Do you get enough sunlight?
If you are stuck indoors a lot, slip slop slap religiously or just not into being in sunlight it may be worth your while to get your Vitamin D level checked.
I apparently do not get enough sunlight. Not surprising really considering I have spent the majority of the past few years sick at home and a lot of that in bed.
Before my previous appointment I looked on the interweb at what conditions could cause my symptoms and Vitamin D deficiency came up and it was one of the few things I haven't been tested for. I asked them to test this as well as any other 'dietary' factors that could have been looked over. I got the results yesterday and hopefully in a while we will have some improvement with me taking Vit D supplements(1000iu twice daily to be reduced to once daily after a month). (As Dr Jon said - "It won't happen overnight...").
In the past few weeks I am starting to see some results with the Plaquenil. (Which i started on just before Christmas). We had just about given up on it. I still get tired easily but I can go a bit further, last a bit longer and it doesn't take me as long to bounce back. I am definitely on track to getting this yet to be diagnosed thing under control.
Symptoms of Vit D deficiency:
"Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient." - Womentowomen.com
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"Vitamin D malnutrition may also be linked to an increased susceptibility to several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder, and several autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (see role in immunomodulation)." - Wikipedia
"Patients often complain of aching bones and muscle discomfort. Such patients are often misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, myositis, or other nonspecific collagen vascular diseases."
"There is good epidemiologic documentation that living at lower latitudes decreases the risks of many chronic diseases. It has been assumed that, because the production of vitamin D is more efficient at lower latitudes, this is the explanation for these interesting observations. In addition, there is mounting scientific evidence suggesting that increasing vitamin D intake decreases the risks of developing chronic diseases."
"How is it possible that vitamin D can have such a wide range of therapeutic and health-related benefits? The answer lies in the fact that the VDR is present in most cells and tissues in the body. 1,25(OH)2D is one of the most potent regulators of cellular growth in both normal and cancer cells (2, 3, 22, 26, 76, 82, 83). It has been suggested that increased vitamin D intake or increased exposure to sunlight, raising blood concentrations of 25(OH)D above 78 nmol/L (30 ng/mL), is necessary for maximal extrarenal production of 1,25(OH)2D in a wide variety of tissues and cells in the body, including colon, breast, prostate, lung, activated macrophages, and parathyroid cells. The local production of 1,25(OH)2D is thought to be important for keeping cell growth in check and possible preventing the cell from becoming autonomous and developing into a unregulated cancer cell (2, 3, 118-120).
Activated T and B lymphocytes have VDRs. 1,25(OH)2D is a very effective modulator of the immune system. In a variety of animal models, it has been demonstrated that pretreatment with 1,25(OH)2D is effective in mitigating or preventing the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease (2, 22, 90, 121-123). In addition, Li et al (124) reported that, in a mouse model, 1,25(OH)2D was an effective inhibitor of the blood pressure hormone renin."
"Vitamin D should be considered essential for overall health and well-being (Figure 10Go). Vitamin D deficiency and decreased exposure to solar UVB radiation have been demonstrated to increase the risks of many common cancers, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, and there are indications that they may be associated with type 2 diabetes (125, 126) and schizophrenia (127-129). The photosynthesis of vitamin D has been occurring in living organisms for > 500 million years, and it is not surprising that vitamin D has evolved into such an important and necessary hormone, which acts as an indicator of overall health and well-being. Vigilance in maintaining a normal vitamin D status, ie, 25(OH)D concentrations of 75-125 nmol/L, should be a high priority. Surveillance for vitamin D deficiency, with measurement of 25(OH)D concentrations, should be part of normal yearly physical examinations."
Source
There is lots more info out there - lots of links from the Wiki article.
I have learnt two things from this:
1. Take responsibility for your own health.
2. Have patience with the specialist doctors. (They may actually know what they're doing).
I am sharing because I think this may help one of you out there.
(x-posted to
I apparently do not get enough sunlight. Not surprising really considering I have spent the majority of the past few years sick at home and a lot of that in bed.
Before my previous appointment I looked on the interweb at what conditions could cause my symptoms and Vitamin D deficiency came up and it was one of the few things I haven't been tested for. I asked them to test this as well as any other 'dietary' factors that could have been looked over. I got the results yesterday and hopefully in a while we will have some improvement with me taking Vit D supplements(1000iu twice daily to be reduced to once daily after a month). (As Dr Jon said - "It won't happen overnight...").
In the past few weeks I am starting to see some results with the Plaquenil. (Which i started on just before Christmas). We had just about given up on it. I still get tired easily but I can go a bit further, last a bit longer and it doesn't take me as long to bounce back. I am definitely on track to getting this yet to be diagnosed thing under control.
Symptoms of Vit D deficiency:
"Vitamin D deficiency may be characterized by muscle pain, weak bones/fractures, low energy and fatigue, lowered immunity, depression and mood swings, and sleep irregularities. Women with renal problems or intestinal concerns (such as IBS or Crohn’s disease) may be vitamin D deficient because they can neither absorb nor adequately convert the nutrient." - Womentowomen.com
----
"Vitamin D malnutrition may also be linked to an increased susceptibility to several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder, and several autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (see role in immunomodulation)." - Wikipedia
"Patients often complain of aching bones and muscle discomfort. Such patients are often misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, myositis, or other nonspecific collagen vascular diseases."
"There is good epidemiologic documentation that living at lower latitudes decreases the risks of many chronic diseases. It has been assumed that, because the production of vitamin D is more efficient at lower latitudes, this is the explanation for these interesting observations. In addition, there is mounting scientific evidence suggesting that increasing vitamin D intake decreases the risks of developing chronic diseases."
"How is it possible that vitamin D can have such a wide range of therapeutic and health-related benefits? The answer lies in the fact that the VDR is present in most cells and tissues in the body. 1,25(OH)2D is one of the most potent regulators of cellular growth in both normal and cancer cells (2, 3, 22, 26, 76, 82, 83). It has been suggested that increased vitamin D intake or increased exposure to sunlight, raising blood concentrations of 25(OH)D above 78 nmol/L (30 ng/mL), is necessary for maximal extrarenal production of 1,25(OH)2D in a wide variety of tissues and cells in the body, including colon, breast, prostate, lung, activated macrophages, and parathyroid cells. The local production of 1,25(OH)2D is thought to be important for keeping cell growth in check and possible preventing the cell from becoming autonomous and developing into a unregulated cancer cell (2, 3, 118-120).
Activated T and B lymphocytes have VDRs. 1,25(OH)2D is a very effective modulator of the immune system. In a variety of animal models, it has been demonstrated that pretreatment with 1,25(OH)2D is effective in mitigating or preventing the onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and Crohn's disease (2, 22, 90, 121-123). In addition, Li et al (124) reported that, in a mouse model, 1,25(OH)2D was an effective inhibitor of the blood pressure hormone renin."
"Vitamin D should be considered essential for overall health and well-being (Figure 10Go). Vitamin D deficiency and decreased exposure to solar UVB radiation have been demonstrated to increase the risks of many common cancers, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis, and there are indications that they may be associated with type 2 diabetes (125, 126) and schizophrenia (127-129). The photosynthesis of vitamin D has been occurring in living organisms for > 500 million years, and it is not surprising that vitamin D has evolved into such an important and necessary hormone, which acts as an indicator of overall health and well-being. Vigilance in maintaining a normal vitamin D status, ie, 25(OH)D concentrations of 75-125 nmol/L, should be a high priority. Surveillance for vitamin D deficiency, with measurement of 25(OH)D concentrations, should be part of normal yearly physical examinations."
Source
There is lots more info out there - lots of links from the Wiki article.
I have learnt two things from this:
1. Take responsibility for your own health.
2. Have patience with the specialist doctors. (They may actually know what they're doing).
I am sharing because I think this may help one of you out there.
(x-posted to