ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Winter time blues got you down

It's that time of year again when it's cold and gray outside and the sun is playing peek a boo. As the reality of the holidays and New Year set in, so does the winter time blues for some. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as the "winter blues," is thought to affect an estimated 10 million Americans each year. True, there is a lot happening in the outside world that is beyond our control, but winter doesn’t have to stay sad and blue. If you have trouble staying positive and motivated this time of year, you may want to check your vitamin D levels. Since the vitamin comes from the sun, most people have some level of deficiency this time of year. The amount of Vitamin D our skin produces depends on a few factors, including the time of day, season of year, where geographically we are located and skin pigmentation. Depending on where you live geographically, like North Idaho, Vitamin D production drastically decreases or can be completely absent during the winter months.

Vitamin D plays a major role in disease prevention and maintaining optimal health. Vitamin D has been linked to the prevention of cancer, immunity to the cold and the reduction of depression, when present in proper levels. Vitamin D plays an essential role in regulating brain health, which means it directly impacts our mood.

For the body to function properly it needs around 3000-5000 International Units (IU) of Vitamin D per day. Based on that figure, the Vitamin D Council recommends an intake of at least 5000 IU for healthy adults.

What you can do to beat the winter time blues?

• Have your Vitamin D level checked. This can be done with a blood test to get a baseline.

• Consider Vitamin D supplementation. According to the Vitamin D council, it is very hard to obtain adequate levels of Vitamin D through diet alone. In individuals with inadequate exposure to sunlight, Vitamin D3 supplementation should be strongly considered. Vitamin D3 is preferred over D2 as researchers have found that vitamin D3 is twice as effective as vitamin D2 in raising levels in the body.

• Get adequate B vitamins, calcium, and magnesium, either from diet or supplementation. These vitamins and minerals are necessary for Vitamin D absorption.

• Engage in activities that naturally boost serotonin levels, such as exercise.

Don’t let the winter blues get you down this season. With proper nutrition and diet adjustments, you can easily give your body the Vitamin D that it needs to stay positive and start the New Year off right.

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Dr. Wayne M. Fichter Jr. is a chiropractor at Natural Spine Solutions. The business is located at 3913 Schreiber Way in Coeur d’Alene. For more information, please contact us at 208-966-4425.