are might be one of the best gifts you can give yourself and your health this year.

This is not a test that can be read at face value, however.

Find someone like myself who is trained in interpreting it and who can put together a custom protocol for you so you know exactly what your body needs and what it doesn’t need.

If you need help getting your hands on the right lab tests and resources so you can feel absolutely amazing, then click here to schedule a complimentary call with me or email me today!

I’ll help you explore your options to help you find the best test possible to get the results you’re trying to achieve.

Yours in Health,
Kim

P.S. I previously wrote a post about issues with excess calcium – it’s linked here.

Reference: Vitamin D