It’s October which means people are running around panicking about getting their flu shot and worried about getting sick. (for all of you on the go people, I recommend concourse C of the Atlanta airport – yes, they are giving out flu shots in the airport). And what’s perplexing to me is that people miss some of the most obvious ways to prevent themselves from getting sick:
1) wash your hands and wash them often (soap up for 20 seconds)
2) get a new toothbrush every 3 months
3) stay away from sick people
Simple right? And a few more simple things you can do to keep yourself healthy:
4) get enough protein to keep your immune system functioning ship shape
5) drink 4 or more glasses of milk or fortified soy milk daily or take a vitamin D supplement
Yes, you can get vitamin D from other foods but even then it’s hard to meet your daily needs. Why worry about D? According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, of the 19,000 people examined, those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were more likely to report a recent upper respiratory infection. And vitamin D is one of those micronutrients that many of us fall short on.
Easy right? Now put this plan to action (especially the hand washing part).
Hi UofMWolverine,Yes a sunlamp can help your body manufacture vitamin D in the winter. Is it safe? That's really hard to tell. The best way for us to find out if people can safely stand a tanning bed a few times a week for years without adverse affects is a clinical trial and that won't happen. I love the sunshine but don't like the effects UV light has on bare skin so I wear sunscreen and supplement with vitamin D.Great question!Marie
Miss Spano,While I recognize that a whole host of factors (including skin tone and aging) can impact the ability to synthesize vitamin D3 from UV-B rays, can sensible usage of a tanning lamp during vitamin D "Winter" help keep levels in the optimal range without causing undue risk to the person using it?I've seen some suggest that so long as the lamp has an electronic and not a magnetic ballast (which supposedly creates a significant electromagnetic field)then using such a lamp for 2 brief sessions a week can help keep levels up.Just curious if you have any insight on this matter. Ultimately I realize that any strategy and adjustments to it should be made based upon what 25-OH D test levels reveal. But I am interested in your take on whether brief tanning (lamp) sessions in Winter are not worth it, even if they keep your 25-OH D levels optimized.The WHO even ranks the sun as a carcinogen, and is even less keen on lamps, but I'm not exactly trustful of the WHO. And I have heard some commentators who say that much of the WHO's paranoia comes from 1 particular study, with which people eventually played the research equivalent of the "telephone game," thus mangling the interpretation. (not to mention the lights used having the aforementioned magnetic ballasts which likely increased cancer risk via other mechanisms. And lastly, I am loathe to lump a handful of 5-10 minute maximum sessions in with how a lot of folks may approach tanning lamp usage where they "bake" for extended periods of time.I apologize for the logorrhea, and thank you for your time!