I went to Canyon Ranch a little more than a week ago for several reasons. I went to do some research for a magazine article -- not a bad job assignment -- and I went to pursue guidance about nutrition, fitness, mind-body healing, stress management, pampering -- of course -- and overall post-breast cancer health. I found everything I wished to find, and I ended up with few pearls of wisdom I hadn't ever expected to dig up.

Canyon Ranch has a whole medical facility on their Tucson grounds, and I had the pleasure of spending an hour of my stay talking with a brilliant female doctor who asked all about my history and then made a few suggestions for better living. One suggestion I found very intriguing.

It hasn't hit the whole medical community yet, but testing for levels of vitamin D is a wise pursuit for women concerned about breast cancer risk and recurrence, said this doctor who did her own little research experiment recently. Looking at levels of vitamin D in women at all spectrums of health, this doctor found those with breast cancer had low levels of vitamin D in their bodies. Those without breast cancer tended to have higher levels. She tested herself too and found her levels were right on target -- not surprising since she takes a vitamin supplement and lives in a very sunny climate.

Aha -- the sun. It turned out women who lived in not-so-sunny places had lower levels of vitamin D. It all started coming together for this doctor who now recommends a simple blood test for women who care to chart their levels. If they are identified as low, the women can take preventative steps, like taking supplements, soaking up a few minutes of sun each day, regulating diet and exercise, and more.

There is a thread of research out there on this topic -- read more here -- and if what this one doctor shared with me is as accurate as it seems, I suspect vitamin D testing could become a trend for the future.

Thanks to my doctor friend at Canyon Ranch for this insight.