Kickas.org Forums Treatments, Drugs and Alternatives Alternatives and ALCHEMISTS Sunlight and Vitamin D

Drizzit, you summed it up pretty well. It comes down to if you believe that supressing the immune system is good or not. That approach certainly works well in the short term as evidenced by the effectiveness or Prednisone and high doses of Vitamin D. Note that molecular modeling shows that these two molecules are very similar in structure, and that 1,25D the active vitamin D hormone is considered a secosteriod.

I think we've all experienced treatments that work really well for a while but eventually wane and leave us back where we started or worse and a bacterial cause could explain this. Also, supressing the immune system can have it's price in the short term too for some people as evidenced by the long list of side effects of the TNF drugs.

NorCalJim

James,

There's alot of info on the MP site to sift through but here's a couple of direct links to their simple explanation of what Th1 disease is: Basic Definition of Th1 and Simple Explanations If you are interested in the more scientific explanation and have a high speed connection heres a pretty good (though long and a bit dry in parts) presentation by Trevor Marshall himself on video: AAEM Presentation Video

One thing to note in their literature is that they differentiate between the vitamin D you get in food and supplements (25D) and the active secosteriod hormone that the body produces and uses directly (1,25D). It's an important distinction and their belief is that too high of levels of 1,25D can lead to all sorts of problems. A high level of 1,25D can exist even though a persons 25,D tests very low because of a rapid conversion of 25,D to 1,25D. You may find it very interesting to read the list of symptoms that are caused by hypervitiminosis-D (specifically too much 1,25D) here: Hypervitiminosis D Symptom List

I never had my 1,25D levels tested but have had many of the symptoms in the list. Interestingly most of these symptoms were the first to go away when I started the protocol...

NorCalJim

First, keep in mind that Dairy does very little to increase your calcium or D. That is a myth that has gone on for far too long. I never ever touch dairy, plus the D in milk products is the D2 form = junk.

Countries that consume almost no dairy rarely if ever see osteoporosis. I have had my bone density checked along with blood work and nutritionalanalysis and it is stellar. And, that is with no milk or dairy.

Best source of D is sunlight and best source of calcium is from plant sources.

Funny thing about the Marshall Protocol and my doctor has actually tried that with some AS patients and he said it is bogus.

It is confusing because some say we have aD deficiencies and some say we have too much.

Also know that the nutrients & composition of RAW dairy is very different from homogenized/pasteurized dairy.

we do absorb calcium & other nutrients from RAW dairy, not the other stuff they call dairy! Plus raw milk has essential enzymes & probiotics that help us digest it & convert the milk to something our body can use.

realmilk.org

the vitamin D they add to store milk dissipates once it hits sunlight.. and like other poster said... it's junk vitamin D.

suggested protocol if you cannot get enough sunlight is to take fish oil in the summer and cod liver oil in the winter. Make sure it's a brand that is tested to not contain heavy metals. Carlson's is one of those brands.

that being said... I also believe if we eat right, we'll get a lot of nutrients from our fruits & veggies, but since our soil is depleated, some supplementation is necessary. Again, it all depends upon where you came from nutritionally & where you are at now. My older 2 kids have more of a deficiency than my younger 2 because we didn't eat healthy with them, so they're in more need of supplement than my youngest who nursed for 2 years & is constantly eating raw green veggies at an early age!

I know this thread was from last fall, but I thought it was interesting to see that others have Vit D 'issues'.. I live in a Northern state and my Vit D bottoms out late fall and only comes up to 'moderate-severe' deficiency durning the summer. In Vermont, we get about 90 days a year (if we're lucky!) of good sun absorbing weather... and that's if you can stand the high humidity days--which i really struggle with-- I have done the high dose Vit D supplement (50k IU/week for 12 weeks) And regular vit D supplements daily with a multivit. But I can't sustain a good level of D. I am noticing more frequently to be experiencing stomach problems.. Does anyone else suffer from non dairy related problmes with pains, bloating, cramping...The last 2 f/u appointments I have thought about asking him if they are related, but i always forget.... *sigh thanks for your input... ~diane

James,

In my area it's about 15-30 minutes daily with arms face lower legs exposed.

I can't do much sunning as I'm on methetrexate and the risk of skin cancer and location I get severely reprimanded by the Dr if I'm even a bit brown. For years I'd spend a few weeks on the beach every summer and it made a huge difference to pain swelling gastro etc. One of the reasons I'd like to get off MTX.

I'd avoid sun lamps.....skin cancer risk is huuuggggeeee!

Dave

I actually have a vitamin D lamp - not cheap but I can get lots of D in the middle of winter now... I believe that the only one approved by FDA to be used for vitamin D is the Sperti Vitamin D lamp.

Ever notice how many people say their AS is worse in winter than it is in the summertime?

Living in the northern Pennsylavania, I have the same problem. There are only a few months of the year when the flux from the sun is sufficient for vitamin D synthesis. I take cod liver oil as well as supplements with vitamin D and I've still never gotten my levels beyond the mid-forties, though I'm much higher than when I was first tested, when I was at 19.

My family doc recommends 40 as a minimun, 50 for someone with vitamin D related issues like arthritis. If you are taking OTC supplements, be sure you are taking D3, not D2.

IBD (irritable bowel disease) goes along with AS. You might try checking out the NSD (No Starch Diet) forum at kickas. Many people have gotten relief from their AS as well as their IBD with the NSD.

Karen