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Vitamin D Levels Still Low. Why?


Darlene

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Are you able to get some sunlight? Sunlight will help. Even if you can just get 15 minutes a day.

I hate to sound like such a whiner, but unfortunately, getting sun is almost impossible! Today there's a rare bit of sunshine, but I'm sitting inside in long johns, jeans, two long-sleeved shirts, scarf, and a fleece zipped up to my chin - and I feel absolutely freezing. About to don my fingerless gloves... My understanding is that we are so far north that during winter months the sun is too far away to give you any vitamin D benefits, even if you could manage to expose some skin when it's this cold out.

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targs,

Found this tonight. It is a sample report from Genova Diagnostics for P450 and methylation genes. Check out the red writing on the left hand side of the page. Points out specific meds that are associated with various polymorphisms.

http://www.healthrem...ic_profile_.pdf

Lyn

hi Lyn,

Thanks for this - fascinating stuff! I am going to have to do some serious "homework" to understand all this. I find it so reassuring just to understand why on earth I can't take meds or supplements, especially those that seem to have almost no effect on other people. Time for some reading....

thanks again.

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Are you able to get some sunlight? Sunlight will help. Even if you can just get 15 minutes a day.

I hate to sound like such a whiner, but unfortunately, getting sun is almost impossible! Today there's a rare bit of sunshine, but I'm sitting inside in long johns, jeans, two long-sleeved shirts, scarf, and a fleece zipped up to my chin - and I feel absolutely freezing. About to don my fingerless gloves... My understanding is that we are so far north that during winter months the sun is too far away to give you any vitamin D benefits, even if you could manage to expose some skin when it's this cold out.

You are absolutely right - you could lay outside naked all day in the northern hemisphere and still not get enough UVB rays to produce an adequate amount of Vitamin D.

So, that's what tanning beds are for :)

You can go to a salon or buy your own - they're pretty affordable compared to the long term costs of tanning at a salon. They also make UVB-only beds for the purpose of only getting Vitamin D. They also have miniature ones (maybe a 4th of the size of a full body) that are a bit cheaper and serve the same purpose.

My suggestion is to get financing for a tanning bed that you can hang on your wall (to save space, and it's cheaper) and make monthly payments on it if the seller has that as an option. Tanning salons with good, safe equipment charge $15 - $30 per session. Tanning every other day that's $225 - $450 a month, plus gas, and be certain they'll pressure you into buying their lotions, eyewear, etc. For the same cost you could pay off a tanning bed in 2 - 5 months depending on the bed you get.

For safety concerns read my post here.

It also might be worth mentioning that some gyms have tanning beds you can use that are included in the cost of the membership. You can get a gym membership for like $9 - $20 a month depending on the gym. You'll want to make sure the ballast in their tanning unit is electronic (not magnetic) and that their bulbs aren't old. I've heard they don't replace their bulbs often enough - and you'd want to make sure the bulbs produce UVB rays - some tanning beds are UVA only.

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You can get a whole lot of info on tanning beds and what type of light bulbs to use from Dr. Mercola's newsletters on the web. I can't get in the sun or a tanning bed because of vitiligo and I did finally get my Vit. D levels up with D3 but, I use 10,000 units a day. Doc. said to stay with that amount as I'm right where they want me now.

Lyn, yes I have a CBS mutation and didn't address if first before I tried to add in the methyl folate. That made me very, very sick. Changing my diet to eliminate things that are high in sulphur/sulfates --seems to be making a difference. Also, the MCAS protocol seems to be helping too.

If you have these mutations and you take the wrong type of B vitamins ----according to the "experts" ---it will actually make you sicker then if you take nothing. If you are not converting or uptaking things properly ----from what I'm reading ----that can be almost worse then not having enough.

I have found the advice of using Yucca when consuming protein to be very helpful. It will keep the protein from converting into ammonia and you just seem to digest it better. But, my doc. is wanting me to eliminate meat protein. I don't know about that . . . . .but, we will see how being more vegetarian goes.

Lots to learn on the methylation pathways. I'm still trying to learn it. As for the P450 --that has to do with the liver function. I have issues with that too. I've known about that dysfunction for years now. For me it just means that I take less of everything ---cause my liver doesn't break it down and/or it recirculates in my body. Less is more for me.

Issie

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SeattleRain - thanks for the tanning beds info. I didn't realize that it was the magnetic ballasts that caused problems. I am indeed leery of skin cancer - both parents have had various cancerous (but non-metastasizing) growths removed from their skin. I'll have to do a bit of looking around to see if there's tanning salons nearby where I can get the UVB rays (I'm living in northwest England, where everyone goes to salons - sometimes with the awful orange results!).

Lyn and Issie, please do keep us posted on your progress - you are both way ahead of me with your understanding of genetics!

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Back to the D3 discussion; in order for it to work properly in your system, you have to also be on calcium citrate and magnesium oxide, because they all work together. Just saying...mine has gone up from 25 to 40 in 6 months, and I have malabsorption problems, too, at times. Tweaking your medications and having smooth muscle relaxants for your bowels can also help. Some here even take enzymes for their digestion. Don't stop trying...I'm also on a number of mitochondrial supplements, too, and I swear that has made the difference with very blurry vision I was having. I almost got to the point to go see a neuro- opthamologist for this because it was so bad, and then I decided to do more research into my MS symptoms, even though I don't have it; that's when I learned about the supplements for my symptoms. My vision is so much better. I also believe a lot of dysautonomia is caused by CCSVI, cerebral spinal venous insufficiency. There is also some research that a lot of autoimmune disorders are also caused by bacteria like lymes disease, too. Look at Rich's latest post on this. It's interesting....now I have fibromyalgia, because of this. I think that if you have dysautonomia long enough, that's what happens. It starts to invade your Central Nervous System, too, instead of just your Autonomic Nervous System! Which accounts for Parkinson like symptoms, because of low dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin levels according to the latest research. We need a cure, not a bandaide....keep researching!!

Thanks, SeattleRain about the tanning bed solution, too, for obtaining more D. I would imagine if you live there, there is very little sunshine!

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