[JGatti]

Just wanted to share a quick story and recent experience. For several weeks I started to not really feel like myself. Little things began to bother me, became overly emotional, and was stressing out really bad at work for no apparent reason. Then the weight loss started. In less than 7 days I lost 9lbs. Begin a little spooked I went to see my Dr. Took some xrays, ran some tests and told me to come back in 2 weeks.
At that visit he mentioned in addition to my multi vitamin he learned at a recent seminar that anyone that lives north of the Mason Dixon line should be taking 2000mg of vitamin D. That day I picked up a bottle of 2000mg D-3. Within a week I noticed a drastic change. The bags under my eyes are gone, the weight stopped falling off and I am back to normal at work and no longer emotional like a damn teenage girl. lol
I went in for my follow up visit yesterday. Everything was normal. Cholesterol was excellent. Thyroid normal. Testosterone normal for my age. The only thing.... the ONLY thing was my level of vitamin D level was 10 points below the lowest normal. It should be in the 30-100 range and mine was 20. I am thankful and amazed how much this has helped me. I am honestly starting to believe that my wife suffers from the same thing I was having and instead of vitamins they stuck her on prozac. She has an appt to get her blood work done now. Hope this helps someone.

[canudigit]

It's true that a lot of people have Vitamin D deficiency, especially in climates that get less sunshine on average than others. However, people in those climates suffer from skin cancers at a much higher rate than those in a climate like ours. It's ironic that you either have to supplement or slather yourself with sun screen just to go for a walk, depending on which climate you live in. I wonder if somewhere in the middle of the country would be the best alternative to those two extremes?

[Luzette]

I've tested low on Vitamin D too. I take both the D2 and D3 supplements. I find that even in a mild winter like we've just had I have a hard time during those months. I don't mind the cold so much, but it's the gray skies and then most of all the snow. I just hate snow even if it's not a lot of it. People like me who love Michigan otherwise would do well to find a way to go south for about two months then come back to enjoy the rest of the year up north. I don't want to run to the opposite extreme where people swelter months on end. It's just a basic issue with winter in my case.

[detwahDJ]

D is called the "sunshine vitamin". My doc has me on vitamin D (along with B-complex) for a diagnosed deficiency. I related to him how in the summertime while on vacation my mood and energy picked up - he said it's possible.
I try to take others as well: minerals, greenfoods, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, omegas - but in my case the weight never was falling off.
Thanks, it's good for people to be aware of a possible cause for these 'wintertime blues".

[JGatti]

The strange thing is I cannot recall ever feeling like this before in my life. No matter what winter has brought us. I guess this is the start of it and I plan to stay on top of it.

[Luzette]

Maybe it's age related. I know when I was younger winters didn't seem to bother me. About five years ago I suffered a severe bout of seasonal depression disorder. Since then it seems to be with me every winter although thank goodness never as bad as that first year. I know I was thrilled when we had no snow at Christmas last year. I had always thought snow was okay for the holidays but discovered I was in almost more of a festive spirit without it. I seem to just over all slow way down as winter progresses. The early darkness seems to be a big factor. I was glad that enough snow came so that businesses didn't suffer financial loss. On a selfish level though I was happy we had a mild winter.

[michmoldman]

Hmmm...thats very interesting. Thanks for sharing!!

[Tyryztoll]

What's with your thread title: "Because we live in Michigan we need this"? Need what? To gobble pills or risk becoming sick because it gets cloudy and snows? You have an abnormal vitamin deficiency. That doesn't mean everyone in Michigan needs what you need. It is scientific fact that the human body can adapt to and thrive in almost any climate on this planet, and I have never heard someone say they got sick solely because they lived in Michigan before.

I'm not making light of your sitaution, and I'm glad you're on the mend, but I just found the thread title to be a little bit too inclusive. I lived in the southern U.S. for 30 years and never felt the abundant sunlight gave me any kind of boost whatsoever compared to living in Michigan.

[Jwo85]

I take mid day walks at work when its warmer out. I don't smoke, so I gotta use those smoking breaks efficiently. I feel better and ready to tackle on the next project when I get back to my desk.

[JGatti]

Originally Posted by Northman

What's with your thread title: "Because we live in Michigan we need this"? Need what? To gobble pills or risk becoming sick because it gets cloudy and snows? You have an abnormal vitamin deficiency. That doesn't mean everyone in Michigan needs what you need. It is scientific fact that the human body can adapt to and thrive in almost any climate on this planet, and I have never heard someone say they got sick solely because they lived in Michigan before.

I'm not making light of your sitaution, and I'm glad you're on the mend, but I just found the thread title to be a little bit too inclusive. I lived in the southern U.S. for 30 years and never felt the abundant sunlight gave me any kind of boost whatsoever compared to living in Michigan.

Ok your right not everyone NEEDS it but it has been suggested to keep optimum levels of vitamin D in your body. Maybe your response to something so petty means you need it without knowing you need it. I love our state and nothing about this was meant to be offensive in any way. I guess I should have said colder climate states? Or would that have been met with. " it's not cold here all year, we do have summer!!!" Take a moment to read of on vitamin D deficiency, in many people there are no symptoms but that does not mean your body would not function better if you didn't have it and not know it. Being overly sensitive and defending ones state and seeing insults where they are not written might be a sign of vitamin D deficiency. Just sayin.