Vitamin D's wild days: Who to test, what to take? (AP)

AP - Don't be surprised if your doctor orders a vitamin D test during your next physical. Blood tests to check levels of the so-called sunshine vitamin are on the rise as doctors and patients react to headline-grabbing research that suggests having too little may not only hurt your bones - it might increase your risk of certain cancers or heart disease.

A lot of people have heard natural co-q-10 the health benefits of omega 3, but they wonder: does omega methylsulfonylmethane msm work?

The answer is: absolutely! This is because omega 3 fatty acids are crucial for health and well being. Omega 3 fatty acids are important for heart and brain health, especially.

There are two main types of omega 3 fatty acids: DHA and EPA. The human brain demands a tremendous amount of omega 3 fatty acids to function optimally.

The problem, however, is that due to the modern wholesale l-carnitine base the vast majority of people in the Western world are deficient in these vital essential fats.

The reason for this is simple. For most of our evolution, we ate fish and wild game that were rich in omega 3's.

So, the question really isn't does omega 3 work. The human body requires omega 3 fatty acids. The real question is why are most people nowadays severely deficient and what can we do about it.

Well, the reason we are deficient is because the meats we eat nowadays, whether it be fish, beef, chicken, lamb, etc., are farm raised. They no longer consume their natural diets.

The natural diet for cattle, as one example, is simply grass. But because of modern agriculture, and its ever increasing pressure to maximize profits, cattle are raised on grains and corn. This helps fatten the cattle up much faster but it changes the nutritional value of the meats derived from them.

The result is beef that is low in omega 3 fatty acids.

The same is true for farm raised fish and chicken. Nowadays there is a growing movement toward grass fed meats again, but the vast majority of supermarkets still don't carry such healthy choices.

If you have a local farmer's market, you will often find grass fed meats there and for the health of your family, you should eat as much of it as possible and avoid grain fed meats.

One alternative to get enough crucial omega 3 fatty acids is to take a fish oil supplement. Fish oil supplements are a great source of omega 3's and if you buy a product that is molecularly distilled you can rest easy knowing all of the contaminants have been removed, leaving only the pure, healthy oil in capsule form.

A quality fish oil supplement product should only cost between $15 to $20 dollars a month, which makes it arguably one of the cheapest health insurance policies you can buy.

Dan Ho is chief editor of http://www.omega-3-fish-oil-guide.com Visit us now to learn how to choose a quality fish oil supplement.