Vitamin D3 - 10 Reasons to Increase the Sunshine in Your Life

Vitamin D3 the sunshine vitamin is a fat-soluble and essential to bone growth and strength. It is found naturally in very few foods, the body makes it naturally when the rays from the sun reach your skin. It seems that your skin is a vitamin D3 production center for your body.

People wearing sunscreen, those that are house bound or have dark skin have more difficulty manufacturing enough vitamin D3 for needs of the body.

Vitamin D3 is found in from a few foods we eat and also from supplements. If you are house bound or extremely sun sensitive then supplementing your diet with high quality D3 capsule or spending a little time under full spectrum light or in tanning booth are the alternatives to naturally increasing the D3 levels in our bodies.

How does the body use this essential vitamin?

1. Promotes calcium absorption in the gut .

2. Helps maintain adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone and prevent hypocalcemic tetany

3. Is needed for bone growth and bone remodeling by specific bone cells called osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Without sufficient Vitamin D3, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen.

4. It helps balance blood calcium levels.

5. It helps increases absorption of calcium from the intestines to the blood stream where 95 per cent of the calcium is stored.

6. It stimulates calciferol to absorb phosphorus into the body.

7. It helps calcium calm the nerves.

8. It regulates muscle contraction and bone strength.

9. It helps regulate the immune system and reduce inflammation.

10. It also helps many genes make proteins that regulate cell multiplication, differentiation, and cell death especially in deficiency and rickets in infants and young children.

Vitamin D3 is obtained the following foods:

Butter, cheese, cod liver oil, eggs, liver, fortified margarine, milk (human and other animal), mushrooms, salmon, sardines, flax seeds, shrimp, tuna, sunflower seeds.

By Dr. M. Wolken

Fracture Treatment for Bones

With the advancement in medical sciences the options for bone fracture treatments have also increased. For a broken or fractured bone to heal appropriately, the bone should be first realigned. Some years ago, casting or splinting happened to be the sole viable treatment alternatives and were utilized even when they were not the best ways of treatment because they were the only ways of treatment! However, this is not the case anymore, as many fractures need surgical interventions. Although, this is the most effective and common bone fracture treatment alternatives, bone splinting and casting must not be considered unaided for compound and complex fractures. Detachable pins can be placed surgically for aligning broken bones and to allow a quick healing. Once adequate healing takes place, the pins can be removed while regularly scheduled outpatient visits to hospitals. Generally, bone pins are not that painful and can be easily removed without anesthesia or any pain medication.
However, on the other side, fractures that are quite severe will need permanent hardware, generally metal plates for being placed surgically to let bones heal properly. When such a situation occurs, a patient would probably undergo immense pain along with stiffness during healing. Thus, this treatment is just believed to be a last option. With a change in diet also, a patient can attain quick healing. It is imperative to consume proteins, vitamin D and calcium in large amount while recovering. In case you are unfamiliar with these nutrients or are unsure of incorporating them in your daily diet, you may consult a nutritionist or a dietician to guide you accordingly. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation are two common transcribed treatments which one must consider after healing of fracture. A lot of people lose mobility and strength while undergoing bone fracture that may lead to depression along with weight gain.

Physical therapy may help in regaining the mobility and strength lost during the process of healing. Although, regaining lost abilities does not happen overnight night but takes times. It is required to spend an equal amount of time in the physical therapy after the process of healing is completed from bone fracture as spent in a mobility limiting device or a cast. To get back to your normal weight is also an easy process as you start to carry on with your same old routine. Incorporating some exercises after confirming it from a specialist can be great advantage to get back in shape safely. In some cases, bone fracture patients suffer a bone disease called osteoporosis, in which bone treatment alternatives are quite limited and should be treated with excessive care. Professional osteoporosis treatment is generally needed to help aid bone re-growth after fracture or break. When dietary changes, physical therapy and medical intervention are used in combination with each other, an excellent bone fracture treatment alternative can help a patient to recover totally.

By Kristy Trish

High Dose Vitamin D - Are 5,000 IUs of Vitamin D Too Much?

The Vitamin D Council advises that most healthy people can receive 5,000-10,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day without harm. But high dose vitamin D must be accompanied by sufficient calcium and magnesium...and people with certain diseases should only take supplements under the supervision of a knowledgeable doctor. Vitamin D is essential for the absorption of calcium and the prevention of osteoporosis. Recent studies have shown that it may also boost the immune system and help to prevent cancer.

Our body will automatically regulate how much vitamin D it produces from sunshine. Studies show that sunbathing in the summer for about 30 minutes can result in the production of over 10,000 IU of vitamin D and that once our skin makes about 20,000 IU, the ultraviolet light begins to degrade the vitamin so that we do not "overdose" on the sun. Vitamin D expert Dr. Vieth reports that there is no practical difference between vitamin D acquired from the sun and that acquired from food and supplements.

The Vitamin D Council reports that doses of 5,000 IU per day from all sources (sun, diet and supplements) are safe for most healthy people and that there are no reports of toxicity up to 10,000 IU per day. But the Council also warns that without calcium and magnesium in sufficient quantities, vitamin D supplementation will withdraw calcium from the bone and will allow the uptake of toxic minerals. As everyone metabolizes vitamin D differently, the best way to identify the optimal level of supplementation is to adjust the dosage to maintain target blood levels. The Vitamin D Council recommends that optimal health is supported by blood levels of 50-80 ng/mL (125-200nmol/L) as identified in a 25(OH)D vitamin D blood test.

HIGH DOSE VITAMIN D FOR TREATMENT OF SEVERE DEFICIENCY

High dose vitamin D treatment is broadly accepted in the medical community for people who are suffering from a severe deficiency but are otherwise in good health. There are two views on the best way to receive high dose vitamin D. The most common form of high dose vitamin D in the US is a prescription form of ergocalciferal also known as vitamin D2. But as vitamin D2 is less potent than vitamin D3, many doctors now recommend high dose vitamin D3 which can be purchased in a health food store or on-line.

VITAMIN D2 (50,000 IU/week)

Dr. Michael Holick of the Boston University School of Medicine recommends high dose vitamin D2 treatment for people whose 25(OH) blood levels are below 10 ng/mL (25 nmol/L). He proposes an oral dose of 50,000 IU/wk of vitamin D2 for 8 weeks followed by another blood test to check serum levels. If the levels are still inadequate, another 8-week course of 50,000 IU/week may be prescribed until blood levels reach 30 to 50 ng/mL (75-125 nmol/L). Once these target blood levels have been attained, patients prone to developing vitamin D deficiency may be encouraged to take 50,000 IU of D2 every 2 weeks to sustain their blood levels...or 1,000 IU a day of vitamin D3. He also suggests that exposure to direct sunlight for 5-10 minutes on the arms and legs between 10am-3pm during the spring, summer and fall can prevent further deficiency.

Ergocalciferol is available to U.S. doctors in prescription strength of 50,000 units in the brand names of Drisdol and Calciferol. As it is derived from plants rather than animals, ergocalciferol is considered Kosher.

VITAMIN D3 (4,000 IU/day)

Dr. Vieth (Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto Canada) recommends that vitamin D3 is the preferred choice for supplementation. In 2001, a study involving 61 healthy men and women resulted in healthy increases in blood levels following daily intake of 4,000 IU of vitamin D 3-without an increase in blood calcium or urinary calcium excretion. After 2-5 months, the blood levels of participants increased to a range of 28-50ng/ml (69-125 nmol/L). Dr. Vieth has proposed a rule of thumb, that 4,000 IU of vitamin D3/day will increase 25(OH)D blood levels by 100nmol/L (40ng/ml) after 8 months of use and that any surplus vitamin D will remain in the body for approximately 2 months.

Dr. Vieth recommends a daily dose of 4,000 IU/day in order to maintain blood levels above 100nmol/L. He also clarifies that published cases of vitamin D causing elevated blood calcium (hypercalcaemia) have involved daily intake of 40,000 IU. Hypercalcaemia due to excessive vitamin D is generally accompanied by blood concentrations greater than 88ng/ml (220 nmol/L).

Dr. Vieth also suggests that high and infrequent dosing may result in blood level fluctuations without producing sustainable improvements in blood levels. Intake of lower doses of 2,000-4,000 IU daily rather than 100,000 IU once a month are more likely to produce the desired results.

CALCITRIOL

Calcitriol is a steroid that is produced after vitamin D passes through the liver and kidneys. The Vitamin D Council warns against treating vitamin D deficiency with calcitriol (or its analogs) as it poses risks of hypercalcaemia (high blood calcium) and fails to replenish the body's stores of vitamin D.

HIGH DOSE VITAMIN D TREATMENT GETS SILLY (500,000 IU)

Non-compliance (failure to take medications) is common both with prescription drugs and vitamins. Pharmaceutical companies and researchers often seek to address this problem with a "one shot a year" approach to osteoporosis medication and occasionally with vitamins.

In 2010, professors at the University of Melbourne reported results of a study involving 2,256 women (aged 70 years or older and considered to be at high risk of fracture) who received an annual dose of 500,000IUs of D3 supplements for three to five years. They were surprised that the recipients of this high dose vitamin D regime had 26% more fractures and 15% more falls than the placebo group. Treatment of non-compliant people with mega doses of vitamin D does not seem to be the solution....as suggested by earlier research that lower doses ingested daily produce the best results.

There are a number of diseases for which vitamin D supplements can cause elevated blood calcium and possibly compromise the immune system. In these cases, supplements should only be taken under the supervision of a knowledgeable doctor. By Darlene Varaleau

Vitamin D Sources and Daily Requirements

The nutritionally important forms of Vitamin D in man are Calceferol (Vitamin D2) and Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3) Calciferol may be derived by irradiation of the plant sterol, ergosterol, Cholecalciferol is the naturally occurring Performed Vitamin D which is found in animal fats and fish liver oils. It is also derived from exposure to UV rays of the sunlight which converts the cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D. Vitamin D is stored in the fat depots.

Daily requirements: The daily requirements of vitamin D are:

Adults - 2.5 mcg (100 IU)

Infants and children - 5.0 mcg (200IU)

Pregnancy and lactation - 10.0 mcg (400 IU)

(One international unit (IU) of vitamin D = 0.025 mg of calciferol -that is, to convert IU to micrograms, divide by 40).

Sources: Vitamin d is unique because it is derived both from sunlight and foods

(a) Sunlight: Vitamin D is synthesized by the body by the action of UV rays of sunlight of 7 dehydrocholesterol, which is stored in large abundance in the skin. Exposure to UV rays is critical; these can be filtered off by air pollution. Dark-skinned aces such as Negroes also suffer from this disadvantage because black skin can filter off up to 95 percent of UV rays.

(b) Foods: Vitamin occurs by only in the foods of animal origin. Liver, egg yolk, butter and cheese and some species of fish contain useful amounts. Fish liver oils, although not considered to be a food, are the richest sources of Vitamin d. Human milk has recently been shown to contain considerable amounts of water-soluble vitamin D sulfate. Other sources of vitamin D are foods artificially fortified with vitamin D, such as milk, margarine, vanaspathi and infant foods. 

By Dr John Anne