sbgrace
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Posts posted by sbgrace
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How much outside time do you get? Some people think to get adequate Vit D from sunlight, you need a lot of sun exposure on a mainly nude body, but Harvard researchers are saying that as little as 5 minutes a day with exposed arms and occasionally legs can be enough.
I know there is a lot of misinformation out there about vitamin D so it doesn't surprise me that you read that. Still, it's not true and if people believe that stuff they are likely to not realize they may well be low. Most of us are, in fact, low.
In this study 51% of high sun exposure people were deficient. The average sun exposure without sunscreen was around 22 hours a week of Hawaiian sun. Still they were deficient. Worse is that the standard for adequate levels in the study were 30...and we know that's not really adequate. Still over 50% of them were below 30. The mean in the study was only 31! We know that people really need to be at 50. When you look at the graphs in the study you see almost none of them were at 50 or above despite above average levels of of sun exposure. http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/con...130&sendit=Get
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Study hypothesized why so many were low even though they had lots of sun exposure:Conclusions: These data suggest that variable responsiveness to UVB radiation is evident among individuals, causing some to have low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposure
Holly, your kids over age one can safely take up to 2000 IU per day of D3. Adults can safely take up to 9000 IU of D3 daily. I'd give 1000 IU per 25 pounds (a good maintenance of level dose for most people) to anyone you think is ok until you can test. If you're pretty sure someone is likely low (say hubby) I'd do a higher dose though stay at or below those upper tolerable intakes of 2000 for kids and 9000 for adults. I did 5000 IU per day myself for two months prior to testing. I was still really low at testing. I upped to 9000 IU per day to correct and then dropped back to 5000 IU. My husband takes 5000 IU per day because we don't know his level. My kids take 2000 IU per day and I know they are at a good level.Possible explanations for this include inadequate cutaneous production of D3, enhanced cutaneous destruction of previtamin D3 or vitamin D3, down-regulation of cutaneous synthesis by sun-induced melanin production, or abnormalities of transport from the skin to the circulation.There is no guarantee of getting all a person needs through sun no matter how much sun they get or where they get it in my opinion. But this is certainly true if a person is talking about arms and legs for 5 or so minutes a day. I just can't fathom why a responsible researcher would make that claim. But I couldn't find the statement let alone study the 5 minutes on arms recommendation was based on to check it out. Still, I'm not surprised you read it and I hope you realize it's likely not true for many of us.
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I would ask them to fax a copy of the labs. You need to know your numbers. I'd start vitamin D3 (most prescriptions are not D3) now in high dose--say 9-10,000 IU of D3 per day even while you wait since you know you were deficient.
Did he mention when you start treatment for the thyroid?
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You mentioned doctor--make sure you see a dermatologist specifically. And have him/her do a full body check and not just that spot. You probably need that regularly given your personal and family history. I had a weird peeling spot (not a mole though--an ingrown hair type place that had been there forever) and it was some skin condition. My point there are other options and no use worrying. But do see a dermatologist. Regular doctors miss skin cancer way too often.
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I KNOW that home-grinding of grains is much healthier just because of freshness, etc., but it could make it easier to digest the gluten, too? I also do sourdough breads...this makes it easier to digest the gluten as well?
Sourdough should make it easier to digest. The grinding is good in terms of freshness/so you're not using rancid flour but it's not helpful in terms of digestability in my understanding. Soaking/sprouting would affect digestability in a positive way. If you do your own grinding anyway you might look into spelt. It's got gluten but at a much lower percent than wheat.
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Gluten is hard for the body to break down. I believe long ago people prepared their wheat and related grains differently--say making sourdough bread--that did a lot to make gluten more digestable. Now we add preservatives to make it even harder to break down.
And then we have an increase in all auto-immune conditions now and celiac is auto-immune. Genetics are a factor for certain in celiac and other autoimmune issues. But something triggers them. What is the trigger and why is it happening more often? I don't know but perhaps vitamin D deficiency plays a role in celiac as it apparently plays a role in triggering other autoimmune conditions.
My son is the only person who needed to avoid gluten in our house. But we all still eat gluten free meals and I think we're likely healthier for it. You can eat gluten in a healthy way too. We just didn't do it before and I think most people don't. And overall people in general eat way too much processed and preserved wheat based foods as diet staples. Oh, I don't think switching gluten foods for a diet heavy in gluten free carbs is healthy and may in fact be worse for many people except those with celiac of course.
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Is the deficiency because of sun screen use though?
No. Average was 22.4 hours a week of Hawaiian sun exposure without sunscreen. In addition, there were a variety of races and skin tones representated. It looks like a well designed study in all ways I can determine. http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/92/6/2130?gca=92/6/2017&gca=92/6/2058&gca=92/6/2130&sendit=Get
Worse is that the standard for adequate levels in the study were 30...and we know that's not really adequate. Still over 50% of them were below 30. The mean in the study was only 31! We know that people really need to be at 50. When you look at the graphs in the study you see almost none of them were at 50 or above.
Conclusions: These data suggest that variable responsiveness to UVB radiation is evident among individuals, causing some to have low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposureStudy hypothesized why so many were low even though they had lots of sun exposure:
Possible explanations for this include inadequate cutaneous production of D3, enhanced cutaneous destruction of previtamin D3 or vitamin D3, down-regulation of cutaneous synthesis by sun-induced melanin production, or abnormalities of transport from the skin to the circulation.There is no guarantee of getting all a person needs through sun no matter how much sun they get in my opinion. My mom who does tons of gardening and outdoor work and has skin cancers (non-melanoma) to prove it found herself with very low numbers when she tested. A shock really. I was low. My aunts were low. My sister who uses a tanning booth. I suspect genetics has something to do with it.
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I don't think you can change how you're wired. But I do think you can make changes to help you keep a more family friendly schedule. I'm like you and it's really hard.
Melatonin helps me go to bed at a reasonable time. Keeping my weekly wake time (and reasonable bedtime) consistent even on the week-end is important. Daylight exposure when you first wake up or as soon as possible after can help reset your body clock. Naps are what are killing me in terms of being consistent in fixing this. They need to go because they make it too easy for me stay up late, get up with my kids, and still get the sleep I need.
I'm wired to be night owl and I don't have the discpline to consistently function otherwise. But I need to get back on it.
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I'd love to get my kids vitamin D levels tested.....but I'm not sure I want to step foot into the doctor's office right now unless I really have to. I'm scared of catching the flu!
But I have an appt for myself in a little over a week to get the test results back from my bloodwork. I'm already dreading stepping into that office.
We're in the same place with my husband. I know the levels of myself and the kids but hubby kept putting it off until we find ourselves in flu season. I'm thinking its far worse to put him in the office right now. So we've got two options--pay up for an at home test via vitamin D council or grassroots health or just dose him as if he's deficient. I think we're probaly going to dose as if. In reality adults are ok up to at least 9000 IU. So he's taking that now.
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No, what you get in a multi isn't enough for kids.
Ideally, you find out their level and dose based on the findings.
Short of that any child over age one can take up to 2000 IU of D3 per day.
I'd give at least 1000 IU to children in the winter if I didn't know levels. A rule of thumb is 1000 IU per 25 pounds to maintain levels. Again, ideally, you find their levels and dose based on the findings.
Over 50% of high sun exposure Hawaiians are deficient. No matter where a person lives they can be deficient and many are. I'd want a test Amy G.
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I believe they carry Natrol My Favorite Multiple Take One.
It's a fabulous formulation. The iron in it is albion's ferrochel (iron bisglycinate). The lovely thing about it is that it absorbs beautifully in the presence of calcium and doesn't interfere with the absorption of anything else. It's safe and effective.
Copper and zinc do antagonize each other but in the forms in the natrol (and many good vitamins) this really isn't much of an issue.....I wouldn't worry about it in the least. The key thing is to get enough zinc and in the natrol you will, even if your diet is high in copper (ie grains).
My son takes ferrochel (bis-glycinate). I agree it is a wonderful iron source. Part of what makes it great and so much more absorbable is that it isn't affected by phytates that normally block iron absorption. However, in all my research I never saw anything that said it isn't blocked by other minerals including calcium. Where did you see that information? I'd love to know that I don't need to keep calcium away from his iron.
edited to add: I found an albion newsletter and they stated that the ferrochel acts like heme iron and therefore isn't affected by calcium. However, all my research indicates that heme iron is inhibited by calcium. I'm skeptical that ferrochel is ok with calcium.
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I'd stop the vitamin and see if the poop settles down. How much magnesium was she getting in the pill? How much vitamin C? Does she have any allergies?
I don't like all minerals together. Minerals often block each other (iron, zinc, calcium, and copper specifically really need to be taken apart). If you want to do one pill supplement do one without iron. I tend to supplement what I need seperately.
Do use vitamin D3 on it's own no matter what other vitamin you take. My husband and I take 5000 IU of D3 in the winter and the boys take 2000 IU.
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It sounds like the chiro. neuro is on the right track. Vitamin D for example has proven serious impacts on the body. Many MD's would test for that. I would add, though, that she needs her calcium checked just to make sure her parathyroid is functioning well. http://www.parathyroid.com/parathyroid-symptoms.htm# Her calcium should be 9 or below and I expect it will be. At her age parathyroid issues would be very, very rare. But given her symptoms and the low vitamin D it should probably be checked.
Her tests showed adrenal fatigue which is a real condition. It almost always goes along with something else (vitamin D, thyroid, gluten issues very common). He checked her thyroid I assume? I suspect the adrenal stuff is a result of the stress of lack of sleep and the like.
I'd stick with the person, no matter the degree, who has found something to treat and move on if you fix those things and you still have issues. I'd perhaps make an appointment with a pediatric endo (who might have tested vitamin D too...) for the future. You can cancel if she's doing better and doesn't need it. Or you can go and listen and take what's good and leave what's not.
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Thank you everyone for the replies. I did tell her that she couldn't come but everyone else was welcome and we would put her in a hotel. No one came and I feel like the bad guy. It's actually very helpful to know that others would do the same.
Texmex, it's nice to know we aren't the only ones who have to pull back in the winter (we're metabolics too). It's hard isn't it? And to have to start so early because of H1N1 has been difficult mentally for us this year.
*How* in the world do you do that? Cold & Flu 'season' is pretty much the entire winter! :001_huh:We're in the same boat and it does completely stink. But I know that if my child got the flu he might never be the same so we don't have a choice. There are worse things in life! My kids do play outside in our yard and that sort of thing--we just can't do in public stuff during flu season.
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One of my kids has several underlying conditions that put him at high risk of complications from flu (regular and H1N1). Under geneticist orders every flu season our family (except my husband who works and gets a flu shot) goes into isolation basically during flu season. This year that started early and it's been hard for my boys to have to stop activities.
My in laws plan to come tomorrow with my husband's aunt who lives very far away. When this was planned I reminded MIL that no one with any flu symptoms at all, even possible, could come because it wasn't worth the risk.
Tonight I stated again that if anyone is sick they can't come. She mentions that she has something but she's getting better and it's not the flu. She never mentioned anything all the times I talked to her this week which irritates me.
Symptoms (all week) are nasal and now coughing as well. No fever. Would you have her come and assume it isn't the flu?
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You shouldn't have to wait to go back. They set me up in my home. My mom was the same way. Then she went back after she adjusted for her titration study.
My mother noticed an immediate improvement. Her apnea was moderate. She got used to the mask in a couple of weeks. You can sleep on your side and move around. I never fully adjusted though I did use mine (nasal) because I didn't have it long. I had planned from the start to do an oral appliance as a treatment so I used the cpap while I was waiting on my appliance to be built basically. I liked my cpap though. I felt like I could breath at night. I didn't have an immediate improvement except that I no longer snored. Over time I've seen dramatic improvement but in my case with the oral appliance I had to work up to a level controlling my apnea by adjusting the appliance. So not the same as cpap in timing.
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For narcolepsy (could be....) you need a sleep latency test. That's where they keep you the next day and see how long it takes you to fall asleep (and dream) in a nap. Worth looking into for your husband.
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There are so many things that can cause fatigue. I do agree that sleep apnea is the first to rule out so I'm glad his doctor is on that. If it comes back ok I've got other ideas. I would say no matter what the findings of the sleep study vitamin D levels (25 (OH) D) should be checked if they haven't been. Does he have any pain at all? I had sleep apnea, vitamin D deficiency, and other issues that together caused extreme fatigue and vertigo among other things. It was like I had the fatigue part of the flu nearly all the time. It was debilitating. Treatment has made a world of difference.
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We bought our house with paying it off quickly in mind and not the house that our incomes could afford or even close. The house cost relative to income is most important. Our home purchase prices was only about 10K more than our gross income at the time. The home needed quite a bit of work. We spent 50% of our take home income on paying down the mortage (80K gross combined income). We paid it off in six years.
We sacrificed purchasing other stuff with the money. This included driving old vehicles, cable, eating out, etc. The biggest sacrifice was probably a larger/better house really. I've never once regretted that though. None of it felt like a sacrifice but a choice.
We could not have done it that quickly with a smaller total income and our other expenses were much lower then too. Our income now is 50K gross. It would obviously take quite a bit longer now but could be done. We're spending a huge load in medical expenses that most families don't have so I know money can go out of even the tightest budgets if you don't have too much outflow in debt.
One thing to keep in mind though is that even modest amounts of paying down principal early in a mortgage significantly cut over-all interest and time in the life of the loan. So even the equivalent of one extra payment a year adds up. It's not all or nothing.
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I just used NOW foods magnesium citrate and mixed it in orange juice. You do have to watch bowel tolerance--too much and you get loose stools. We split doses into two so we could get a bit more in without stool issues. In general chelates to minerals are probably better absorbed. I don't think the type of magnesium matters too much honestly though I tend to stay away from glycinate and aspartates because both those have possible neurological effects I don't want.
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Deficiencies do affect our bodies. My son had a throat clearing tic and we did increase magnesium for him. It subsided in time but these things tend to come and go for many kids in his age range anyway so I can't say it was anything we did for sure. I felt there was reason not to try the magnesium and see if you get the amount of improvement you need.
If we end up dealing with continued tics in my son I intend to use habit reversal training. I think reading up on it might be helpful to you as it was to me. If nothing else you know there is a non-drug, no side effect, etc. treatment for this type of stuff. And the use of one doesn't preclude the use of the other. I'd do magnesium no matter what else I tried.
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I take mine once a day but I do believe you can take it once a week as the previous poster said. I guess my point is that you probably need more. But it's ok to take it all at once before bed unless you find it keeps you awake or something like that. If it does either add in one large dose once a week or take it in the morning and at night. My kids take all theirs at night. Hubby and I take ours with breakfast.
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Really? I had read that just 10 minutes of sun a few days/week gave anyone enough Vit. D. Why are so many people getting deficiencies then? Is it being sapped out by something? What's up?
I think there is a lot of misinformation out there on vitamin D and the thought that sun is enough for anyone is one of those incorrect beliefs.
http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/92/6/2130
This is study with 93 adults living in Hawaii with reported mean sun exposure of 28.9 hours per week with 22.4 of those hours without sunscreen. They used a variety of racial groups to account for skin tone differences. Using an outdated definition of low (30, which is actually deficient), 51% of those studied had low vitamin D levels. What would the percent deficient have been had they used 40 or 50 as the cut off which likely would have been more indicative of adequate levels? The mean in this study was 31.6...which most people would actually consider deficient.
Study conclusion:
These data suggest that variable responsiveness to UVB radiation is evident among individuals, causing some to have low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposure.
The discussion of why those with abundant sun exposure might still be low:
Possible explanations for this include inadequate cutaneous production of D3, enhanced cutaneous destruction of previtamin D3 or vitamin D3, down-regulation of cutaneous synthesis by sun-induced melanin production, or abnormalities of transport from the skin to the circulation.Beyond individual factors that might limit the amount of vitamin D we get from the sun most of us aren't living in climates like Hawaii. For at least some of the year most people are at latitudes where our bodies can't use the sun to make vitamin D at all. Clearly 10 minutes a day of sun isn't enough to make adequate vitamin D for everyone.
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The only thing my boys constantly play with that you don't already have are magnatiles. For boys they go great with the matchbox, train sets, legos/blocks etc. that my kids also enjoy. They build a station and tunnels for the trains or a garage for the matchbox cars and etc. They've been used constantly over several years here. Outside of that the things we love here you already have.
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I was very deficient. I took 9000 IU of D3 per day and got it up relatively quickly. I now take 5000 IU per day as maintenance. My kids were ok (mid-40's and I would have liked it to be 50 or so at least) and I give them 2000 IU per day. They were supplemented prior to testing as well though closer to 1000 IU. My husband doesn't know his level and takes 5000 IU per day.
It's so important for many reasons. I only wish I had known how important during pregnancy and early in my kids lives.
Soooooooo Tired
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Yes. :grouphug: I hope you get a really good amount of solid sleep tonight.