Re: OT: Vitamin D Lowers Inflammation--Dr. Mercola--Dr. Cannell

[Guest guest]

Ken & ,

Thanks for the article you posted. I've only in the past year

learned that some people do not tolerate Vitamin D supplementation

well at all and can develop soft tissue problems anywhere over their

bodies. While people are reading your post, if they are not already

familiar with the problems of those who are unable to tolerate Vit D

supplements, I've gone to Dr. Mercola's site and found the following

information. What the article I'm pasting doesn't say (and has been

found to be true in many patients) is that the granulation tissue it

speaks of is found not only in sarcoid patients, but other rheumatic

diagnoses as well when there is an abnormality of Vitamin D hormone

levels.

Best to all, bg

http://www.mercola.com/2002/sep/14/sarcoidosis.htm

When the fever subsides it is then assumed that the body's immune

system has rejected the microbe, and the patient has been 'cured'.

Unfortunately, in that fraction of the population with the genetic

pre-disposition to form sarcoid granuloma, the bacteria continue to

live in the granuloma, and the body's immune system continues to try

and reject them. Sometimes the immune system is successful, and the

patient goes into " remission " . But sometimes the inflammation

continues for the remainder of the patient's lifetime.

Unless an antibiotic is used that is capable of attacking the

bacteria which are living in the soft tissue and granuloma, the

microbes might never be killed. Penicillin just doesn't do the job.

The antibiotics that have been most successful against this type of

bacteria are the Tetracyclines, and Minocycline has been proven

effective in sarcoidosis. The low-dose Minocin treatment which Dr.

Mercola developed for his rheumatoid arthritis patients is a good

way to treat the bacteria of sarcoidosis.

There is a hormone which allows the sarcoid granuloma to flourish.

It is called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. It is formed in the kidneys

from 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the metabolite formed when our bodies take

in Vitamin D from sunlight or from food. Although the 1,25 D hormone

is normally manufactured in the kidneys, it is also manufactured in

the granulomatous inflammation of sarcoidosis.

Consequently, the concentration of this hormone in the blood of

sarcoid patients can rise to quite high levels, and cause them to

suffer from the symptoms of " Hypervitaminosis D " . These include

fatigue, pins and needles, numbness, muscle pain, muscle cramps,

dizzyness, loss of balance and even facial palsy.

Your doctor can measure the levels of the 1,25 D hormone and also of

25-hydroxyvitamin D, its precursor. When the D-Ratio is calculated

from this blood work, it gives a measure of the amount of

granulomatous inflammation which is present in a sarcoid patient's

body. This D-Ratio can be tracked to ascertain the effectiveness of

the Minocin therapy.

One way to stop high levels of this 1,25 D hormone from forming is

to reduce the amount of Vitamin D that our bodies are taking in.

This has to be done carefully, as our bodies need some Vitamin D to

function properly. Nevertheless, the granuloma of sarcoidosis

manufacture this hormone very vigorously, and so sarcoid patients

are especially sensitive to sunlight and dietary Vitamin D.

The symptoms of fatigue, numbness, pain and cramping all go away

after the level of the 1,25 D hormone has been brought back down to

normal levels. Your doctor needs to measure the level of the 1,25 D

hormone and make sure it doesn't fall too low.

" Especially sensitive to sunlight " means stay indoors. Even a little

bit of sunlight will feed the inflammation and make the fatigue

worse. Sunshades may even have to be worn in brightly lit indoor

environments, and very, very, dark sunshades are needed if you have

to venture outside during the daylight hours. You should also cover

all exposed skin with thick clothing, and wear leather gloves while

driving.

The effects of an exposure to the sun are not immediate, indeed,

pleasure is the first response, and discomfort takes 4 to 8 hours to

develop. During the following 2-4 days, however, is when the

symptoms are at their worst. Since most people tend to live on a

daily cycle, they are rarely out of the sun for 2-4 days at a time.

Consequently they might never correlate their symptoms with the sun

exposure until after they read about it.

In addition, Vitamin D is stored in the body's fat. Sometimes it may

take several months until the blood work shows that the 25 D level

has fallen, and the reserves in body fat have been used up. Although

the fatigue usually eases fairly quickly, numbness and muscle pain

only ease after the fat storages have been significantly depleted.

Your doctor may suggest that you take an angiotensin receptor

blocker, such as Benicar. It turns out that Angiotensin II is not

only important to cardiac health and blood pressure, but it's also

an important part of the inflammatory cycle in the granuloma. ARBs

are a relatively safe family of drugs that can dramatically ease any

discomfort that remains once a sarcoid patient has gotten their

Vitamin D under control.

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

If you have this disease or know anyone who suffers from it, this is

a very enlightening article. This relatively uncommon condition is

one of the only times ones needs to rigidly avoid all sun exposure

and vitamin D intake.

> This information is provided by Mercola.com, the world's most

visited and

> trusted natural health website. You can keep current on all the

exciting new

> natural health news by subscribing to the free weekly health

newsletter at

> Mercola.com.

> http://www.mercola.com/fcgi/pf/2004/feb/28/vitamin_d.htm

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

---------

> ----

>

> Vitamin D Lowers Inflammation

> Contributed by Cannell, MD, executive director of The

Vitamin D

> Council

>

> Researchers in Belgium appear to be the first to show that simple,

natural

> and cheap vitamin D (cholecalciferol) lowers C-Reactive Protein

(CRP), a

> measure of inflammation in the body, in critically ill patients.

>

> Even small amounts of vitamin D, about 500 IU, lowered

inflammation by more

> than 25 percent in a small group of critically ill patients.

Another marker

> of inflammation (IL-6) was reduced even more. The researchers also

found

> that critically ill patients were profoundly deficient in vitamin

D.

>

> In another study, researchers found that vitamin D deficiency is

associated

> with increased inflammation in otherwise healthy people. Increased

> inflammation in the body can increase the risk of chronic

inflammatory

> conditions, including coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes.

Further,

> the researchers found that inflammation was lowered by simple

vitamin D.

>

> As vitamin D deficiency is associated with numerous illnesses with

> inflammatory components, such as hypertension, heart disease,

diabetes,

> autoimmune illness and heart disease, the findings were important.

The

> authors concluded, " This finding provides a possible mechanism for

tissue

> damage in chronic inflammatory conditions, including CHD and

diabetes. "

>

> Inflammation in the body may be as important as cholesterol in

determining

> the risk of heart disease. Unlike cholesterol alone, cholesterol

and

> inflammation together predict a substantial number of cases of

heart

> disease.

>

> Various studies show that vitamin D deficiency is widespread among

the

> critically ill and suggest that that vitamin D deficiency may

contribute to

> the inflammatory basis of various illnesses.

>

> For example, earlier this year researchers studied patients with

congestive

> heart failure and found elevated levels of TNF, another marker of

> inflammation. They also found critically low levels of calcidiol

[25(OH)D],

> the only reliable marker of vitamin D, and even found low levels of

> calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D that is usually low only

in those

> who are severely vitamin D deficient.

>

> They concluded vitamin D deficiency might contribute to the

development of

> congestive heart failure (CHF).

>

> It is important to note that vitamin D's anti-inflammatory actions

in humans

> have long been suspected. For example, several studies using

compounds

> similar to vitamin D have been shown to significantly reduce

inflammation

> and improve the patients' condition when given to patients

suffering from

> rheumatoid arthritis.

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

---------

> ----

> Dr. Mercola's Comment:

> CRP is elevated when there is inflammation going on somewhere in

the body,

> and chronic inflammation is a risk factor for a number of

conditions

> including coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes. Numerous

studies have

> shown that vitamin D lowers inflammation.

>

> Folks, we are in the midst of a radical revision of vitamin D

understanding.

> The leading vitamin D scientists in the world have changed their

position

> within the last few years and have started the warning sirens that

most of

> traditional medicine was dead wrong when it comes to sun avoidance.

>

> Following the ridiculous recommendations of avoiding the sun has

caused a

> minimum of 20,000 extra cancers per year, and it is far more

likely the

> number actually exceeds 50,000. And that is just cancer deaths. It

does not

> include heart disease or autoimmune diseases like MS or rheumatoid

> arthritis.

>

> The old RDA of 400 units was only put together to prevent rickets.

It was

> established long before the appreciation of sun exposure and

optimized

> vitamin D levels. The requirements for vitamin D are far closer to

10 times

> the current RDA, or 4,000 units. If you only took the RDA of 400

units of

> vitamin D and avoided the sun you can be virtually guaranteed you

would be

> vitamin D deficient, just like over 85 percent of the country

currently is.

>

> This is why it is crucial that you have your vitamin D levels

tested now. By

> far, the vast majority of people reading this right now have far

too little

> vitamin D in their blood. Over 85 percent of people have levels

below 32,

> which is considered deficient, but it is possible to overdose on

vitamin D.

>

> In my practice we don't like to see patient levels go much above

50, but 55

> is probably a perfect level and anything above 60 is likely to be

toxic. One

> study found cancer started to occur at 80. So, be smart and get

your vitamin

> D level tested.

>

> We routinely put people on 10,000 units a day or more of vitamin D

safely as

> long as we monitor them. It is important to understand that most

of us get

> 10,000 units on a sunny summer day if we have significant exposure.

>

> If you are a health care professional I would strongly urge you to

consider

> subscribing to Dr. Cannell's excellent vitamin D newsletter. The

top vitamin

> D scientists in the world write it, and it is sent to the top

scientists in

> the world with the intention of sparking the important changes

that need to

> occur in the U.S. recommendations. I have learned quite a bit

about vitamin

> D already, but it seems that every issue Dr. Cannel surprises me

with new

> and exciting information about the health benefits of vitamin D.

>

> Related Articles:

>

> What is the Vitamin Most People in the U.S. are Deficient In?

>

> RDAs of Vitamin D Far Too Low

>

> How Much Vitamin D is Too Much? Take This Vitamin D Quiz to Find

Out!

>

> Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency

>

> Breakthrough Updates You Need to Know on Vitamin D

>

> Why You Need to Have Your Vitamin D Level Tested Now

>

>

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

---------

> ----

> Return to Table of Contents #511

> -------------------------------------------------------------------

---------

> ----

>

> Visit Mercola.com for health news and information you can really

use, and

> sign up for the free twice weekly Mercola e-newsletter today at

> www.mercola.com

[Guest guest]

Bg, it's good to be thorough and thank you for adding your additional

article. I think it is important to remember that as Dr. Mercola says,

sarcoidosis is not common. Also, there are blood tests to measure 25,

hydroxyvitamin D and 125, hydroxyvitamin D. I did this when I first read

about the Marshall protocol. Because of the mounting evidence of the

importance of Vitamin D in fighting cancer and allowing our bodies to

function normally on many levels, it might be wise for anyone reading our

discussion to have these levels checked and get a diagnosis of sarcoidosis

or granulomas before assuming that because you have a rheumatic disease, you

have these problems. When you have all this information, you can make a

better decision about increasing or decreasing vitamin D supplements and

sun exposure.

rheumatic Re: OT: Vitamin D Lowers Inflammation--Dr. Mercola--Dr.

Cannell

>

>

>

> Ken & ,

>

> Thanks for the article you posted. I've only in the past year

> learned that some people do not tolerate Vitamin D supplementation

> well at all and can develop soft tissue problems anywhere over their

> bodies. While people are reading your post, if they are not already

> familiar with the problems of those who are unable to tolerate Vit D

> supplements, I've gone to Dr. Mercola's site and found the following

> information. What the article I'm pasting doesn't say (and has been

> found to be true in many patients) is that the granulation tissue it

> speaks of is found not only in sarcoid patients, but other rheumatic

> diagnoses as well when there is an abnormality of Vitamin D hormone

> levels.

>

> Best to all, bg

>

> http://www.mercola.com/2002/sep/14/sarcoidosis.htm

> When the fever subsides it is then assumed that the body's immune

> system has rejected the microbe, and the patient has been 'cured'.

>

> Unfortunately, in that fraction of the population with the genetic

> pre-disposition to form sarcoid granuloma, the bacteria continue to

> live in the granuloma, and the body's immune system continues to try

> and reject them. Sometimes the immune system is successful, and the

> patient goes into " remission " . But sometimes the inflammation

> continues for the remainder of the patient's lifetime.

>

> Unless an antibiotic is used that is capable of attacking the

> bacteria which are living in the soft tissue and granuloma, the

> microbes might never be killed. Penicillin just doesn't do the job.

> The antibiotics that have been most successful against this type of

> bacteria are the Tetracyclines, and Minocycline has been proven

> effective in sarcoidosis. The low-dose Minocin treatment which Dr.

> Mercola developed for his rheumatoid arthritis patients is a good

> way to treat the bacteria of sarcoidosis.

>

> There is a hormone which allows the sarcoid granuloma to flourish.

> It is called 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. It is formed in the kidneys

> from 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the metabolite formed when our bodies take

> in Vitamin D from sunlight or from food. Although the 1,25 D hormone

> is normally manufactured in the kidneys, it is also manufactured in

> the granulomatous inflammation of sarcoidosis.

>

> Consequently, the concentration of this hormone in the blood of

> sarcoid patients can rise to quite high levels, and cause them to

> suffer from the symptoms of " Hypervitaminosis D " . These include

> fatigue, pins and needles, numbness, muscle pain, muscle cramps,

> dizzyness, loss of balance and even facial palsy.

>

> Your doctor can measure the levels of the 1,25 D hormone and also of

> 25-hydroxyvitamin D, its precursor. When the D-Ratio is calculated

> from this blood work, it gives a measure of the amount of

> granulomatous inflammation which is present in a sarcoid patient's

> body. This D-Ratio can be tracked to ascertain the effectiveness of

> the Minocin therapy.

>

> One way to stop high levels of this 1,25 D hormone from forming is

> to reduce the amount of Vitamin D that our bodies are taking in.

> This has to be done carefully, as our bodies need some Vitamin D to

> function properly. Nevertheless, the granuloma of sarcoidosis

> manufacture this hormone very vigorously, and so sarcoid patients

> are especially sensitive to sunlight and dietary Vitamin D.

>

> The symptoms of fatigue, numbness, pain and cramping all go away

> after the level of the 1,25 D hormone has been brought back down to

> normal levels. Your doctor needs to measure the level of the 1,25 D

> hormone and make sure it doesn't fall too low.

>

> " Especially sensitive to sunlight " means stay indoors. Even a little

> bit of sunlight will feed the inflammation and make the fatigue

> worse. Sunshades may even have to be worn in brightly lit indoor

> environments, and very, very, dark sunshades are needed if you have

> to venture outside during the daylight hours. You should also cover

> all exposed skin with thick clothing, and wear leather gloves while

> driving.

>

> The effects of an exposure to the sun are not immediate, indeed,

> pleasure is the first response, and discomfort takes 4 to 8 hours to

> develop. During the following 2-4 days, however, is when the

> symptoms are at their worst. Since most people tend to live on a

> daily cycle, they are rarely out of the sun for 2-4 days at a time.

>

> Consequently they might never correlate their symptoms with the sun

> exposure until after they read about it.

>

> In addition, Vitamin D is stored in the body's fat. Sometimes it may

> take several months until the blood work shows that the 25 D level

> has fallen, and the reserves in body fat have been used up. Although

> the fatigue usually eases fairly quickly, numbness and muscle pain

> only ease after the fat storages have been significantly depleted.

>

> Your doctor may suggest that you take an angiotensin receptor

> blocker, such as Benicar. It turns out that Angiotensin II is not

> only important to cardiac health and blood pressure, but it's also

> an important part of the inflammatory cycle in the granuloma. ARBs

> are a relatively safe family of drugs that can dramatically ease any

> discomfort that remains once a sarcoid patient has gotten their

> Vitamin D under control.

>

> Dr. Mercola's Comment:

>

> If you have this disease or know anyone who suffers from it, this is

> a very enlightening article. This relatively uncommon condition is

> one of the only times ones needs to rigidly avoid all sun exposure

> and vitamin D intake.

>

>

>

> > This information is provided by Mercola.com, the world's most

> visited and

> > trusted natural health website. You can keep current on all the

> exciting new

> > natural health news by subscribing to the free weekly health

> newsletter at

> > Mercola.com.

> > http://www.mercola.com/fcgi/pf/2004/feb/28/vitamin_d.htm

> > -------------------------------------------------------------------

> ---------

> > ----

> >

> > Vitamin D Lowers Inflammation

> > Contributed by Cannell, MD, executive director of The

> Vitamin D

> > Council

> >

> > Researchers in Belgium appear to be the first to show that simple,

> natural

> > and cheap vitamin D (cholecalciferol) lowers C-Reactive Protein

> (CRP), a

> > measure of inflammation in the body, in critically ill patients.

> >

> > Even small amounts of vitamin D, about 500 IU, lowered

> inflammation by more

> > than 25 percent in a small group of critically ill patients.

> Another marker

> > of inflammation (IL-6) was reduced even more. The researchers also

> found

> > that critically ill patients were profoundly deficient in vitamin

> D.

> >

> > In another study, researchers found that vitamin D deficiency is

> associated

> > with increased inflammation in otherwise healthy people. Increased

> > inflammation in the body can increase the risk of chronic

> inflammatory

> > conditions, including coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes.

> Further,

> > the researchers found that inflammation was lowered by simple

> vitamin D.

> >

> > As vitamin D deficiency is associated with numerous illnesses with

> > inflammatory components, such as hypertension, heart disease,

> diabetes,

> > autoimmune illness and heart disease, the findings were important.

> The

> > authors concluded, " This finding provides a possible mechanism for

> tissue

> > damage in chronic inflammatory conditions, including CHD and

> diabetes. "

> >

> > Inflammation in the body may be as important as cholesterol in

> determining

> > the risk of heart disease. Unlike cholesterol alone, cholesterol

> and

> > inflammation together predict a substantial number of cases of

> heart

> > disease.

> >

> > Various studies show that vitamin D deficiency is widespread among

> the

> > critically ill and suggest that that vitamin D deficiency may

> contribute to

> > the inflammatory basis of various illnesses.

> >

> > For example, earlier this year researchers studied patients with

> congestive

> > heart failure and found elevated levels of TNF, another marker of

> > inflammation. They also found critically low levels of calcidiol

> [25(OH)D],

> > the only reliable marker of vitamin D, and even found low levels of

> > calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D that is usually low only

> in those

> > who are severely vitamin D deficient.

> >

> > They concluded vitamin D deficiency might contribute to the

> development of

> > congestive heart failure (CHF).

> >

> > It is important to note that vitamin D's anti-inflammatory actions

> in humans

> > have long been suspected. For example, several studies using

> compounds

> > similar to vitamin D have been shown to significantly reduce

> inflammation

> > and improve the patients' condition when given to patients

> suffering from

> > rheumatoid arthritis.

> >

> >

> > -------------------------------------------------------------------

> ---------

> > ----

> > Dr. Mercola's Comment:

> > CRP is elevated when there is inflammation going on somewhere in

> the body,

> > and chronic inflammation is a risk factor for a number of

> conditions

> > including coronary heart disease (CHD) and diabetes. Numerous

> studies have

> > shown that vitamin D lowers inflammation.

> >

> > Folks, we are in the midst of a radical revision of vitamin D

> understanding.

> > The leading vitamin D scientists in the world have changed their

> position

> > within the last few years and have started the warning sirens that

> most of

> > traditional medicine was dead wrong when it comes to sun avoidance.

> >

> > Following the ridiculous recommendations of avoiding the sun has

> caused a

> > minimum of 20,000 extra cancers per year, and it is far more

> likely the

> > number actually exceeds 50,000. And that is just cancer deaths. It

> does not

> > include heart disease or autoimmune diseases like MS or rheumatoid

> > arthritis.

> >

> > The old RDA of 400 units was only put together to prevent rickets.

> It was

> > established long before the appreciation of sun exposure and

> optimized

> > vitamin D levels. The requirements for vitamin D are far closer to

> 10 times

> > the current RDA, or 4,000 units. If you only took the RDA of 400

> units of

> > vitamin D and avoided the sun you can be virtually guaranteed you

> would be

> > vitamin D deficient, just like over 85 percent of the country

> currently is.

> >

> > This is why it is crucial that you have your vitamin D levels

> tested now. By

> > far, the vast majority of people reading this right now have far

> too little

> > vitamin D in their blood. Over 85 percent of people have levels

> below 32,

> > which is considered deficient, but it is possible to overdose on

> vitamin D.

> >

> > In my practice we don't like to see patient levels go much above

> 50, but 55

> > is probably a perfect level and anything above 60 is likely to be

> toxic. One

> > study found cancer started to occur at 80. So, be smart and get

> your vitamin

> > D level tested.

> >

> > We routinely put people on 10,000 units a day or more of vitamin D

> safely as

> > long as we monitor them. It is important to understand that most

> of us get

> > 10,000 units on a sunny summer day if we have significant exposure.

> >

> > If you are a health care professional I would strongly urge you to

> consider

> > subscribing to Dr. Cannell's excellent vitamin D newsletter. The

> top vitamin

> > D scientists in the world write it, and it is sent to the top

> scientists in

> > the world with the intention of sparking the important changes

> that need to

> > occur in the U.S. recommendations. I have learned quite a bit

> about vitamin

> > D already, but it seems that every issue Dr. Cannel surprises me

> with new

> > and exciting information about the health benefits of vitamin D.

> >

> > Related Articles:

> >

> > What is the Vitamin Most People in the U.S. are Deficient In?

> >

> > RDAs of Vitamin D Far Too Low

> >

> > How Much Vitamin D is Too Much? Take This Vitamin D Quiz to Find

> Out!

> >

> > Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency

> >

> > Breakthrough Updates You Need to Know on Vitamin D

> >

> > Why You Need to Have Your Vitamin D Level Tested Now

> >

> >

> > -------------------------------------------------------------------

> ---------

> > ----

> > Return to Table of Contents #511

> > -------------------------------------------------------------------

> ---------

> > ----

> >

> > Visit Mercola.com for health news and information you can really

> use, and

> > sign up for the free twice weekly Mercola e-newsletter today at

> > www.mercola.com

>

>

>

>

>

>

> To unsubscribe, email: rheumatic-unsubscribeegroups

>

>