Tag Archives: sunlight

Scrambled Eggs

Posted on April 16, 2011 by mavigupta| 6 Comments


I hope you have been able to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather that we are having of late. Ok, so today is not so nice in the Philadelphia area. My husband Jeremy and I were planning on taking my daughter for her first egg hunt in a neighborhood park. She loves bunnies and there was supposed to be an easter bunny (someone dressed as one) at the park, but she is taking a long nap. By the time she wakes up, I’m sure the easter bunny will be long gone, probably hanging out in one of the neighborhood pubs!

Anyways, please do make it a point to get some sun. Try to get direct contact exposure on your arms, legs or torso. Protect your face, though. Skin on the face is thin, so wrinkles form easily there. Sunlight that is filtered through windows doesn’t count. You want to aim for at least 30 minutes – more, if you have colored skin like me. On the days you do get enough sun exposure, you don’t have to take your vitamin D supplements. Ideally, you want to get as much of your vitamin D from the sun and the least from supplements. If you got some sun, but not enough sun, you can decrease your dose of the vitamin D for that day. If you get tested and you are satisfied with you vitamin D level, you can decrease your supplement dose to 5,000 IU a day from the 10,000 IU that I had recommended.

I have recently heard that some of my former patients have had a difficult time getting an appointment to see a doctor at Crozer. This makes me sad, but Neurological Associates have assured me that the office is doing their best under the circumstances. My suggestion would be to keep calling and be flexible so that if a cancellation occurs, you can get that spot. I have a list of headache doctors on my website under “Resources” if you would like to try another practice.

Finally, you may notice that my website has been redesigned. If you are computer savvy, then “Like” me on Facebook and subscribe to my “tweets” on Twitter. You can find the link on the left side of the page. Also, if you know of anyone who would benefit from my site or the videos, please let them know about the website!

Posted in Healthy Brains, Vitamin D

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You NEED the Sun!

Posted on March 7, 2011 by mavigupta| 9 Comments

You NEED the Sun!

There has recently been a lot of research into the importance of Vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for strong bones and for strong immunity. Lack of vitamin D can lead to migraines, multiple sclerosis, fatigue, weak bones, depression, and other illnesses that make living difficult. People get vitamin D from the sun and from fish and a few other foods. The problem is that most people don’t get enough sun daily, especially if they live in the northeast US. In addition, very few of us eat fish on a daily basis.

If you take the USDA recommended amount of supplementation of 600 IU a day, that is not enough.

The amount of Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) that you should be supplementing with daily is 10,000 IU a day. Of those patients that I recently tested, no one, and I mean NO ONE had more than a level of 35. The standard acceptable levels are 30-100. You, as a headache sufferer, should be at least 70. That number would give you a buffer on the some of the gray days we have often.

Building your level takes time – at least a couple of months. The best thing you can do is to start supplementing now and then have your doctor check your level in 4 months. If you want, you can ask your doctor to check your level now, but I can tell you that it is most likely low. You can avoid the extra blood stick, start supplementing now, then check your levels in 4 months or so. Once you reach your desired level, continue supplementing with at least 5000 IU a day or the equivalent in sunlight.

Some of you may find that eventually you may then need less migraine preventives, or less anti-depressants or both!

There are two best ways to get the Vitamin D3 that you need:

1. Sun Exposure – daily for at least 30 minutes in full, direct sun. Being in the car doesn’t count and wearing sunscreen hampers the absorption. If you have skin that tans easily as opposed to burns easily, you need longer sun exposure.

2. Vitamin D drops. You can buy this in different forms but the easiest form is the concentrated drops in olive oil. Each drop is 2000 IU so you need 4-5 drops daily. It tastes like olive oil. This is the source that I buy for my family:

Liquid Vitamin D 3 – 2,000 IU per drop

There is a great website if you would like to find out more. It is The Vitamin D Council, www.vitamindcouncil.org.

Posted in Healthy Brains, Vitamin D

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