Vitamin D and Everything Else the Medical Profs Tell Us Now...

NO, you're not to cynical. It is hard to wade through all the conflicting info. It sounds like you are trying to make educated choices, and that's always a good thing.

About the Vitamin D. It's probably true that your child needs more. (As well as your other child.) Most of the American population is deficient in Vitamin D. The fix is easy. You and your baby just need to get out in the sun! Not in the shade, the full sun with no sunscreen. This can be done in small increments of time throughout the week. Vitamin D is SO important.

My kids weren't on vitamin D until I did some research and realized how it prevents asthma, sinus infections and many diseases. Did she do a blood test? Doctors are now testing for it, finally, (which is a good thing) but they are recommending the synthetic version of it that you get at the pharmacy. This is not the form the body can do anything with. If she recommends vitamin D, buy vitamin D3 found at a health food store. I just picked up some today for the kids.

You certainly should question and do research always. That's what I do.

Here's an article about it-

Let the Sunshine in with Vitamin D-3
February 16, 2011

During dreary winter months, I long for the days when I can close my eyes, face the sun and warm my face in its glow – soaking in rays and producing small doses of the wonder vitamin, vitamin D.

Vitamin D, often referred to as the "sunshine vitamin”, is actually a fat-soluble vitamin that the body synthesizes naturally in the skin when it is exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays. Vitamin D is available in two forms: D-2 (ergocalciferol) and D-3 (cholecalciferol). D-2 is derived from plants and fungus, while D-3 is made from sunlight and animal sources like fish, and has been proven to be more effective than D-2. Sun exposure on the hands, face, arms and legs two to three times a week can produce enough vitamin D in most individuals. However, I want to note that excessive exposure does not lead to overproduction of vitamin D. Even though sunlight may be a primary source of vitamin D-3 for some, the RDAs (Recommended Daily Allowance) are set on minimal sun exposure and may not meet the needs of most individuals. Vitamin D levels depend on several factors:

1.Pigmentation in the skin–darker skinned people have lower vitamin D levels
2.Altitude–individuals living in the mountains usually have higher levels
3.Body weight–Vitamin D is absorbed by fat cells which can lead to low levels of vitamin D in your body.
Despite the sun’s role in vitamin D synthesis, for most, it’s important to limit exposure to sunlight and UV radiation from tanning beds. Not to mention that depending on the intensity of UVB rays and amount of exposure, vitamin D degrades as fast as it is produced. So, you may ask, why bother?

The reason is this: recent clinical trials have revealed sufficient levels of vitamin D can benefit the human body in several ways. Vitamin D boosts immunity, assists the body in absorbing calcium and fortifying bones and development, supports cardiovascular health, supports respiratory ailments, and boosts metabolism assisting in weight maintenance. Additional studies also indicate that vitamin D could be instrumental in protection from diseases like multiple sclerosis, diabetes, cancer, auto-immune diseases and many others. These types of research have led to the acceptance of vitamin D supplementation in mainstream modern medicine. Physicians across the US are testing and prescribing high dosage supplementation of vitamin D, but unfortunately, the prescription doses contain the far less effective form—vitamin D-2—and often have a shorter shelf life.

So, as winter goes on, consider the benefits of supplementing with a quality, all-natural vitamin D-3 and let the sunshine in.

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Eat eggs...don't eat eggs.
Don't use butter...use butter.
Sleep on tummy...sleep on the back.

I think we all need to stop. Breathe. And use some common sense.

And I'm ALL about questioning things that we are told to do (big surprise!), so maybe you *should* have asked her to check her D levels!

I'm with you. With the vitamin thing, my first two (now 10 & 7) were never instructed to receive anything more than breast milk or formula. Not even water until after the first year. My younger two (now 2.75 & 16 months) I was told to give them an infant multi-vitamin with "enhanced" vitamin D. I tried it with my 3rd child...once. Even at less than a month old, she realized just how absolutely disgusting that stuff tasted and spit it right out. It ruined one of my favorite outfits and I never tried it again. When the doc would ask, I told her I had tried it a few times and it just wasn't working for us. She told me again that she "should" get it, but basically had a "whaever you want to do is fine with me" attitude. With my son (the fourth child), I didn't even bother wasting my money, and that is exactly what I told the doc when she asked, lol. I vaccinate fully and on schedule, with the only exception being the flu shot and Guardisil (when the time comes).

I'm with you, we just go outside a lot.

I agree with you. My kids get vitamin D from the sun as well. Their doc hasn't suggested supplementing but if she did, I would simply request a blood test to check their levels before supplementing. Vitamin D isn't exactly cutting edge (it's been all the rage in the land of alternative medicine for several years already) but at least your doc is willing to keep up to date on the latest recommendations, which is a good thing. We see an alternative nutritionist in addition to our regular pediatrician and my pedi is great at basics but I don't rely on her for nutrition or any non-mainstream advice, and she doesn't pretend she's an expert in those areas. I usually just smile and nod and do what I think is best (or ask the nutritionist).

1. Agree: Get the blood tested first, as D is fat soluable and you can get too much.
2. Read up at Mercola.com I like his perspective more than most because he was a traditional allopathic doctor and now he does more preventatives through natural means. (Ignore all the goods he hawks and just read the articles.)
3. On Mercola.com he talks extensively about the exact test and even lab for interpreting results.
4. I like the person's idea who said, test your levels then decide if YOU need to supplement. Mercola says we should be at around the 50-70 level.

Good luck and subscribe to his newsletter. I've had the most luck with his site and health.

I wouldn't have either if pediatrician didn't tell me too (which mine didn't). The reason they recommend this now is because these days we are so aware of long-term skin damage done during childhood that we keep our kids covered in sunblock or covered in general. Thus, blocking out the bodies natural vitamin D source (sunshine). Breastfed babies don't get the extra vitamin D that formula fed babies get so those are the ones that typically need the supplements.

The studies on Vitamin D have been showing that a higher level is needed, more than had been deemed necessary in the past. You can check out http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind for a lot of info on the impact of Vitamin D.
You also mentioned that you are taking fish oil supplements. I would recommend looking into Krill Oil supplements as the Omega 3's are absorbed up to 48 times better than fish oil. We use a product called K48 Plus and absolutely love it, so shoot me a message if you want some more info on that.

Go to Dr. Tenpenny's page on facebook and become a fan. They will tell you how much vitamin D3 to give and you can find out everything you need to know about vaccines. Post this same question on her site and you will get tons of feedback. I give my 2 year old 2000 IUs a day of D3 and my 7 month old 800 IUs a day. Oh, and I don't vax at all. I want my kids to be healthy, and that's why I stay away from the toxins and stuff that only weaken our immune systems.

If you're bf'ing I'd recommend you get YOUR vitamin D level checked by your doc. A lot of people are deficient, even if you're going by the old recommendations. lots of people wear sunscreen these days, even in the winter time (it's in a lot of women's moisturizers) and the sun is the best source of vit. D, so it makes sense to me that people would be deficient. Also there have been a lot of studies linking low Vit. D levels to Diabetes, low immunity and Cancer. Big Pharma has little to gain from these studies since they make an awful lot of money selling insulin, antibiotics and chemo drugs. I don't think you're too cynical; it's good to be skeptical. Do some more reading on the topic and perhaps get your level checked, and draw your own conclusion! good luck!

Lots of people in the us are vit d deficient so if you are breastfeeding have your vit d checked if you are low then supplement either yourself or baby.