It's hard to comment on the polycythemia without a number for the 
hemoglobin or hematocrit.   Polycythemia has many causes but also implies a 
specific value for the hematocrit.  An elevated hemoglobin does not 
necessarily mean polycythemia.

But the vitamin D is a great, exciting area of research.  Those of us who wear 
sunscreen probably have been chronically vitamin D deprived.  Manifestations 
of vitamin D insufficiency include don't just include rickets, osteomalacia, and 
osteoporosis, but chronic vitamin D deprivation has been connected to 
inceased risks for malignancies,myopathies, depression, and immune 
dysfunction/autoimmune disease(diabetes type 1, rheumatoid arthritis, 
inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis) with more associations 
coming.

It's not breastfeeding, breastfed kids...it's potentially  all of us.  Your patient 
was lucky enough to find out her levels.  If you look at the first issues of 
Breastfeeding Medicine, or look up Dr. Carol Wagner's articles, you see that 
the women enrolled in vitamin D studies were almost all insufficient.  Same 
thing for men enrolled in other research.  And the RDA is really, really wrong.  
We just don't know what the right dose is yet.  And it may be that we get our 
levels checked in the future just like we do for thyroid issues.

I know the info is out there--my eight grader came home with an article from 
our local newspaper talking about the new immune system discoveries of 
vitamin D and you can get 1000IU pills over the counter in my grocery store!


Jenny Thomas
www.drjen4kids.com

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