Last updated: 11/15/09a

VITAMIN D TALLY:

The number of people I have told about Vitamin D deficiency: 52
# whose initial level was in the ultra optimal range for breast cancer protection (80 ng/ml): 0
# whose initial level was in the optimal range (40-60 ng/ml): 1
# at low end of normal, suboptimal range (30-40 ng/ml): 5
# insufficient/deficient (<30 ng/ml): 9
# who said they don't need testing: 3
# who have not yet provided feedback: 34

Of those people:
# who have SUBSTANTIALLY THINNING HAIR: 14
# who are now in the ultra optimal range (80 ng/ml): 1
# who are now in the optimal range (40-60 ng/ml): 1
# who said they would have their children tested: 2

MY MESSAGE ABOUT VITAMIN D

On 10/21/09, The Doctor's show recommended that 10 minutes of sun and drinking milk would provide sufficient vitamin D.  I love the show, but this is not enough information for anyone who is vitamin D deficient (<20 ng/ml) or insufficient (<30 ng/ml).  The information contained within this site is not intended to treat, diagnose, or otherwise replace the care of a trained physician.  Instead, this information is based on my research and own experiences in getting treatment for a debilitating vitamin D deficiency, and I hope that telling about my experiences will help someone out there get the right help, too. 

According to top researchers, one billion people worldwide today are not getting enough vitamin D.  Particularly hard hit are people with dark skin and those who live above the latitude of San Diego, California.  I am a white, blonde female who lives in Northern California, and I had a debilitating, low vitamin D level.  I get plenty of sun, drink milk daily, and eat oily fish like salmon, yet I was deficient.  I had gradually thinning hair, weakening muscles, horrible digestive problems, increasing food allergies, trouble sleeping, constant infections, and I had aches and pains all over that made it hard to be on my feet for very long and that eventually caused me to be bedridden 50-80% of my day.  If I had a deficiency, I cringe to think how many people around me are deficient, especially those who live further north than I do or who have dark skin. 

Why is 10 minutes of sun and drinking milk not enough for someone with a vitamin D deficiency? 

First, researcher and physician, Michael F. Holick tested different brands of US milk.  The brands tested did not have the amount of vitamin D that was advertised on the carton.  Milk should have about 100 IU's per cup.  Not always so.    

Second, for vitamin D synthesis from the sun, it is the angle of the sun that determines if vitamin D is produced in the skin. In order to know if the angle is high enough, your shadow must be shorter than you are.  This only happens year round if you live near the equator.   

Third, skin pigment determines how quickly you synthesize vitamin D from the sun.  Very dark skin is equivalent to SPF 15 sunscreen, which blocks greater than 99% of vitamin D synthesis.  SPF 8 blocks 95%.  It has been shown that a dark-skinned person needs 5-10x more exposure than a light-skinned person to get the same amount of vitamin D, depending on the amount of skin pigment.

Fourth, not everyone can tolerate sun exposure.  Some people have skin disorders that prevent them from going in the sun, and there is no way a person who cannot go in the sun can get enough vitamin D from milk,  or food, especially if he/she is vitamin D deficient or insufficient.  To get enough daily vitamin D from milk to raise a vitamin D deficient blood level from, for example, 5 ng/ml to a bare minimum of 30 ng/ml, one would need to drink 25 glasses of milk a day, if the milk has enough D in it to begin with.  And, in order to fill up the vitamin D reserves in the body's fat cells, the person would need to do this for 4-8 weeks or more.  Drinking 25 glasses of milk in just one day will result in an overload of calcium and protein and dangerous fluid intake levels. 

Fifth, for those who can tolerate sun exposure, in order to get a useful dose of vitamin D, per Dr. Holick, one must practice sensible sun exposure when the angle of the sun is optimal, the skin should turn "just pink" but not burned, and then sunscreen should be applied, not before.  One cannot just go out in the sun for 10 minutes as was advertised on the show.  There is a lot more to it than that, especially if you have a vitamin D deficiency.  Sensible exposure of face and hands provides about 200-400 IU's, face and arms about 1,000 IU's, and full body exposure about 10,000-20,000 IU's.  A vitamin D deficient person will not get enough vitamin D from the sun to correct the deficiency by just exposing face, hands, and arms, especially if the person wears sunscreen all the time. 

What else can be causing widespread vitamin D deficiency?  Age lessens the ability to synthesize vitamin D from the sun.  Even though vitamin D is stored in the fat cells, excess body fat decreases the availability of D in the body.  Medications such as anti-seizure, thiazides, and glucocorticoids reduce vitamin D in the body.  Some health conditions affect our ability to maintain proper vitamin D, such as hyperparathyroidism and sarcoidosis.  Fat malabsorption problems, caused by diseases like Crohn's Disease and celiac disease ("sprue"), can block vitamin D absorption from the diet.  Vitamin-D-rich food and supplements do not work for these people, and researchers say that these people must rely on the sun or appropriate UV-B tanning beds for vitamin D.  Our skin color, age, weight, use of sunscreen, protective clothing, medications, and medical conditions all make us different.  We, therefore, all have a different vitamin D requirement.  I learned from Carole Baggerly, breast cancer survivor and avid vitamin D advocate, to think of vitamin D like food.  Do you eat the same amount and same things as everyone else?  No, you have specific needs for your age, weight, height, and genes, and it is the same for vitamin D.

Above all, you cannot know how much vitamin D to get from any source unless you first get your level tested.  To do this, you need a 25(OH)D blood test.  Once you get your level tested, the way for your doctor to know how much you need is to follow this rule: every 100 IU's raises the blood level by 1 ng/ml.  For people who are deficient, the change in vitamin D blood level varies greatly after starting supplementation, and it is, therefore, imperative to get your blood level retested every 4-8 weeks to monitor your progress and make any necessary adjustments until your doctor knows what maintains a healthy vitamin D level at least in the optimal range of 40-60 ng/ml. 

For some people, their vitamin D blood level will not rise and will need special treatment.  If your doctor has questions or concerns, please have him/her contact one or more of the following vitamin D scientists, many of whom are also physicians.  Or, contact them yourselves if you are not getting answers that make sense toyou.  Their full contact information appears at the following link: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/scientists.shtml.  In brief, they are:

- Anthony W. Norman, PhD, UC Riverside, anthony.norman@ucr.edu
- Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD, Tufts University, bhughes@hnrc.tufts.edu
- Bruce W. Hollis, PhD, Medical University of South Carolina, Hollisb@musc.edu
- Cedric F. Garland, DrPH, FACE, UC San Diego, cgarland@ucsd.edu
- Christel Lamberg-Allardt, PhD, University of Helsinki, Finland, christel.lamberg-allardt@helsinki.fi
- Edward Giovannucci, MD, SCD, Harvard School of Public Health, edward.giovannucci@channing.harvard.edu
- Frank C. Garland, PhD, Naval Health Research Center, San Diego, garland@nhrc.navy.mil
- John J. Cannell, Vitamin D Council, info@vitamindcouncil.org
- Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD, Boston University School of Medicine, mfholick@bu.edu
- Reinhold Vieth, PhD, University of Toronto, rvieth@mtsinai.on.ca
- Robert P. Heaney, MD, FACP, FACN, Creighton University Medical Center, rheaney@creighton.edu
- William B. Grant, PhD, SRI International, NASA Langley Research Center, wgrant@sunarc.org

Below, I have included information about why vitamin D is important, a list of my symptoms, links to websites and video's on vitamin D, and tips and 25 scientific references for you to take to your doctor.  You do not have to be as sick as I was to be vitamin D deficient, but if you continue to let a vitamin D deficiency brew inside your body, the chance of the deficiency causing one or more serious health conditions is significant. 

The NIH states that up to 78% of the US is insufficient and up to 36% is deficient.  Other studies clearly show that 70% of our children are deficient.  Don't let yourself or one of your children be a victim.  Get yourselves tested and follow my tips below.  I hope that you, with your doctor's help, will get vitamin D healthy and become happy and productive.

WHY IS VITAMIN D IMPORTANT?

There are vitamin D receptors all over the body, including heart, breast, prostate, intestines, brain, eyes/retina, pancreas, hair follicles, and on the surface of white blood cells called monocytes and T cells, and more.  Vitamin D is actually a pro-hormone (a substance that is converted in the body to a hormone), not a vitamin, and, when it is activated in the body, it enables absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous in the digestive system.  This, in turn, affects the health of muscles, nerves, and bone.  Vitamin D also activates over 2,000 genes that code for antimicrobial proteins and other immune system support.  200 of the genes have been discovered to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis.  One of the implications of this is that the genes that vitamin D activates code for proteins that can recognize tumor cells and can turn them into normal cells or cause them to die.  This is very real and well studied.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to chronic pain, alopecia (hair loss), high blood pressure, osteoporosis, osteopenia, osteomalacia (bone softening), cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, 17 types of cancers, including retinal cancers, macular degeneration, type I & II diabetes, pre-eclampsia, depression, schizophrenia, endometriosis, epilepsy, and developmental disorders in children, including bone (rickets) and neuro-muscular development disorders such as mental retardation, cerebral palsy, and potentially autism.  Some of the sources I have read indicate that much of the preventative effects of vitamin D, such as prevention of diabetes, occur when your vitamin D levels are maintained as a child.  It is, therefore, very important to get your children tested.

The Mayo Clinic ran a study in 2003 and found that effectively 100% of chronic pain patients are vitamin D deficient.  UC San Diego has reported a 75% reduced risk of colon cancer if blood levels are maintained between 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L).  A recent press release announced virtual eradication of breast cancer by raising vitamin D to "natural levels," which means 80 ng/ml (http://www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/cnw/article.jsp?content=20091104_132502_4_cnw_cnw). 

Finland reduced its daily recommended intake of vitamin D from 5,000 IU's to 400 IU's.  It was reported that diabetes quadrupled as a result (http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=16940).

In 1822, it was found that exposure of the skin to sunshine cured rickets in children, a bone development disorder.  In the early 1900's, it was found that cod liver oil and light from a mercury arc lamp could cure rickets, where a mercury arc lamp is in the same wavelength range as UV-B rays from the sun.  In the early part of the 1900's, it was also found that tuberculosis was cured by exposure of the skin to the sun, particularly at high altitudes, where the sanatoriums for tuberculosis patients were typically located.  In the 1920's and 30's, it was found that vitamin D was the underlying mechanism.  To reach a large number of children to reduce occurance of rickets, milk was fortified with vitamin D.  Why are we still finding cases of rickets in hospitals?  The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that there were 9.2 million cases of tuberculosis and 1.7 million deaths worldwide from tuberculosis in 2006.  How?  Bacterial resistance to antibiotics?  Overuse of sunscreen?  Too much time indoors?  Not enough vitamin-D-rich foods in the diet?  Overuse of hats and protective clothing?  No controls over dairies and whether they are fortifying milk appropriately?  All of the above?

HOW MUCH VITAMIN D IS IN FOOD, SUPPLEMENTS, AND FROM SUN EXPOSURE?

Based on research by Dr. Holick and Dr. Reinhold Vieth (University of Toronto), sensible exposure to the sun produces the following amount of vitamin D:

•    Face and hands (without sunscreen, till skin turns "just pink") = 200-400 IU's
•    Face and arms or legs (without sunscreen, till skin turns "just pink") = 1,000 IU's
•    Full body exposure (without sunscreen, till skin turns "just pink") = 10,000-20,000 IU's

For dietary sources of vitamin D: milk, if it has any vitamin D per the research by Dr. Holick, should have 100 IU's of vitamin D per glass.  Oily fish such as salmon, but not farmed salmon, has approximately 300 IU's per 3.5 oz serving.  Farmed salmon has 75% less vitamin D than wild-caught salmon.  A small list of foods have vitamin D , and these appear on the Office of Dietary Supplements website: http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/Health_Information/Vitamin_and_Mineral_Supplement_Fact_Sheets.aspx.  If you use the USDA online food database, the Office of Dietary Supplements has a warning that they do not have a good method of testing for vitamin D.  In addition, be aware that there are a lot of inconsistencies in the vitamin D data in the database. 

A note about cod liver oil: cod liver oil is a good source of vitamin D, but be careful because it also contains a high amount of vitamin A, and vitamin A toxicity can occur if you ingest too much cod liver oil.

Vitamin D supplements come in two forms, D2 and D3.  D2 is plant based and D3 is animal based.  If you are found to have a vitamin D deficiency, if your doctor knows anything about treating a vitamin D deficency (sorry, but most have received no or inadequate training in this, just ask them), you will be prescribed 50,000 IU vitamin D2 capsules to be taken once a week for 4-8 weeks, re-tested, and the dosage adjusted accordingly.  You can also buy 50K D3 capsules online.  There are periodic reports that D3 works better than D2, so keep this in mind if your level is not rising appropriately. 

If you do not want to take supplements, especially in the winter when there are no UV-B rays in the northern hemisphere, you can use a tanning salon to get vitamin D3 through the skin, if you make sure that you get a salon with beds that emit UV-B rays, and if you practice sensible sun exposure and don't subject yourself to overexposure and open yourself up to skin cancer. 

LIST OF MY VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY SYMPTOMS

My main complaints were increasing weakness in the legs and chronic pain that built up over a period of four years and that caused me to be bedridden 50-80% of my day during the fifth year.  Additional symptoms that gradually appeared were:
•    Inability to be on my feet for long periods due to burning in the bottoms of my feet
•    Cramping and burning in my bladder area yet no bladder infection was found time after time
•    Intermittent cramping in muscles throughout my body
•    A strange discomfort in my lower abdomen below my belly button
•    An intermittent, sick feeling in my kidney area (back, lower ribcage) yet kidney tests came back normal
•    Slight amount of urinary incontinence
•    Major constipation, and use of digestive aids caused terrible intestinal pain
•    Gradual thinning of hair, skin, and nails
•    Increasing, very deep, large cysts that would appear in strange places on my body like in my ears
•    Trouble with my eyesight where no prescription felt good to my eyes anymore
•    Exercise made me feel weaker instead of stronger
•    Trouble getting to sleep, restlessness at night, and a feeling of exhaustion upon waking
•    Swelling of the lower legs, especially if I sat for more than 5 minutes
•    A feeling of weakness in the heart area of my chest yet a heart stress test showed no problems
•    An frequently high pulse rate of 120 beats per minute at rest, where my normal resting pulse is 60-70
•    An intermittent feeling that I couldn't quite get a big enough breath
•    Increasing food allergies
•    Gradual inability to eat foods with fiber (whole wheat, nuts, increasing # of vegetables and fruit)
•    Overfullness in my stomach, where little amounts of food would make me feel overstuffed
•    Pain in my upper abdomen was initially thought to be gallstones, yet none were found
•    In the later stages, nausea when I would eat chicken or fish, but I could eat dairy and small amounts of beef
•    Sensitivity to light, and I desperately needed my sunglasses
•    Sensitivity to touch to the point that I could no longer hold my husband's hand
•    Raw pain in the backs of my legs after just 5 minutes of sitting
•    Lower abdominal/gynecological burning but all tests were normal
•    Feeling that my joints were getting loose all over my body and pain in my joints, including my fingers
•    Feeling that, if I stood still, I had to lean on something because my body couldn't support itself
•    Hard to get down onto the floor and hard to get back up due to stiffness
•    A feeling of nerve pain like shingles over large areas of my body, but no shingles was found
•    Intermittent and sometimes frequent, throbbing and sometimes burning migraines
•    Intermittent jabbing pain that would shoot like a lightning bolt through my upper right chest
•    Very intense craving for sugar
•    Agitation and frustration, and a tendency to swear at the drop of a hat as if I had Tourette's Syndrome
•    Loss of sense of humor, increasing feeling of "how am I going to get through this"
•    Feeling of overwhelm at the thought of doing normal activities, even housecleaning and paying bills
•    Feeing of overwhelm if I had to cross a street because it all became so exhausting
•    Inability to work full-time, then not at all
•    Labeled as a "chronic pain patient" and treated inexcusably rudely by many doctors
•    Foggy brain, forgetful

MISDIAGNOSES BEFORE MY D DEFICIENCY WAS FOUND

22 doctors misdiagnosed me with: interstitial cystitis, golf-ball-sized fibroid that turned out to be only 9 mm, depression, anxiety, food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, symptoms of upcoming menopause.  The rudeness from many of these doctors once I was deemed a "chronic pain" patient was inexcusable.  I was given anti-depressants, anti-seizure medications, anti-convulsants, skin creams to dull the pain.  I had side effects from all of them.  The anti-seizure medication seemed to help a little, but overall, I was not getting better.  I stopped all medications until vitamin D replenishment therapy.

TESTS THAT ALL TURNED OUT NORMAL AND OFFERED NO CLUES

Heart stress test, urinalysis, bladder endoscopy, stomach endoscopy, colonoscopy, 2 CT scans, MRI's, allergy tests, full blood panels (which did not include but should have included vitamin D, PTH, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous), celiac disease test (wheat allergy), sarcoidosis ACE test, vitamin B tests. 

WHERE I AM TODAY

After getting the 25(OH)D vitamin D blood test, I started with a blood level of 17 ng/ml.  I was given a 50,000 IU vitamin D2 capsule to take once per week for four months.  That is ~7,000 IU's per day.  I took 2.000-4,000 IU's of D3 in addition to this every day except the day I took the 50K pill.  In the first two weeks, I felt strangely better but couldn't put my finger on it.  The second time I took the 50K pill and thereafter, for the next two days, I felt what I can only describe as an incredible rush of energy in my legs. 

After 2 months:
•    My blood level rose to 58 ng/ml
•    NO MORE CONSTIPATION!!
•    I could now eat soluble fiber in the form of acacia fiber and fruit like apples, peeled
•    I started SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT AND FEELING RESTED IN THE MORNINGt!! 
•    I now fall asleep within 1/2 hour, where before, I would often toss and turn all night
•    I actually feel like going to bed at 9:30 pm, and I wake up without an alarm at 5-6am 
•    If I go to bed too late, I wake up at the same time every morning, so I have to get to bed on time now
•    I rest more on the weekends than I used to, but I am no longer considered "bedridden" 

After 4 months:
•    My blood level rose to 59 ng/ml
•    I could think clearly once again
•    I could eat insoluble fiber!!!  Whole wheat, all vegetables, fruit with skin, corn chips, nuts, seeds!!!
•    But, I had muscle cramps very badly in the backs of my arms and legs and burning headaches 
•    After correcting a magnesium deficiency with 400 mg 2x/day evenly spaced, in 4 days:
     -   The cramping and headaches were gone
     -   The slight urinary incontinence was gone
     -   The lower abdominal cramping was substantially reduced
•    I am no longer cold all the time and no longer sensitive to touch 
•    I often have my sense of humor back and find that I smile a lot more
•    My hair and nails are getting thicker and thicker, and my skin no longer looks like crepe paper
•    I no longer swear at the drop of a hat, and I am calm and composed!!  What a relief.
•    I can EXERCISE!! Not my usual 2-hour karate, but I can actually go on walks and use my gym equipment!!
•    I continue to take 6,000-10,000 IU's a day to keep my blood level between 80-100 ng/ml
•    I get re-tested every 4 weeks, soon to become every 8 week

During the 4th month, I went out in the sun every day for full body, sensible sun exposure and took 8,000 IU's per day without the 50K pill.  I got re-tested, and my level had risen to 134 ng/ml.  Toxicity starts at 200 ng/ml (some say 150 ng/ml).  I dropped to 6,000 IU's/day for the fifth month.  It is now fall and there is little or no vitamin D synthesis from the sun anyway.  I will be re-tested to see if my level dropped accordingly.

I am now in my sixth month.  As long as I get enough sleep, 95% of my symptoms above are resolved.  During these last six months, I was sometimes getting a strange sensation in my muscles and had some difficulty thinking.  I learned that our home well water has excessive calcium carbonate in it, and I was overdosing on calcium.  Be careful that you do not exceed the USRDA for calcium.  See the Office of Dietary Supplements website for USRDA levels.

If I do not sleep at least 7 hours a day, I get mini flare-ups.  Through bio-feedback and re-balancing physical therapy techniques, I am able to stay on my feet, with adequate sleep.  Flare-up's earlier this year would have meant three more weeks in bed. 

Although bone density was never measured, with a vitamin D deficiency, bone loss will eventually occur, and I learned from Dr. Holick's research that it takes 2 years of vitamin D replenishment to re-gain just 25% of your bone density with vitamin D replenishment.  I assume that part of my remaining symptoms have to do with this.

I am getting my life back, and I hope that, if you are found to be vitamin D deficient, you will, too.  A word of caution, even if you are vitamin D deficient, keep investigating for more serious conditions with your doctor.  As for me, I am going to maintain my blood level between 80-100 ng/ml for the rest of my life.  I hope that you will at least get to the 40-60 ng/ml range.

TIPS TO TAKE TO YOUR DOCTOR

To get your vitamin D tested, you will need a 25(OH)D test (inactive form of vitamin D).  Only under certain circumstances will your doctor need to run a 1,25(OH)2D test (active form of vitamin D), such as if you have kidney disease or sarcoidosis. 

If you have a doctor who knows his/her vitamin D, he/she should know the following (please note that sources for the following information are indicated by the numbers in the brackets []; sources appear below).

•    Your blood level should be a minimum of 40-60 ng/ml [14] and that toxicity occurs at levels >150 ng/ml [10]

•    Latest research as mentioned above shows that breast cancer risk is greatly decreased with a vitamin D blood
     level of 80 ng/ml (www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/cnw/article.jsp?content=20091104_132502_4_cnw_cnw)

•    Every 100 IU’s from sun, food, or supplements raises the blood level by about 1 ng/ml [15]

•    Your parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium [10,16], phosphorous, and magnesium should also be checked
     [17,18,19]

•    You should get re-tested in 4-8 weeks [3,16] and re-tested periodically to determine if adjustments are needed

•    Co-factors assist vitamin D, such as vitamin K, zinc, boron, vitamin A, and genestein (an isoflavone) [18]

•    Medications [10], low  magnesium [17], and high phosphorous [10,16] can inhibit vitamin D

•    Medical conditions that cause fat malabsorption problems can inhibit dietary vitamin D assimilation

•    Elevated blood calcium and PTH or abnormally high vitamin D are signs of other, serious health conditions
     [10,19,21]

WHERE TO GET SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION ABOUT VITAMIN D

A consortium of top US vitamin D scientists and physicians has gathered on www.grassrootshealth.net below. Three of these scientists and doctors have websites of their own and other materials on the web as follows:
•    www.grassrootshealth.net (consortium of the top scientists)
•    www.vitamindhealth.org (Dr. Michael F. Holick)
•    www.vitamindcouncil.org (Dr. John J. Cannell)
•    www.sunarc.org (Dr. William B. Grant)

A New England Journal of Medicine article and UC San Diego School of Medicine video by and with M.F. Holick:
•    http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/extract/357/3/266
•    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq1t9WqOD-0

Important websites:
•   www.vitamindhealth.org (Dr. Michael F. Holick)
•   www.vitamindcouncil.org (Dr. John J. Cannell)
•   www.grassrootshealth.net (consortium of top vitamin D scientists and physicians)

Vitamin D video's:
•   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emjCzaHtSrg (Dr. Robert Heaney lecture)
•   http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=16940 (Carole Baggerly, founder of Grassrootshealth.net)
•   http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.aspx?showID=15773 (Dr. Michael Holick lecture)
•   http://wildhorse.insinc.com/directms13oct2005 (Reinhold Vieth lecture)
•   http://www.youtube.com/vitamindcouncil (Dr. John J. Cannell)

11/09 newswire about vitamin D and eradicating breast cancer:
•    www.canadianbusiness.com/markets/cnw/article.jsp?content=20091104_132502_4_cnw_cnw

The above web pages contain list after list of compelling scientific research articles and other information that I hope will compel you to get your blood level checked and get vitamin D healthy.

CONVERSION FACTORS FOR COUNTRIES OUTSIDE THE U.S.

1 ng/ml * 2.5 = nmol/L
1 IU * 0.025 = micrograms

LIST OF VITAMIN D SOURCES

Following are the sources for the above information. I have not had time to include markers for all of these references in the text above.  I am working on it.

[1] National Institutes of Health, "Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D," Available at: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp (Accessed 4 September 2009).
[2] J.H. Tanne, “US Children are not Getting Enough Vitamin D, Studies Conclude,” British Medical Journal, 339, pg. b3277 (2009), Available at:  http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec09/vitamin_08-03.html (Accessed 13 September 2009).
[3] M.F. Holick, "Vitamin D Deficiency," New England Journal of Medicine, 357, pp. 266-281 (2007).
[4] J.J. Cannell, R. Vieth, J.C. Umhau, M.F.  Holick, W.B. Grant, S. Madronich, C.F. Garland, and E. Giovanucci, “Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D,” Epidemiology and Infection, 135 (7), pp. 1-12 (2006).
[5] L. Jeng, A.V. Yamshchikov, S.E. Judd, H.M. Blumberg, G.S. Martin, T.R. Ziegler, and V. Tangpricha, “Alterations in Vitamin D Status and Anti-Microbial Peptide Levels in Patients in the Intensive Care Unit with Sepsis,” Journal of Translational Medicine, 7 (1), pg.28 (2009).
[6] M. Zasloff, “Fighting Infections with Vitamin D,” Nature Medicine, 12, pp. 388-390 (2006).
[7] M.F. Holick, “Evolution and Function of Vitamin D,” Recent Results in Cancer Research, 164, pp. 3-28 (2003).
[8] Sister M.T. Weick, “A History of Rickets in the United States,” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 20 (11), pp. 1234-1241 (1967).
[9] P. Chocano-Bedova and A.G. Ronnenberg, “Vitamin D and Tuberculosis,” Nutrition Reviews, 67 (5), pp. 289-93 (2009).
[10]L. Shinchuk and M.F. Holick, "Vitamin D and Rehabilitation: Improving Functional Outcomes," Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 22 (3), pp. 297-304 (2007).
[11]C.F. Garland, E.D. Gorham, S.B. Mohr, F.C. Garland, “Vitamin D for Cancer Prevention: Global Perspective,” AEP, 19 (7), pp. 468-483 (2009).
[12]J.J. Cannell, Vitamin D Council, “Vitamin D Research,” Available at: www.vitamindcouncil.org/research.shtml (Accessed 25 May 2009).
[13]M.B. Demay, P.N. MacDonald, K. Skorija, D.R. Dowd, L. Cianferotti, M. Cox, “Role of the Vitamin D Receptor in Hair Follicle Biology,” Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology (2007).
[14]C.A. Baggerly and C.F. Garland, “Is it True? A Public Health Program on Vitamin D and Disease Prevention Sponsored by GrassrootsHealth,” Vitamin D-Action, A Consortium of Scientists, Institutions, and Individuals Committed to Solving the Worldwide Vitamin D Epidemic, Available at: www.grassrootshealth.net/media/download/vit_d_baggerly_tv.pdf (Accessed 25 October 2009).
[15]M.F. Holick, "Vitamin D and Sunlight: Strategies for Cancer Prevention and Other Health Benefits," Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 3 (5), pp. 1548-1554 (2008).
[16]M.F. Holick, “The D-Lemia For Preventing Secondary Hyperparathyroidism in Chronic Kidney Disease,” Endocrine Practice, 14 (1), pp. 6-9  (2006).
[17]H. McCoy and M.A. Kenney, “Interactions between Magnesium and Vitamin D: Possible Implications in the Immune System,” Magnesium Research, 9 (3), pp. 185-203 (1996).
[18]J.J. Cannell, “More Vitamin D Questions and Answers, Magnesium and Vitamin D,” Vitamin D Newsletter July 2009, Available at: www.vitamindcouncil.org/newsletter/more-vitamin-d-questions-and-answers.shtml (Accessed 25 May 2009).
[19]V. Reddy and B. Sivakumar, “Magnesium-dependent vitamin-D-resistant rickets,” The Lancet, 1 (7864), pp. 963-965, (1974).
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