Everyone knows that to get low cost health insurance, it is easier to get if you are healthier. Why? If you are healthier, it costs insurance companies less. Insurance companies have an equation to determine a clients’ risk number. This number could determine how much your health insurance is and what they will cover. If you have a previous disease, it could be considered a pre-existing condition. Most, if not all, pre-existing conditions are not covered by insurance companies. This might change if the health care bill pushes forward, as this is one of the biggest features of the bill. It states that no insurance companies can refuse covered because of a pre-existing condition. However, if the bill is passed it will not go into effect until 2014. And that is if it passes at all.
One way to keep healthy is to get enough Vitamin D. This is a big deal during the winter months when it is tougher to get Vitamin D. Vitamin D is usually absorbed in sunlight. And with states that don’t get year-round good weather like our friends in California or Florida, it can be a challenge. In colder states, we tend to spend less time outside and are bundled, covering every inch of skin. It is especially hard in places like Alaska that have only a few hours of sunlight in the winter time. (however, this is less of a trouble when they have almost 23 hours of sunlight in the summer.)
Vitamin D deficiency is a big deal. The vitamin helps ward off cancer and heart disease. Without it, a deficient person would be more prone to depression, osteoporosis and fatigue.
Vitamin D can be taken to in a pill form as it is tough to find in food in our regular diet. The government has tried to mandate that milk have Vitamin D put into it. Unpasteurized milk has Vitamin D, as well as other vitamins. And salmon lovers can delight that this popular tasting fish is chock full of Vitamin D.
Some Web sites have suggested spending as much time out in the sun as possible for those who are prone to Vitamin D deficiency in the winter. Take a walk when the sun is out, go skiing or build a snowman. Just make sure to keep your fingers and toes warm. Another suggestion is to avoid wearing sunscreen. Sunscreen acts as a barrier between your skin and the sun. This is beneficial to avoid UVA and UVB skin damage, however it also blocks nutrients like Vitamin D. So do you risk your skin in order to get more Vitamin D? Well, the jury is still out on this one. Since Vitamin D can be found in other places, you should not risk permanently damaging your skin. Remember, you can be burned even when it is cloudy. And sun reflects off of snow, making it easy to get burned when you are playing in the snow while skiing, sledding and snow ball fights.
However, there is such thing as too much for a good thing. Too much Vitamin D can damage your kidney. This is rare that someone would be getting too much Vitamin D. Talk to your doctor to find out what amount is right for you.