Dr. John Cannell is the physician in the first video. He is the founder of the Vitamin D Council and one of the more knowledgeable  vitamin D experts out there. He has been a primary resource for me in helping me formulate my understanding of vitamin D.

Only about 1,000 people die directly from the flu virus in the United States each year. While the government claims 36,000 -- the remaining 35,000 deaths are caused by diseases like pneumonia that may follow the flu.

But there's no clear scientific connection between the flu and these more serious afflictions. That means most of the time a flu shot has little impact in actually preventing death.

Barbara Loe Fisher, head of the National Vaccine Information Center, says that the repeated references to 36,000 seems to be an attempt to scare people into getting the shot. Fisher has a new book on the safety issues with vaccines, "Vaccines, Autism & Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic."

Her concerns have led her to look at alternatives. One alternative favored by a number of physicians is vitamin D. Dr. John Cannell, executive director of the Vitamin D Council, suggests the reason we even have a flu season is because our vitamin D levels drop, which takes place naturally as we get less and less sun with the approach of winter.

Cannell suggests babies get 1,000 units of vitamin D a day, and those 2 and older get 2,000 units. Many adults and some children need more than that.

Vitamin D Dose Recommendations
Age	Dosage
Below 5	35 units per pound per day
Age 5 - 10	2500 units
Age 18 - 30	5000 units
Pregnant Women	5000 units
WARNING: There is no way to know if the above recommendations are correct. The ONLY way to know is to test your blood. You might need 4-5 times the amount recommended above. Ideally your blood level of 25 OH D should be 60ng/ml.