My mom, who is my guru on natural health and healing, has told me about the benefits of taking vitamin D3 supplements. So, I have been reading a lot about vitamin D3 and it's affect on fighting colds and flu. Apparently we in today's society are generally deficient in vitamin D, because we spend so little time out in the sun, especially during the colder months. Also, use of sunblock in the summer can inhibit the body's ability to "create" vitamin D. When my husband worked full-time in the construction industry as a framer, he was never sick, even though working conditions were quite unsanitary (in my opinion!). He was out in the sun all day, every day of the year, except on the rare occasion when snow or wind prevented the work from progressing. Since he has left that industry, he has had colds frequently.

With the fear of H1N1, I'm ready to try just about anything to keep my family healthy. My daughter's first two years were filled with visits to the doctor, inhalers, a stay in the hospital for RSV, in-office oxygen, and pretty much a whole lot of stress for us. Any upper respiratory virus or bacteria that came her way, she caught. I nursed her, then fed her healthy food (which she usually ate very well) when the time came, and gave her vitamin supplement drops. I cleaned the house frequently, we washed our hands constantly, avoided touching things like door handles, stair rails, etc. We avoided exposure in crowded places as much as possible. And still she caught everything! It was such a hard and scary time, and I worried about her so much. This H1N1 thing brings back a lot of those emotions, fear and worry and helplessness. I want her to be as protected as possible. I'm sure every doting parent feels the same way.

We did get the H1N1 vaccine today for my daughter. It comes in a series of two injections. The county health nurses did not know when, if, or where the second vaccine will be available. I was told that having only one injection meant that the immunity to the virus would not be as strong as if she receives two injections, but she would have some immunity. I really don't know if that is correct, so I have some research to do.

I purchased 1000 UI D3 supplement tablets for my husband and myself. We will each be taking two of these a day. I purchased chewy candy-type calcium/D3 supplements for my daughter. I have read that there are D3 drops for children, but I could not find any in my local stores. These chewy supplements were perfect, though. They provide 600 IU's of D3, and combined with her Gummy Vite supplement, she will have a total of 1000 IU's of D3 a day, minimum.

As the cold and flu season officially begins, I'll be keeping track of how often we get sick with colds or flu, the duration of the illness, and the symptoms. I hope that this season will be a season of very few colds and flu for my family, or even better, that we don't get sick at all!!