Posted on 11/08/2009 5:29:05 PM PST by neverdem
With new studies showing the sun vitamin may slow come cancers, some physicians are eager to add it to treatment programs
Responding to research indicating that vitamin D may slow the progression of breast, colon and other common cancers, some doctors have begun adding the supplement to their tool kit of cancer therapies alongside more conventional treatments such as radiation, surgery and chemotherapy.
While not all physicians are convinced the evidence is strong enough to warrant taking an extra dollop of the sunshine vitamin, those recommending the course say popping the pills is a simple health strategy that has few, if any, risks and has the added benefit of also improving bone health in those with cancer.
“There is emerging data on breast cancer recurrence rates and vitamin D levels that are quite compelling,” says Tracey O'Connor, an oncologist at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo who treats breast cancer and is having her patients take the vitamin.
Giving vitamin D as part of a treatment program for cancer is still relatively new in the medical community, and Roswell Park is one of the first major cancer institutions in North America to have a number of doctors investigating whether wider use of the nutrient may make a difference in the outcome of the disease.
Speaking at a conference this week in Toronto, Dr. O'Connor outlined a protocol she is using for vitamin D in breast-cancer treatment. It involves giving high doses of the supplement to the most deficient patients immediately after they are diagnosed to quickly raise blood levels of the nutrient.
Dr. O'Connor says that having a low level of vitamin D “is quite common” among women with breast cancer, and most patients, typically about 80 per cent, are either deficient or have insufficient amounts.
Current Health Canada...
(Excerpt) Read more at theglobeandmail.com ...
Nutrition and diet is more important to health than drugs and radiation.
I take 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
The number one best way to prevent illness is...washing your hands.
I take 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
my wife also, 2000 am, 2000 pm as per her doctor...
I’ve also read (probably here on free republic) that Vitamin D is a recommended protocol for PREVENTING the flu.
And yes, that includes H1N1.
Lemme see if I can find a linkerooni.
Great reminder. Take your Vitamin D, Ladies. You need it to help absorb either the calcium supplement you take, or the calcium you’re getting from the dairy in your diet.
Also - this winter, when the sun is weak and we’re starved for light, try to get outside on sunny days and stand with your face and the backs of your hands (no mittens!) toward the sun for a full 20 minutes. You will feel an immediate energy boost as you absorb that FREE Vitamin D. I promise! :)
We just live in the coolest Universe, don’t we? She provides EVERYTHING we need, and then some. Why, it’s almost as if there were some sort of ‘plan’ or something, Eh? :)
Over 2000 is considered unsafe. If fact, studies show that doses over 500 per day acutally decrease the beneficial effects.
Yes, I read one study that claimed patients who were given (I think) 2000 units or more of vitamin D daily had a statistically significant lower rate of contracting the flu. Add in a possible link to cancer, and I’m taking it. I’m also getting out in the sun on nice days like this :-)
http://www.virologyj.com/content/5/1/29 (highly scientific)
http://npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=25166&zoneid=258 (easier to read for us laypeople)
After three years of dinking around with “regular” doctors for treatment of a problem caused by a doctor in the first place. I am now seeing an osteopath with some unconventional treatments.
He is heavy into vitamins and supplements and gave me what I thought was a lot of vitamin D, considering that I spend as much time outside as possible.
But as going “off the grid” of course means out of pocket, so I figured to do it his way and see.
Then I start reading that D is also being touted as a flu preventative and while I did get the flu when everyone around me did, I can say that I was only really miserable for two days and didn’t have the coughing/congestion that others did.
Cause, effect? Only one incident, no claims made.
Can you point me to that study?
BS...however, people should have their levels tested (Vit D (0H)25 or something)....I take over 5000iu daily, and my level is still below 50, which is optimal.
My understanding is that it needs to be D3?
You might want to google scholar vit D3 and flu, also look up Grattan Woodson MD on vit D and flu and Joseph Mercola MD as well.
I am on 5000ius daily and following my Docs directions and it keep me from developing a cytokine storm when I had the H1N1. It also kept my asthmatic daughter from having one.
My neighbor has a bad case of breast cancer and she has been given 10k/day.
Yes, I take D3, 1,500 per day/
“Over 2000 is considered unsafe. If fact, studies show that doses over 500 per day acutally decrease the beneficial effects.”
I take 2500 a day. You’re wrong, btw. URL’S?
Looking at my bottle of Vit D. This is in units of 1000 I.U.
The label lists one softgel as 250% of the % daily value (I’m taking that to mean the recommended daily amount?) Wouldn’t that be 4000 I.U. per day?
These are “Finest Natural” distributed by Walgreen.
I take 5,000 units per my Doctor. Tests showed that I was very, very low.
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