Vitamin D is a vitamin that the human body is able to source from both food and sunlight.
In this recent overview of the medical research – Vitamin D: A Neglected ‘analgesic’ for chronic musculoskeletal pain – the authors made the following points:
- Chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue syndromes are common and difficult-to-treat clinical challenges.
- Conclusive scientific evidence indicates that adequate levels of vitamin D are essential for musculoskeletal health.
- Vitamin D is a complex nutrient that functions as a hormone to benefit numerous body tissues.
- A majority of all patients, and particularly those with pain, have inadequate intake of vitamin D.
- While further research is needed, current evidence demonstrates that supplemental vitamin D can help to resolve or alleviate chronic pain syndromes in many patients who have been unresponsive to other therapies
The key findings then go on to recommend taking a Vitamin D supplement because the authors believe that acquiring it from sunlight is an unreliable method. We would however put forward the suggestion that gathering Vitamin D from sunlight is not something to be ignored.
The question of how to get adequate an adequate dose of sunlight to produce Vitamin D is debated with some saying:
- 10 minutes at midday in shorts (for fair skinned people)
- 5–30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 am and 3 pm at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen
- 10 or 15 minutes in noontime summer sun is enough.
There are many very real health benefits being discovered to Vitamin D and developing a safe consistent routine for getting this vitamin is worth investigating for all of us.
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