I have always been an outdoorsy type. My husband jokes that I am a lizard, because I am happiest basking out in the full sun. The bay area is never warm enough for me since I was meant for temperatures that were 80 degrees and over. Some of the longest bike rides that I have done in my life have been in temperatures over 90, including several trips between Pittsburg and Sacramento and the Davis Double. I am certainly not biking or hiking like I used to. I am doing massage in a dark room for money and writing with my spare time. Still, these things are part of my identity and I never considered that I may be deficient of vitamin D.
I had noticed that my body tended to feel better during the summer, but I attributed that to dryer, warmer weather and being more active.
There has certainly been a buzz about Vitamin D over the last few years. I have been hearing about it from my father-in-law, who is an MD, my L. Ac. and have also seen articles about it in alternative medicine journals. I heard that there had been an increase in rickets, links to cancer prevention, and cardiovascular disease. What I didn’t know is that it has also been linked to fibromyalgia and back pain.
A few months ago, I was sick-sick-sick, in order to kick it, I decided to start taking a few extra supplements, including Vitamin D (in higher amounts than the RDA). Once I was better, I continued for good measure.
I had noticed a major reduction in shoulder and back pain-about 85%, actually. I attributed this to the fact that I had been working less, but as time went on and I got back up to a normal workload, my shoulder pain didn’t come back, they were still sore, but the pain remained relatively low. I was also sleeping better because my lower back (which had me turning regularly) was also much better.
My back problems are old and chronic. I have had episodes of pain since I was in my early 20’s, but I have also been seriously athletic since then, participating in either long distance cycling or serious running and hiking for most of that time. Less activity and two disc herniations later, I have had a weak, numb and achey left leg for the last year. My back was getting generally better before I started taking D, but the trajectory of improvement has increased and so has my quality of life.
About a month after I started supplementing my D, I had my level tested and it came out at 40. That number is adequate, but not particularly high, so I suspect that I did start out with a deficiency that was leading to my body’s inability to deal with the inflammation brought up by my physically challenging lifestyle.
The image is borrowed from the Pine Street Foundation, I highly recommend taking the time to read and understand their longish article on Vitamin D.
