At-home testing for vitamin D: convenient with quick results

Plus the December raffle winners are announced!

Jan 10

I’m Brandon Wilson. I am constantly working toward improving my mind, body, and spirit using various ancient techniques and cutting-edge biohacking tools and devices. I want to be healthy, but not at the expense of being happy. This simple idea is what it means to be wellthy.

First time reading? Let’s get you in the club.

There is a strong correlation between your vitamin D level and the risk of COVID-19 infections and severity of illness and potential hospitalization1.

In a previous newsletter, I wrote about the importance of vitamin D even beyond the implications for COVID-19.

Be Wellthy

Do you know your Vitamin D level?

Wellthy adjective - characterized by focusing on good habits to make it easier to make healthy choices to have a balanced, healthy life that includes enjoying simple pleasures without guilt. September 2021 Update: A recent study demonstrated that vitamin D deficiency is significantly associated with increased risk for COV…

10 months ago · 2 likes · 3 comments · Brandon Wilson

The last time I had my vitamin D level tested was in June of 2021 as part of my routine blood testing. You know the drill. You have to talk to your doctor to get the lab tests ordered. Then you have to schedule an appointment with the lab. My labs usually require fasting, so I schedule a morning appointment. Everyone else has the same idea, so I have to plan several weeks out. After the blood draw, you have to schedule another appointment with your doctor to discuss the results. Wouldn’t it be great if there were an easier way to do lab testing? It turns out there is.

At-home lab testing

There are multiple options for at-home vitamin D testing, so I’ll save you the time and provide you with two:

Everlywell - $49

KnowingLabs - $39

These companies do not accept insurance, but you can use a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) if your insurance plan offers them.

I chose Everlywell because they were offering a 25% discount in December. I ordered the test on a Friday and received the collection kit the following Monday.

The first step is to register the kit online. There are videos and instructions to make it easy to collect the sample. It’s not the most fun in the world pricking your finger and squeezing drops of blood on a card, but it is convenient and straightforward. I dropped the sample with the pre-paid label at the post office on a Saturday. Everlywell confirmed receipt on Wednesday, and I had my result on Friday.

My result

The lab range for vitamin D is 30-100 ng/mL (Everlywell uses 32-100.) Based on my research, a level below 30 ng/mL is considered insufficient, and the optimum range is 50-70 ng/mL. My goal is to be in an optimum range, not just barely over the line of insufficient. In June of 2021, my vitamin D level was 49.9 ng/mL, and my latest test result is 61 ng/mL.

I am happy with this result. Even though I live in sunny Arizona, I admit that I am not out in the sun as much as I should be. I also know through genetic testing that I have a gene variant linked to lower vitamin D levels. I take a daily vitamin D supplement and will continue to take it and monitor my vitamin D level.

Knowing your vitamin D level has perhaps never been more important, and testing your vitamin D level is now very convenient. Once you know your level, work with your doctor to optimize it.

I received a referral link for Everlywell that will get you 15% off. Full disclosure: I will receive an Amazon gift card when you purchase a test.

Getting sun exposure every day is still the best way to keep your vitamin D level up. There are even apps such as Dminder and SunDay: Vitamin D and UV Tracker that help you identify the best time to maximize sun exposure.

Last week’s answer.

Congratulations to December raffle winners 🎉

Kai B.

Amanda P.

Also congratulations to last week’s winners Barbara C., and Renata. All you have to do is email me or DM on Twitter the correct answer to each week’s brain training, and you will be entered into a monthly raffle to win cool biohacking prizes. Must be a subscriber to win!

This week:

Insert the given letters, one per cell, to complete a word square containing ten different words, five reading across and five reading down. The B’s, E’,s, and D’s have already been placed.

See the answer.

Follow Be Wellthy on Twitter, and let’s have a conversation.

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https://vitamindforall.org/letter.html