As an integrative medicine specialist, I tend to see a lot of patients who have spent years trying to figure out what’s making them sick. With certain conditions like thyroid imbalance, or chronic Lyme, there’s often no easy answer to diagnosis or treatment. And even clear-cut diagnoses like Multiple Sclerosis can’t offer patients a single answer when it comes to the disease’s pace or progression. There are few things more potentially frustrating, or isolating, than chronic illness.

While the internet can sometimes paralyze with information overload, it’s great for patients who want to find others like them to break that isolation and compare notes. I’ve already mentioned that I am starting an online community for thyroid concerns called ThyroidBalance (named after a book I wrote several years ago).  Patients Like Me is another wonderful resource for people who have been diagnosed with an illness and want to share stories and read about the latest treatments.

The latest study on kids and Vitamin D is truly astonishing, claiming millions of children between the ages of 1 and 21 exhibit dangerously low levels, potentially increasing their risk of heart disease, bone problems, diabetes, and other illnesses. Of course, we all know kids have too many reasons to stay indoors (I would have barely seen the light of day if Halo had been around when I was 13). And we are all conditioned now to never neglect sunscreen. So how do we ensure that our children are getting this vitally important nutrient?

No supplement or fortified food is going to take the place of sunlight. There’s a range of opinion about SPF levels and sufficient protection, and of course so much depends on the fairness of your child’s complection. Your goal should be to achieve a level of adequate protection that allows for safe sun exposure ( The Vitamin D Cure covers this topic pretty well).  And here’s a no-brainer for kids old enough: if they are headed somewhere that’s safe to walk or bike to, don’t climb back in the car. Let them walk or bike in the sunshine, and get a little exercise while they’re at it.

When sunshine is scarce, it’s tough to rely on Vitamin D-rich foods – even fortified ones – to give your child enough Vitamin D. An entire quart of milk only contains 400 units, for example, and the recommended dose for a child is 1000-2000 units per day. (And plenty of kids are lactose-intolerant, which complicates things further.)  And other than fortified breakfast cereals and eggs, most of the Vitamin-D rich foods aren’t necessarily kid-friendly: cod, sardines, shrimp, salmon (even my adult staff are wrinkling their noses).

Luckily, supplements are so much easier and kid-friendly than they used to be; droppers of tasteless liquid Vitamin D can be mixed into food, and 1000 unit caplets are an easy solution for kids old enough to swallow pills. There are even topical creams on the market that are safe for children to use.

A patient came into my office today afraid to take an upcoming vacation to China. He’s got poor circulation, and just read about the recent study showing even more evidence that long-distance travel can double your risk of developing a fatal blood clot. Obviously, this is a hot topic, with travel at it’s peak; even in a struggling economy, those foregoing expensive plane flights are piling into the SUV and driving long distances to eke out a summer vacation.

The fact is that any long trip, whether it be on a plane or in a car, can dramatically increase your risk of developing deep-vein thrombosis, or DVT. DVT refers to blood pooling in the veins after prolonged periods of inactivity; it becomes deadly when a clot dislodges and travels to the lungs, restricting the flow of oxygenated blood-flow to the heart (known as a pulmonary embolism). There was that sad case some years ago of the war reporter, David Bloom, who died of a pulmonary embolism after spending months of flying with the US troops in cramped quarters. Preexisting conditions like a prior case of phlabitis, or taking certain medications like birth control pills, can increase that risk even more.

Luckily there are several preventive measures you can take to travel safely. First – no medication or supplement takes the place of standing up and stretching your legs every two hours. If you’re packed in the minivan headed to Yellowstone, be the hero, give into the kids’ pleas for a pit-stop, and do a few turns around the ice cream stand. When the in-flight movie is over and you’re reaching for your laptop, put it down and walk the plane aisle for a few minutes instead.

And there are several natural remedies that work to prevent clotting. I have my patients pre-medicate before long trips with 2 each of garlic and Vitamin E, and a fish oil tablet. If they have poor circulation, I will add 2 tablets of Ginkgo. All of these work beautifully as anti-clotting agents.