Did you know that almost all CO-VID deaths had one thing in common? Almost all of the victims were deficient in vitamin D! Something so simple, but yet, sadly, overlooked.
Did you know that almost everyone in the civilized world is deficient in vitamin D! Think about it. We are not outside like we were designed to be. We go from the house to the car, from the car to the office, from the office to the car, from the car to the house. Every day.
We were designed to basically live outside, and only take shelter in the evenings. But nowadays, society has made it so that we hardly ever spend time in the actual sunlight. The sun is healing. The sun was literally created to sustain LIFE. Let that marinate for a second. Literally everything depends on the sun for growth and healing. And now, we have been deprived of this gift.
When we do get to go outside for those short durations on the weekends, many people wear sunscreen because there is now an illogical fear of the sun, thanks to mainstream media. Dr. Robert S. Stern, chair of the Department of Dermatology at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center , calls them "solar-phobes": people so concerned about getting skin cancer that they stay inside or cover every bit of skin. "They cover up like they were going out into the Arabian Desert ," he says. The marketing of ultrablocking sunscreens and special sun-protective clothing plays into these fears.
But I'm not going to get into the sun debate in this article, as that would turn into a small book of its own. So, let's stay on topic. The point is...whether we get our D from the sun or supplements, we just have to get it!
And....YOU NEED A LOT MORE THAN YOU PROBABLY THINK! The current standard recommendation of 400-800IU per day is no where near what you need!! You need about 5-10 times that amount. Seriously. The average deficient person needs somewhere between 4000-5000IU per day. And some need as much as 10,000IU per day, depending on the severity of their condition and deficiency.
Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have discovered that Vitamin D is crucial to activating our immune defenses and that without sufficient intake of the vitamin, the killer cells of the immune system -- T cells -- will not be able to react to and fight off serious infections in the body.
For T cells to detect and kill foreign pathogens such as clumps of bacteria or viruses, the cells must first be 'triggered' into action and 'transform' from inactive and harmless immune cells into killer cells that are primed to seek out and destroy all traces of a foreign pathogen.
The researchers found that the T cells rely on vitamin D in order to activate and they would remain dormant, 'naïve' to the possibility of threat if vitamin D is lacking in the blood. <-- The key to preventing and treating serious infections in the body (ahem! CO-VID!). Read that again.
We all need vitamin D - some of us more than others. Some things that factor into the amount of necessary vitamin D supplementation are:
- Darker skin
- Obesity
- Advanced age
- Wearing a lot of clothing covering the skin
- Living further away from the equator
- Living much of our daily lives indoors
So, just that last one covers most of us. Unless you are a pool boy or construction worker or a beach nudist, you are likely low in D.
Just look at this symptom list. I'll bet most of you can relate to at least one or more of these.
Symptoms: Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency may include:
- Regular sickness or infection - poor immune function
- Fatigue
- Intestinal issues/Digestive problems
- Bone and back pain
- Joint pain and inflammation
- Tooth decay
- Low mood
- Headache
- Insomnia
- Eczema
- Dizziness
- Excessive sweating
- Erectile dysfunction
- Frequent urinary tract infections
- Severe PMS symptoms
- Overweight/Obesity
- Impaired wound healing
- Hair loss
- Muscle pain
If Vitamin D deficiency continues for long periods, it may result in complications. Such as:
- Cardiovascular conditions
- Autoimmune problems
- Neurological diseases
- Infections
- Pregnancy complications
- Certain cancers, especially breast, prostate, and colon.
Most people know by now that taking vitamin D3 is imperative for immune health, especially in the times we live in today. But did you know that you also need to be taking vitamin K2 with vitamin D3? One should never be taken without the other.
Recent studies clearly demonstrate that vitamins D3 and K2 are essential to good health. Deficiencies in both these vitamins are extremely common, which is why more and more people are taking vitamins D3 and K2 as a daily dietary supplement.
It's very important to know that if you take vitamin D3 regularly over a long period, you definitely need to take vitamin K2 as well. This raises the question of how these two key vitamins should best be combined in order to promote health and vitality.
Vitamin D and K only work well as a team
Anyone who regularly takes vitamin D as a dietary supplement also needs to take vitamin K2. This important vitamin is responsible for depositing calcium at the right places in the body - i.e. in the bones and teeth. It also prevents calcification, the accumulation of calcium in places where it is not required - i.e. in the arteries and other soft tissue of the body.
Taking vitamin D stimulates the body to produce more of the vitamin K2-dependent proteins that transport calcium. These proteins have many health benefits, but cannot be activated if insufficient vitamin K2 is available, so anyone who is taking vitamin D also needs more vitamin K2. Vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen bones and promote the health of the heart and arteries.
The optimum dose of vitamin K2
As the intestines only produce small quantities of vitamin K, we have to provide a supply from foods or supplements that are rich in vitamin K. There is clear evidence that vitamin K intake is too low in Western civilization.
People over the age of 50 are particularly vulnerable to cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, but it is precisely at this age that the diet often contains even less vitamin K and the skin's exposure to sunlight is also severely limited, thus leading to deficiencies in vitamin K and vitamin D.
Professor Vermeer of the University of Maastricht thus recommends that people aged over 50 take a dosage of 100 to 200mcg vitamin K2 per day. The higher dosage of 200mcg is especially recommended for people who have a history of cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis in their families.
People who have early indications of cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis can also take the higher dose to ensure that all the body's matrix Gla proteins (MGPs) are activated.
Anyone who wants to ensure an optimal supply and guarantee that all vitamin K2-dependent proteins are activated in the body should take at least 100mcg.
This recommended vitamin K2 intake applies regardless of whether or not it is taken together with vitamin D3, so even if you aren't taking a vitamin D supplement you should still maintain the above dosage of vitamin K2.
Note: If you are taking medication (anticoagulants) to prevent blood clots, please consult your doctor before taking vitamin K2.
Since our bodies have an absolute necessity for vitamin K in order to keep our bones healthy and our arteries clean, we recommend not taking anticoagulant medication that acts on the basis of vitamin K inhibition - please ask your doctor to prescribe another anticoagulant that works independently of vitamin K.
If this is not possible, you can still take 45mcg of vitamin K2 every day. Studies show that this dosage does not influence the effect of blood-thinning medication and creates no risk that blood clots will form.
We recommend the following dosages of vitamin K2:
45 mcg vitamin K2 per day:
- for people, who take anticoagulant medications
- minimum supply for healthy people under the age of 50, who do not take additional vitamin D3 as a dietary supplement.
100 mcg vitamin K2 per day:
- for healthy people under the age of 50, who do not take any additional vitamin D3
- for all people, who take up to 2500 IU vitamin D per day
200 mcg vitamin K2 per day:
- for people with a family history of cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis
- for people, who have first symptoms of cardiovascular disease or osteoporosis
- for all people, who take more than 2500 IU vitamin D per day
What's the best way to combine vitamin D3 with vitamin K2?
We recommend taking vitamin K2 consistently throughout the year, daily and at the best dosage for you (as described above). Adjust the dosage of vitamin D3 to suit your lifestyle, or - even better - to suit the level of vitamin D3 25(OH)D in your blood.
If you sunbathe for a sufficient time more than twice a week in summer, you probably won't need any extra vitamin D3 at this time of year. For the rest of the year, experts recommend adjusting vitamin D intake to suit your lifestyle and age, so that your 25(OH)D level remains in the optimal range of 50 to 80 ng/ml.
Experience has shown that for most people, depending on the time of year, a daily dosage of between 2500 and 5000 IU of vitamin D3 is the best way to maintain a healthy level of 50-60 ng/ml of 25(OH)D in the blood.
Vitamin D3 and vitamin K2 work together directly, but the dosages of these two vitamins are independent of each other, which means that no matter how much vitamin D3 you take, the optimal dosage in order to benefit from the full effect of vitamin K2 always remains the same - between 100 and 200 mcg per day (see above for more information).
Note: If you have a regular daily intake of more than 5000 IU, we recommend that you have the level of 25(OH)D in your blood tested every 3 months. This test is especially useful when you begin taking vitamin D3, to find out how much vitamin D3 you need to take every day to achieve an optimal level.
How does vitamin K2 work?
Vitamin K2 has been the subject of many scientific studies for several decades, but it was only the impressive studies of vitamin K2 conducted at the University of Maastricht that drew such attention to its enormous importance to our health.
Vitamin K2 controls the way that the mineral calcium is stored and used in the body. This is performed by the utilization of vitamin K2-dependent Gla proteins, which can only be activated by vitamin K2.
Although vitamin D3 causes the formation of osteocalcin, only vitamin K2 can activate osteocalcin, the protein that stores calcium in the bones.
Vitamin K2 also activates matrix Gla protein (MGP), which is responsible for the regulation of calcium in the arterial walls. MGP is the most effective inhibitor of arteriosclerosis and can only be activated by vitamin K2. A lack of vitamin K2 therefore leads inevitably to hardening of the arteries.
Without activated Gla proteins, calcium migrates uncontrollably from the bones into the arteries, where it promotes arteriosclerosis. In the absence of vitamin K2, calcium circulating in the body that has been absorbed from food by vitamin D is also deposited in the soft tissues of the body and in the arteries, leading to arteriosclerosis.
Vitamin D3 should therefore always be taken in combination with vitamin K2. These two vitamins work together synergistically and ensure that calcium obtained from food is deposited in the bones and not in the arteries.
Bottom Line!
We ALL need D! ... And K! So, get you some D and K and take them every day! (I'm a poet...and I know it LOL)