VITAMIN D3 INJECTION (IM)

Vitamin D injections can offer a boost for your health, and could be suitable if you are feeling run down, have a chronic health condition, gut problems, or simply aren’t getting enough vitamin D from your lifestyle and/or diet.

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Living in the cool UK climate, it can be tricky to get the Vitamin D we need from the sun.

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The UK Government recommends that everyone in the UK supplements with Vitamin D for at the winter months between October to March at the very least, when sunlight is at its lowest.

Vitamin D deficiency – a growing epidemic?

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We don’t make enough vitamin D for our needs here in the West. In fact, it is thought that around 20% of the UK population is deficient in vitamin D. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) advises that everyone in the UK should supplement daily with 10 micrograms of vitamin D between October and March, with minority ethnic groups encouraged to supplement throughout the whole year.

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What are the benefits of vitamin D injections? 

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Vitamin D ingested orally can take weeks, even months, to have an impact on your health – and much of the dose is lost when it is converted in the gut. However, intramuscular vitamin D injections have a much more immediate impact – some patients report feeling the effects right away. And because the vitamins are administered directly into the muscle, bypassing the gut, a much higher percentage of the vitamins can be utilised by the body.

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So, what does taking vitamin D do?

• Maintains bone density and bone health

• Supports the immune system

• Regulates the activity of more than 200 different genes

• Aids the absorption of calcium and phosphate in the body (these are essential for muscles, teeth, and bones)

• Helps prevent osteoporosis

• Reduces inflammation

• Protects against heart disease

• Supports brain function

• Modulates cell growth

• May help protect against respiratory infections

• May alleviate symptoms of arthritis (research is ongoing but shows promising results)

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Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency

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A vitamin D deficiency can put you at higher risk of health conditions including heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and depression. Signs that you may need more vitamin D include the some of the following symptoms:

• Fatigue and low energy levels

• Low mood

• Eczema

• Musculoskeletal aches and pains

• Muscle weakness

• Hair loss

• Generally feeling unwell

• Impaired cognition.

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How we get Vitamin D

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Although we get vitamin D from our food, we do not get enough, and what we do eat is usually poorly absorbed.

From sun: Our bodies create vitamin D from sunlight on the skin. The problem with this is that we need to protect our skin from harmful UV rays and so we wear sunscreen. Sunscreen with SPF 30 and above effectively blocks out UVB rays, indirectly reducing vitamin D production by up to 95%.

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From food: Another source of vitamin D is from our food. However, we don’t consume as much from food as you may expect. Animals, just like people, need sunlight to make vitamin D. Intensively farmed animals and animal products won’t be rich in vitamin D. So look out for free-range, grass-fed animals.

Vitamin D is fat-soluble and as such, being delivered in a fattier format aids absorption. Low-fat foods fortified with vitamin D won’t be as good as full-fat products.

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As most vitamin D rich foods are from animal sources, if you are vegetarian or vegan you may find it difficult to obtain enough vitamin D and will need to pay extra attention to supplementing.

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What causes a vitamin D deficiency?

We see a lot of patients with chronic health issues that lead to low levels of vitamin D. Gut issues, like celiac disease and Crohn’s disease can cause malabsorption, preventing the body from using nutrients from food. Although less common, because vitamin D is mostly stored in the liver, kidney and liver disorders can lead to problems converting vitamin D into its active form.

There are a number of other factors that can increase your risk of vitamin D deficiency including:

• Obesity

• If you wear a lot of SPF when outdoors it blocks out UVB rays, indirectly reducing vitamin D production

• If you have darker skin (Asian, Mediterranean and Afro-Caribbean, for example). Darker skin tones or skin that tans easily makes less vitamin D compared to paler skin

• Age. Elderly people make less vitamin D. It’s thought that absorption may be poorer in older skins, and the body is less efficient in converting it to its active form

• If you spend a lot of time indoors

• If you cover up your skin when outside

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CONTRA-INDICATIONS:

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Although many people can and do benefit from this treatment, we won’t carry it out if you have:

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• Allergy to it (hypersensitivity)

• Kidney disorders including kidney stones

• Liver Problems

• Inherited disorder called G-6-PD deficiency 

• Medicine Interactions

• Acutely unwell

• Pregnancy. breastfeeding

• Hypercalcaemia

• Evidence of vitamin D toxicity

• Hypervitaminosis D

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