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Fibromyalgia Monthly Newsletter
Fibromyalgia Newsletter – November 2006
Brought to you by: Jane Oelke, N.D., Ph.D
DoctorOelke@aol.com
Are You Missing the Daylight?
Do you get “SAD” during the Winter Months?
I know as we changed our clocks last week that the evening darkness seems to come much earlier now. Some of us are really affected by the lack of daylight in the winter months. It can be diagnosed as “SAD” – Seasonal Affective Disorder – where people become more depressed and need to get as much sunlight in their environment during the day to compensate for the long evening hours. What else can you do about it?
,b>Can the Right Vitamin D Reduce Fibromyalgia Pain and Improve Mood?
Current research shows that vitamin D deficiency can be one of the factors causing many chronic diseases seen today – including autoimmune diseases, diabetes, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, chronic pain, and muscle wasting diseases.
Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is the type that is absorbed through the skin during sun exposure. Yet, in northern climates we cannot get enough vitamin D3 from the sun most of the year. In warmer climates, only those working outside actually get enough vitamin D to last through the year, and they have to have more than just their arms and face exposed. So unless you are a life-guard, or shirtless construction worker, you probably do not get enough Vitamin D.
Vitamin D is actually a hormone, and has a great effect on not just hormones, but also the integrity of your bones, intestines, pancreas, breast tissue, prostate, and white blood cells. Every person with cancer and multiple sclerosis, and those of us who want to prevent those diseases needs it.
How Much Vitamin D Do We Need?
In the past it was understood that occasional exposure of our face and hands to sunlight was sufficient for vitamin D production. However, now there is solid evidence that the amount of Vitamin D produced by 5% skin exposure would leave more than half of the population Vitamin D deficient. It is not found in foods that we eat unless that food has been enriched, so in most cases we need to supplement it. The most common measurement of vitamin D is in IU (International Units). The current RDA of 100 IU was established by the level of vitamin D in ½ teaspoon of cod liver oil, a common supplement in the 19th century. Do you still get your cod liver oil daily? Most of us do not.
I am now recommending 2000 IU per day in a supplement in addition to any we get in our food or from the sunlight, especially during the fall and winter months. You may need more vitamin D due to your diet, lifestyle, and any prescription drugs you take. Vitamin D is improves calcium absorption by two-thirds, and helps to reduce bone fracture risk by one-third. The less weight bearing exercise we do the more we need to supplement. Prescription drugs, including certain antibiotics, corticosteroid drugs such as predisone, or chemotherapy agents.
Can You Get Too Much Vitamin D?
Too much Vitamin D can cause hypercalcemia, or too much calcium in the blood. Two hormones control calcium concentration. The parathyroid hormone controls how much calcium is released from the kidneys or bones as it is needed. It also converts vitamin D to its active form, which helps you absorb more calcium from the food you eat.
In a blood test you can look at calcium levels, or at alkaline phosphatase levels to see if you need more or less vitamin D. Low calcium levels or high alkaline phosphatase levels indicate a need for more vitamin D. Alkaline phosphatase is a liver enzyme that is measured to show how the liver and kidneys are functioning. It also measures potential bone loss due to kidney issues and dehydration that can cause muscle loss.
Too much vitamin D in studies is anything over 40,000 IU per day. This is the amount found to cause hypercalcemia. Even with all day sunlight in tropical climates we struggle to come close to this amount. On average, in 24 hours of sunlight we can absorb 20,000 IU. So unless your kidneys are not functioning well, or you are taking 10 capsules of 2000 IU of vitamin D per day, this usually does not occur.
When choosing a vitamin D supplement, look for one that contains vitamin D3. Many supplements that add vitamin D to calcium supplements use vitamin D2 where only one-quarter is really absorbed. So if the supplement contains 400 IU of vitamin D2 then you will be lucky to get 100 IU into your system.
You can get vitamin D3 supplements in a couple ways. Carlson Labs contains a softgel capsule of pure vitamin D3 available at better health food stores. Metagenics has two forms of vitamin D3. One has some soy isoflavones to help absorption of calcium. That one is called IsoD3. Metagenics also has one that is pure D3 in 1000 IU units, called D3 1000. The Metagenics ones are available to you online at a 10% discount by going to my Metagenics website
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