Vitamin D For Dummies EPUB

When the French philosopher Voltaire published Candide, or Optimism, 250 years ago, his purpose was to prove the opposite of what his character Pangloss claimed, that this is the “best of all possible worlds.” Candide was an attempt to show that the world is filled with horror and folly. After you have read my book, though, you may choose to side with Pangloss. Vitamin D could be such a panacea. From asthma to xeroderma pigmentosum and a lot in between, research suggests that vitamin D might be a modern version of a cure-all. Remember, there are two Ds in Candide!
For good reason, within the past few years a blood test for 25-hydroxyvitamin D has become commonly ordered in the United States. Doctors are finding many people whose blood levels have slipped below where some medical experts believe they should be. Low blood levels occur in all ages of Americans and throughout the world. Amazingly, reversing this lack of vitamin D is relatively easy and inexpensive, as you discover in Part III of this book.
What explains this lack of vitamin D in our bodies? First, many of us live in temperate zones where the rays of the sun aren’t powerful enough to produce vitamin D in our skin for much of the year. Second, even where the sun can produce sufficient vitamin D, we have been warned so often about the danger of the sun’s rays that we cover ourselves with sunscreen, clothing, and hats so that the healing power of the sun can’t penetrate. By the time you finish this book, you’ll know how to expose yourself for the right amount of time without risking wrinkles or skin cancer.

About This Book
This book has the latest information in the very fast-moving field of vitamin D and your health. As a long-time For Dummies author, I have written this book using everyday language so everyone can understand the material — no formal training in the sciences required.

Conventions Used in This Book
The following conventions are used throughout the text to make it consistent and easy to understand:
check.png The unit in which 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the serum measure for how much vitamin D you have in your body, is measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) in the United States and nanomoles per liter (nmol/l) in Canada and much of the rest of the world.
check.png Calcitriol is the biologically active form of vitamin D and does all of the things that we attribute, indirectly, to vitamin D.
check.png All web addresses appear in monofont.
check.png New terms appear in italic and are closely followed by an easy-to-understand definition.
check.png Bold is used to highlight keywords in bulleted lists.
You should also know vitamin D comes in two forms. Chole-calciferol, the form of vitamin D that comes from the sun acting on your skin, is also called vitamin D3. This is also the form you get from foods that come from animals. Ergocalciferol, a form of vitamin D contained in many supplements and which is also found in some plants like irradiated mushrooms, is also called vitamin D2. I try not to use those long names again, but you should be aware of them.