It’s that time of year… Vitamin D testing!

I’m so grateful to be a part of an amazing Clinician Continuing Education group called The Confident Clinician, where we do a deep dive into a medical condition every month. Which includes a 3-hour research review of testing, prevention, and treatment from a conventional and Naturopathic perspective.

This group is absolutely amazing and keeps me up-to-date on the latest research so I can better serve my patients. What we’ve found that I find particularly interesting is that across ALL health conditions, we see one common theme… Vitamin D deficiency makes everything worse.  

If you’re deficient in Vitamin D we’ll see worse:

PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)

Endometriosis

PMS

Thyroid function

Blood sugar

Cholesterol

Perimenopause

Menopause

Joint pain

Mood and Energy

Bone density

Autoimmune conditions… 

Due to this, we understand very confidently that deficiency causes a multitude of problems.

What we don’t know for each individual, is how much THEY need to avoid deficiency. 

While the Standards of Care Guidelines suggest 800-1000IU daily for adults, and 400IU daily for kids.  We know that dose does not meet everyone’s needs.  

Research in Canada estimates that 70-97% are deficient in Vitamin D, and that if as a population if we could optimize levels we might see the death rate fall by 39000/year!  These are significant numbers!   

Unfortunately, OHIP does not cover Vitamin D testing except for people with osteoporosis. 

I test Vitamin D very regularly and see a huge variance in terms of what people need to take to maintain their levels.

The challenge is that one person might need 4000IU daily to maintain their levels in winter while for another person 4000IU daily could cause them to go to toxicity.  We really need a test to understand what every individual’s baseline is. 

I can say VERY confidently though, that if you’re not taking Vitamin D in the winter and you’re in Canada all winter - you DO get deficient. I have only ever seen 1 exception to that in >1000 Vitamin D tests I’ve ordered.  

So… get your Vitamin D tested, and supplement accordingly. You will have to pay ~$40 for the test, but it’s maybe the best $40 you could spend on your health. MANY health insurance plans also cover Naturopathic Labwork as part of Naturopathic insurance coverage. 

It might be worth looking into at this time of year if your benefits turnover in 2024! Your Doctor can order this test as well, but you will always have to pay for this test out of pocket.

If you’re looking to get tested this winter, send me an email at janinebw@ndguelph.ca

Thanks for reading.