health and deficiencies

Hi.

I found out today that I'm deficient in vitamin D. I only have a vague idea of how to read the diagnostics sheet my doctor gave me, but I'm about half of the lower side of the range for vitamin D. As my doctor said, my vitamin D levels are "in the shitter." I read a statistic online saying 85% of people are deficient in D. (Whether the stat is accurate or not is another story.) My doctor says if I don't do anything about it, that is, take a supplement or sun myself, that it will turn into osteoporosis when I'm older and possibly some other things. He didn't exactly say I'd get the big C, but asked if breast cancer runs in the family, which it does. Then he said women with high levels of vitamin D are less likely to get it. The ironic thing is that I've been going to great lengths to steer clear of the sun so as to avoid another cancer--skin cancer.

When you're young, you never think anything you do (or don't do) will catch up with you. And that being strict about certain things will make you live forever. I'm still young, but I'm beginning to see some symptoms of my life's choices catching up with me. I'm feeling fortunate that I have health care and that I can go to the doctor and be tested for important things like this. (The first thing I did after my appointment was buy D supplements.)

I'm going to go now to check on my baking yam. Incidentally, I've also added more fiber to my diet.