ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Winter time blues got you down
Dr. Wayne M. Fichter Jr.
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.
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