Planning The Unpredictable

LIVING with Multiple Sclerosis

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I love Vitamin D

September 5th, 2008 · 11 Comments

I had my summary visit with my wonderful weight management doctor today. I am happy to report that my thyroid is finally stabilized. I think it took about 6-8 months to get the right dose but none the less, I feel so much better.

About 3 months ago I was put on 10,000 IU a day of vitamin D3 with the hopes that I might enter the normal range at some point. My blood test came back at 44 which is normal but on the very low end. Now, I have been told by many people that my dose of 10,000 IU a day was far too high but well, I am barely in the normal range. My doctor would like me in the higher range (80-100). The recent research suggesting that vitamin D might prevent relapses is also interesting. Anyway, she added 50,000 IU a week of vitamin D2 in additional to the 10,000 IU a day of vitamin D3.

I think the chances of becoming toxic are about the same as republicans seeing the light and voting for Obama. She also give me a great article on Vitamin D and how it interacts with the body. I have two major risk factors for low vitamin D levesl, MS and Obesity. Here is a very interesting part of vitamin D’s use in Autoimmune disorders:

It is important to understand the relationship between helper T cells and vitamin D in relation to all of these autoummune disease processes. Helper T cells (Th) are key components to antigen-specific immunity. There are 2 subtypes, Th1 and Th2. They regulate each other and, in normal immune responses, the host responds to a balance of Th1 and Th2. In autoimmune disease, Th1 is misdirected against self-proteins. Examples of these Th1-driven disease are diabetes mellitus type 1 and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Th1 and Th2 are targets of 1,25(OH)2D3. There are vitamin D receptors on Th cells. Vitamin D works with mediators for the suppression of autoimmune disorders. With inadequate vitamin D, the suppression can cease to occur, increasing the instance of Th1-driven diseases. The relationship with vitamin D and IBS is cyclic. Autoimmune disorders are associated with vitamin D deficiency, but then can also cause vitamin D deficiency. The malabsorption caused by IBS results in deficiency of vitamins absorbed in the intestines, which includes vitamin D.

So if I am reading that right, vitamin D might prevent the autoimmune disease (MS) from going nuts and eating our brains out. Now that is pretty freakin cool.

So once agian, get your vitamin D levels checked. :)

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Tags: Doctor Visits · Research

11 responses so far ↓

  • 1 October // Sep 7, 2008 at 11:02 am

    Just a quick note to say hi and that I just found your blog after a google search. I was diagnosed with MS in 2001. I enjoyed reading your experiences and plan to visit again soon.

    ~oct

    [Reply]

    nina reply on September 8th, 2008 7:45 pm

    Hey October,

    I just read some of your body. The weight loss journey sure is a fun one. I have lost something like 60ish pounds. I was at 70 pounds gone before the IV steroids. Those are no fun. :)

    [Reply]

  • 2 Nadja Tizer // Sep 7, 2008 at 1:05 pm

    I bath in sunlight whenever I can but it seems my levels are ok so if I keep up with my sunlight I should be ok.

    [Reply]

    nina reply on September 8th, 2008 7:44 pm

    Yes, as long as you get checked you are good to go.

    I am glad you are checking… you are better off than most for just doing that. :)

    [Reply]

  • 3 Charlotte // Sep 8, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    Has your doctor ever suggested cod liver oil as a vitamin D source?

    [Reply]

    nina reply on September 8th, 2008 7:38 pm

    She has not. It looks like one tablespoon of cod liver oil is about 1360 IU of vitamin d. I’d need 10 a day! I am not sure I could handle one dose of cod liver. :)

    [Reply]

  • 4 Lisa Emrich // Sep 16, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    I’m new to the whole low Vitamin D level thang. My internist wanted to check my level at the same time she checked my TSH level.

    I was a very bad girl and ran out of Synthroid prescription about four months ago and hadn’t gotten myself back into the office to check levels or get a new prescription. Very bad. Very bad.

    So my TSH came back 5.1 (we were aiming for 2.5 or less). Then my Vitamin D level came back 7 on a healthy scale of 32-100, basically non-existent.

    So added a new prescription today.

    [Reply]

    nina reply on September 20th, 2008 10:12 pm

    Glad you got it checked out. I am not sure how you managed with a TSH of 5.1. I felt like poop at 2.89.

    I hope you don’t think any less of me due to the political drama at PLM.

    [Reply]

  • 5 Emmie // Dec 6, 2008 at 3:13 pm

    I have been having major joint & muscle pain along with extreme fatigue for almost 2 months. After seeing a Rheumatologist last week and undergoing Xrays and blood tests, it was determined that my Vitamin D level are very low. The doctor wants me to start on 50,000 a day for a week. Is this too much? It sounds scary!

    [Reply]

    nina reply on December 6th, 2008 10:56 pm

    That does seem like a lot! Have you gotten a second opinion? What were your blood test results?

    I might ask him/her if it is ok to start at every 3-4 days instead.

    [Reply]

  • 6 rosa // Jun 23, 2009 at 8:16 am

    I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism . Of course th internist wanted me to go to radiation, but I said no way. found out that I am allergic to yeast and gluten before all this hyperthyroidism.
    How come the doctors never looked into this > This is the first time I heard of Vit D testing. This was never mentioned , but I did start taking it at 1000 mg a day. Maybe I should increase it ?
    Thank you for your article on this.

    Rosa

    [Reply]

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