I just found this article in Mercola.com, and thought it relevant in light of so many of us having a vitamin D deficiency, and taking the inferior prescription vitamin D. Here is the link to the article: Vitamin D article

That article was interesting...I had already come across that information about D2 & D3 in my research for my husband He has psoriatic arthritis & I made his doctor give him a vitamin D level test & it came back as almost (1 point) deficient. The dr. prescribed a really high vitamin D supplement. When we went to go fill it, it just said vitamin D & the units. I asked the pharmacist what kind it was & they said D2. I called the dr. & they, along with the pharmacist, said that that's what is prescribed when someone has a vitamin D deficiency. I was sooo frustrated. My husband's family is filled with doctors and NOBODY could affirm what I had read about D3 being better. I felt like it was me (armed with only some info from the web) vs. doctors who didn't know anything about vitamin D!!!
Since then I have become more confident in my ability to study up & present my case & will from now on come armed with printouts & specific info so that I can show the doctors what I'm talking about.
My husband's levels are in the normal range now. But with winter coming, I'm wondering how he'll get some good ole sunshine & whether or not he should take a supplement to keep his levels ok. How can I find a D3 supplement?

The absolut best way of getting vitamin D in the winter is through taking cod liver oil. I take the Carlson brand, which actually tastes good, not gross. When my vitamin D level was low two years ago I took the cod liver oil, and it was up to optimal within a year.

Plus, the cod liver oil also gives you the essential omega 3 fatty acids as well as vitamin A, and it is natural. The Carlson's cod liver oil also has vitamin E (as a preservative). You can't lose by taking it!

Another option for a supplement that I use is this:

http://store.renewalenterprises.com/biodmulsion.html

It's what the NP recommended when my D was low and within a week I felt so much better. When I had my levels checked they were 21 on a scale of 20-100 and I was miserable. Since then the scale has been adjusted to recommend that 32 be the lower limit and below that you are considered D deficient. After being on this for a few months I was checked again and I think it was in the 60's which they felt was good. Had the test run again in Feb. and I was down to 39 which they felt was too low so I was supposed to take 2 drops per day for maintenance and stupid me didn't do it. Now I'm having joint pain again and need to get my levels checked.

I am just amazed at what a difference it can make when your D levels are not right! At the worst I was so bad I had trouble getting out of bed, joint pain, muscle weakness etc. and yet the scale technically said it was normal! Makes me wonder how much low D contributes to problems for people... That and even when Drs. check they don't necessarily do the right test. I've had the wrong one done twice now and finally got a script for the right one.

The good thing about all this is that it's what led the NP to suspect an issue with gluten and finally led to a diagnosis.

That supplement looks great. But it is so much more expensive than just plain old cod liver oil! My level was 24 when it was checked (and my doctor thought it was 'normal' and no problem, no surprise here), but I started taking two tablespoons of cod liver oil a day, and when my levels were checked again a year later, it had gone up to 150 (which was a little too high). So, now I take a couple of spoonfuls about twice a week (whenever I remember). My bottle (at a price of $29.99 regular price, and I try to catch it when its on sale and stock up) lasts several months, even with my husband taking it as well.

hmmm...
yeah, holiday 16 that supplement does look good. in fact, a good friend of ours who has psoriasis had mentioned that his doctor had told him to use that same supplement because he was breaking out on his face. he said that it really worked for him. i checked it out online & it's def d3...

currently my husband is taking EPA by Nordic Naturals for his arthritis which is 1000 mg of purified fish oil....he was told to take 4 pills a day. it was really hard to get him to start doing it because he hates fish & kept burping up a fishy taste. so, i don't think i can get him to take just straight cod liver oil.

so, i think we may get the biodmulsion.
as always, thanks for the info !!

Joni, are you sure that the fish oil pills your husband is taking contain any vitamin D at all? Most fish oil doesn't, that is why cod liver oil is recommended for vitamin D. Maybe he is supposed to take them to get omega 3 fatty acids, which are known to really help with arthritis. Of course, so does the vitamin D. The combination would be ideal.

Edit: I just checked out the EPA by Nordic Naturals, and I was right, it doesn't contain vitamin D at all, but supplies omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin E.

By the way, the Carlson cod liver oil doesn't taste fishy, and I also don't find that I burp up fishy taste (which happened with another cod liver oil I tried, and it tasted terrible as well).

Interesting!!! Thanks for checking into that. He is taking the EPA fr the omega 3s. Maybe I can use your research into the lack of vitamin D as ammo to get him to try the cod liver oil.

Thank you for all this information! I saved the Mercola website. I started breaking out in sun rashes two years ago, and I always burn anyway, so I started wearing long sleeves and hats in good weather. With that and celiac and dairy intolerance I'm surprised I had any vitamin D at all. I found another website http://www.vitamindcouncil.com/ that has a lot of information as well. I've been on a 10,000 of D3 (Pure Encapsulations) for almost two months now and my joint pain is definitely improving. My naturopath is going to do blood tests to monitor.