Bizarro “D”

Q: I’ve been reading a lot about vitamin D in the e-Tips lately. I told my doctor I want to increase my dosage, and he mentioned that he would consider putting me on a “vitamin D analogue.” What is that? How is it different than vitamin D?

Dr. Wright Vitamin D analogues are basically the synthetic, patentable, evil twins of all-natural vitamin D3.

Fortunately natural versions of higher-quantity vitamin D supplements (1,000 IU, 2,000 IU, and 5,000 IU) are available on the shelves of lots of different compounding pharmacies and natural food stores so there’s really no need to test fate by taking a synthetic analogue.

Even better, the natural versions are exceptionally inexpensive, with prices ranging from $7 to $9 per 100 capsules, depending on the strength.