We all see the articles about what it takes to run a successful practice: slick marketing, conflict management, Web pages, team training, appropriate compensation packages, etc. The list is endless. Yet these topics are but condiments on a great hamburger. The substance of the hamburger is the patty. The substance of clinical medicine is a patient's assessment, diagnosis, treatment and plan. Do that well, and you will succeed. Do that poorly, and you must rely on the condiments for success.
Conversely, its absence causes a needlessly high risk of disease and death. For children, lack of vitamin A causes severe visual impairment and blindness, and significantly increases the risk of severe illness, and even death, from such common childhood infections as diarrhoeal disease and measles.
The most common cause of low vitamin D is lack of sun exposure. Low levels of vitamin D are a definite red flag that your good bill of health is being threatened. Vitamin D deficiency is an underlying cause of many poor health conditions, as well as a major factor contributing to the exacerbation of symptoms of other diseases. The causes of low vitamin D can be very complex, but ensuring you get enough may be easier than you think.