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[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

I've got something to report, and I hope my experience will help someone 
else.  I know I can't be the only one.  An edited version of this post 
will appear on my blog.     http://erthnsky.blogspot.com/
I've written before that I thought I was Vitamin D deficient.  There 
were a few symptoms that I had, but nothing too serious, or so I 
thought.  On my own, I started taking fish oil, then switched to cold 
liver oil because it contained more Vitamin D.  I've always craved oily 
fish and chicken livers and eggs and other foods that are notoriously 
high in Vitamin D.  I eat plenty of dairy and milk, too.
Back in July, I wrote about Vitamin D on my blog. (July 17)  It was 
around that time that I decided to start a trial of taking Vit D 
supplements in the form of Cod Liver oil.  This page gives a quick overview:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

I did some reading and discovered that there is quite a controversy over 
the RDA for Vitamin D.  We need more as we get older.  The relationship 
between Vitamin D, cholesterol, and the melanin pigment in our skin is 
important to understand.  Basically, the short story is that the sun's 
UVB rays turn cholesterol into Vitamin D.  If you have a lot of melanin 
pigmentation, that blocks the UVB rays and you may be deficient. 
Africans have a lot of pigment, but they also live where UVB rays are 
strongest year around.  Black people in the US inherited their genetic 
race from ancestors that lived in Africa, but now, these people live in 
a more northern place where UVB radiation is less and only makes it 
through the atmosphere near the noon hour.   Dark skinned people in the 
US could be deficient from not enough sunlight/UVB rays to convert the 
cholesterol to Vitamin D.  That might also explain why blacks often 
suffer from high serum cholesterol issues.  For fair skinned people like 
me whose ancestors are from the far north, we have very little melanin 
to block UVB, because north of the Arctic Circle, there is very little 
UVB making it to the ground and our bodies don't need to block it. 
However, here in the US, I have the possibility of more sun, more UVB 
than Finland, and yet I don't have the melanin to protect me.  It is the 
opposite of an African's problem, but the result is the same.  Because I 
am so fair, I don't get enough exposure year around to produce enough 
Vitamin D from my cholesterol.
So anyway, I started taking about 1500 IU's of cod liver oil a day as 
well as a multivitamin with an additional 400 IU's, and after a few 
weeks, I could swear that I felt a bit less achy from my arthritis pain. 
 I seemed to have more energy and was more able to think clearly. 
About that time, I had an appointment with my rheumatologist and I told 
her of my suspicion that I was Vitamin D deficient.  She ordered a test, 
as well as a test for bone density since I had had a stress fracture a 
few months prior.  The other problem I've had for a few months is gum 
inflammation.  I had my teeth cleaned in March and in early April, my 
gums started to bleed.  There was a lot of blood, not just pink in the 
sink.  I increased my brushing time, rinsed with fluoride washes and 
tried all kinds of stuff, but still, my gums were bleeding at the drop 
of a hat.  I could also tell that they were receding a bit around my 
bridge.  Things seemed to be changing fast, yet I had no pain or 
tenderness.  I went to the dentist, but he had no answer other than it 
could be Vitamin D related but usually gum bleeding was gingivitis 
related.  Well, as it turned out, the bloodwork revealed that I was 
indeed Vitamin D deficient.  Very much so, even though I had been taking 
the Cod Liver Oil.  Normal was 31-100 and my result was 14.    Some docs 
think 'normal' should be 20, I've learned, but even with that I was 
deficient.    My first thought was no wonder my arms feel like they are 
about to break when I do something like unload the washing machine!  No 
wonder the dentist is telling me that I have bone loss and gum 
inflammation!  So, my rheumatologist prescribed a Vitamin D supplement 
that I take once a week.  It is a little blue gel pill of 50,000 IU of 
Vitamin D.  WOW!  The RDA is 400 IU and daily supplements are usually up 
to 2000 IU a day.
I have now taken two of them, the most recent being on Wednesday. 
Yesterday, Thursday, for the first time since April, my gums did not 
bleed when I brushed my teeth.  Not a speck of blood, when just a few 
days ago I had to rinse 5 or 6 times just to not taste the blood 
anymore.  Better yet, in the last week, I have had less arthritic 
issues, less overall aches and pains, and I seem to be more optimistic 
and more focused in my thinking.  I'm now looking forward to seeing how 
good I will feel in a few months.  The best part of this...these little 
Vitamin D pills were only $6 for a month's supply, 4 pills.

I'm hoping that I will at least be able to reduce my NSAIDS and pain 
meds, and hopefully, hopefully, I will be one of the lucky ones who 
might be 'healed' to the point that I would not need biologics like 
Enbrel.  This morning, I found this UK article, which supports the 
notion that RA might be curable after all.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-508283/Could-vitamin-D-really-cure-arthritis.html


Jerry and Leslie, we have talked off list about various RA diets and 
treatments.  This article makes a lot of sense as to why diets might 
work for some and not for others.  It mentions alkaline diets where you 
reduce acids, too.  Dieting could even work for a while and then not 
work again. If you are Vitamin deficient, anything can happen.    Also 
Jerry, I recall that your wife is of African heritage, so she may  need 
to rethink her own Vitamin D situation and get tested.  I've forgotten 
where you live.  There are just so many variables, and it is really up 
to us to figure out what might be going on.

I can't believe that this might have been the precipitating factor for a 
lot of my health issues, for a long time, too.  And it seems to have 
such a simple, and inexpensive solution.  I've tried turmeric and milk 
thistle and other supplements and herbs but the biggest difference in 
pain relief and general well-being has been with Vitamin D 
supplementation.  Last year, I went to the ER with a kidney stone.  I'd 
never even had a kidney infection or a bladder infection, and out of the 
blue I get a kidney stone.  Well, I read that Vitamin D deficiency can 
cause "increased excretion of calcium from renal tubules".  If you are 
going to the doc for bloodwork anyway, get them to check your Vitamin D 
levels.  You might be surprised.  It might keep you from getting cancer 
or even from getting the flu or other viruses.

This page lists some risk groups(including vegetarians) and talks about 
how certain meds can affect your Vitamin D level.
http://www.the-vitamin-and-supplement-guide.com/vitaminDdeficiencysymptoms.html

I hope everyone takes a few minutes to read these articles.  It just 
might save your life or prevent you from having osteoporosis or other 
bone issues later in life.

Bev

--
Sleep well tonight, for somewhere in the ocean's depths, MY son is 
protecting your freedom on the USS Key West, currently deployed 
somewhere in the Pacific and/or Indian Ocean.  Go Navy!
EarthNSky Farm, NW Georgia, USA