ETS Tanning Bed Blog

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a high percentage of critically ill patients also suffered from vitamin D deficiencies.

Now, I'm all about vitamin D and its incredible health benefits (bone health, immune boosting, etc), but I'm a little concerned about the quality of this study.

First, it only followed 20 male and 22 female patients, making a total of 42 study participants - not exactly comprehensive research. And although the study found that only 7 percent of those individuals (3 of them) had sufficient vitamin D levels, it didn't do the best job of addressing the implications of that or acknowledging why these people were vitamin D deficient.

In the article, the author states "this study cannot establish causality between hypovitaminosis D and adverse outcomes," but he does concede that vitamin D deficiency in critically ill patients could result in potentially worse outcomes than for those whose vitamin D levels are fine.

We believe in and support the research being done by Drs. Lee, Eisman, and Center, and other vitamin D researchers. But I'd love to see further research on this along with suggestions on how we can get vitamin D to critically ill patients.

Because most critically ill patients are typically hospitalized or in care, they're most likely not getting that daily dose of sunlight or UV-B rays that is so critical to vitamin D creation in the human body. One way to do it may be portable face lamps or even lightweight, indoor tanning systems.

Face lamp and indoor tanning systems are commonplace in the medical systems of Nordic countries like Norway and Finalnd, so why aren't we using them here?

Vitamin D is critical to our health. It helps us build strong bones, absorb calcium, and ward off diseases. But are we getting enough of this wonder vitamin and how do we know?

Finding Your Optimal Vitamin D Level

Your optimal vitamin D level depends on a number of factors, including your age, weight, skin color and even surrounding environmental factors.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should be getting 400 IUs (international units) of vitamin D per day as a way of achieving healthy bone development during a period of growth. The National Institutes of Health has also released this chart, breaking down optimal vitamin D consumption by various age groups (assuming the individual is not receiving vitamin D from sunlight exposure):