RECENT STORIES

Littleton student lobbies Obama, Congress ( Daniel Smith/YourHub.com )
Local therapists pay it forward to veterans ( Scott Musgrave )
Fun summer tips for fathers and kids ( Be There for Your Kids )
Give Blood this Summer, It's Already Inside You ( Reggie Tomac )
Police blotter: Burglar seen crawling away ( YourHub.com )

share a story | more postings »

YourHub.com \\ Littleton \\ Stories \\ Tips & Techniques \\ General Advice

Oops, we DO need the sun

e-mail to a friend | print this | link to this

Contributed by: Dianne Lorang on 7/28/2008

"My first day in medical school," my doctor said, "they told us that 50% of what we learnwill be wrong." She then told me how wrong they were about getting sunshine, that I should get at least 15 minutes of sunshine a day WITHOUT sunscreen in order to get enough vitamin D. This would be no easy task for me. At 54, I have been putting sunscreen on every day religiously, even in the winter, for 20 years or more. Science told me to protect my skin from cancer and premature aging, especially since I live inColorado where the sun is more intensewith the altitude and thin air. So I obeyed, and my skin looks great. Yet when people tell me how young I look, I say, "But I don't feel young inside."

One reason is that I have osteoporosis, serious enough to cause joint and muscle pain. Mydoctor is attacking it with drugs, exercise, and diet, including vitamin D supplements -more than is already in my calcium caplets. It turns out that we need a lot more vitamin D for healthy bones and muscles than doctors originally thought. An article in the Rocky Mountain News last week by Bill Scanlon said "Colorado seniors aren't getting enough vitamin D, a nutritional gem that can prevent osteoporosis and may also guard against cancer, strokes, heart attacks and multiple sclerosis." It failed to mention vitamin D's role in preventing depression, which is the other problem that keeps me from feeling young.

I have suffered from depression for about as long as I've been smothering myself with sunscreen. And although February was often one of my worst months, July puts me in the same low mood and now I know why - because it is too hot to venture outside. I haven't been getting enough direct sunlight and consequently not enough vitamin D.Then this spring,my doctor told me to get outside in the early morning or late afternoon sun for at least 15 minutes WITHOUT sunscreen. I've noticed that the days I obey her, I feel better, especially if I take a walk, too. But I've also noticed this last couple of weeks, I've gotten depressed again and it could easily be because the heat has made it harder to go outside.

So I know that when I see my doctor tomorrow, she will tell me that my vitamin D level isn't high enough and she'll inscrease my OTC dosage as well as my prescription strength. It is important, she told me last time, that we get my level way up before winter. And she'll tell me again to get outside more, even if it is in 5-minute increments. Maybe this time I'll really listen and really obey because it doesn't really matter how smooth and wrinkle-free my skin is when I'm not enjoying life and my joints hurt, too. In fact, I think I'll start right now before those storm clouds come.

[Report this as objectionable content.]

SUBMIT COMMENT

Rate the above story

Talk Back : submit comments to the story

*Note: you need to log-in to add a comment or rating.

Thank you! Your comment has been updated.

CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Dianne Lorang

Littleton , CO

Dianne Lorang has posted 92 stories and 1 comment since joining on 9/9/2007. Dianne Lorang 's average story rating is 5.

view profile » view other postings from Dianne Lorang »

SAVE AND SHARE THIS STORY

STORY RSS FEEDS

All stories

All stories in Littleton

All stories by Dianne Lorang

WANT TO WRITE FOR YOURHUB.COM?

Want to see the stories you write and the photos you shoot featured in the YourHub.com Thursday print section available all over the Front Range and with home subscriptions of the The Denver Post? All you have to do is register, then post a story or column, start a blog or tell everyone what events are happening in town. We will print the best stories, columns, event listings, photos and blog entries in our print sections.

Loading Ad