Health, Flu, Vitamin D, Diet and More

I’m convinced that vitamin D3 and a change in diet has improved my health, immunity, and biochemistry. Well, as convinced as one can be without running scientific experiments on oneself, or doing some rough controlled experiments. I’m basing my conviction on personal experience, friends’ experience, and the science I’ve read on Dr. Eades’ Website, Dr. Harris’ Website, Dr. Guyenet’s Website, and others. Note how this all demonstrates the practicality and pro-human-life nature of science and mathematics, without which I could never know what I do about health. Here are some personal anecdotes (which, while not reaching the status of scientific experiment, are still informed by principles of induction):

1.  I used to get sick (catch a cold or feel like I was coming down with one; I don’t mean sick to my stomach) if I’d work out at the gym after skipping lunch, even if I had a good breakfast. I recall one time when I worked out under those conditions, then sat down at my computer to do some work until I became hungry. After an hour, I was not hungry yet. But after an hour and a half or two, my vision started to black out in the center, so that I couldn’t see what I was typing. At that point, I made dinner!!

But since I changed my diet and started taking vitamin D3, this no longer happens. I can skip breakfast and lunch, then work out, and be fine for hours — no blacking out of vision, no getting sick. What’s more, I can fast for 24 hours, but stay energetic and clear-headed. Once upon a time, I never would have thought I could fast that long, and never would have tried. And I used to hate, hate, hate to go to bed hungry. Now sometimes I *want* to go to bed hungry.

2.  In tutoring students, I am around students who are sick, of course. But, recently, I have not come down with anything. I know I have picked stuff up from some students because one weekend I had two periods lasting about half hour to an hour where I was sneezy and feeling like I was coming down with something. But I never did. This was a shocker; in years of prior experience, feeling like I had those two times always had led to being sick. The only/major differences between now and then are vitamin D3 and diet.  On the recent days when I was around students who were sick, by they way, I increased my dosage of vitamin D3 to 6,000 to 10,000 IU. (I recently bought some vitamin C, with 1,667% of the “recommended” daily amount; I save it only for days when I’m around someone who is sick.)

In other words, that’s “not getting sick, courtesy of science and mathematics.”

I take 2,000-5,000 IU per day of vitamin D3, unless I’m going horseback riding, in which case I don’t take any — I get plenty of vitamin D made by body + sunshine. (In a prior blog post, I linked to a vitamin D calculator, which you can check out, if you are interested.) Vitamin D is supposed to be best taken in conjunction with vitamin A and vitamin K2. They work together. Dr. Guyenet discusses this relationship in a number of places, such as a blog post about osteoporosis and a post about vitamin toxicity. Dr. Eades and Dr. Harris have written some very good articles regarding H1N1 (swine flu), the flu generally, and vitamin D:

H1N1, Vitamin D3, and Innate Immunity

Vitamin D and Influenza

Vitamin D-bate D-bunked

The first references an “accidental” controlled experiment regarding vitamin D and H1N1. They all link to actual medical, scientific research articles on flu and vitamin D. If you are interested in other ideas on health, diet and exercise, check out Dr. Eade’s Website and Dr. Harris’ Website, of course, but also:

1.  Art De Vany’s Website/Blog.  I love this one, but it’s more technical — you need to know some math and science.

2.  Mark’s Daily Apple.  It is a little more accessible to the general reader.

3.  Whole Health Source.  This blog is also technical. The author is a PhD in neurobiology, and writes accordingly.

Of course, the standard “caveat” applies: judge for yourself. Read the blogs/Websites if you want; ignore the blogs/Websites if you want; read the Websites/blogs and see what you agree with and don’t agree with, if you want. I think that all this information is a great addition to teaching math and science. There are good content *and* methods involved. It’s all a treasure trove of information that shows the practicality and importance of math, science, and reasoning generally.