Severe vitamin D deficits do need high doses of Vitamin D2 to the tune of 50,000 units 3 times a week for 2 to 6 months. After this, one can switch over to vitamin D3 at 1000 to 2000 units a day, for about 2 or 3 cents a pill. But the deep vitamin D deficit must be made up, and that’s best done with the high dose, somewhat more expensive D2 product.
Sunshine is a good way to get your body to make vitamin D, but in the northern latitudes, the sun isn’t very effective at causing the body to produce more of it for 6-8 months out of the year. And the darker one’s skin, the more time one needs in the sun. There’s a fine line between “enough sun to make adequate vitamin D” and “too much sun, increasing the risk of skin cancer long term”. For fair skinned folks, 20 to 40 minutes a day when the sun is high above the horizon, on uncovered arms and legs is often sufficient.
Omega 3 fish oil, 1 gram three times a day, is a safe, cheap, effective way to try to reduce triglycerides, before starting on the more expensive fenofibrate (tricor) or the less expensive gemfibrizol (lopid). Just don’t bite open the capsules, it tastes fishy.
If B12 is just somewhat low, one could supplement with oral B12 tablets, which are cheap. But if the B12 is almost nonexistant, then the problem may be pernicious anemia, where the B12 is destroyed in the stomach. Then, pills won’t help, and shots are needed.
This information is meant not for your specific case, but is about the general case regarding these conditions. I am a licensed practicing physician who deals with these sorts of problems often, but I’m not your physician, so talk to your doctor.
