Sunshine, Vitamin D, and Death by Scientific Consensus

Pajamas Media ^ | Jan. 7 | Patrick Cox

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

–noun the method of treating disease by the use of agents that produce effects different from those of the disease treated (opposed to homeopathy ).

al·lop·a·thy
n. A method of treating disease with remedies that produce effects different from those caused by the disease itself.

allopathy

1842, “treatment of disease by remedies that produce effects opposite to the symptoms,” from Ger. Allopathie (Hahnemann), from Gk. allos “other” (see alias) + -patheia “effect,” from pathos “suffering” (see pathos). The term applied by homeopathists to traditional medicine. Allopathic is attested from 1830.

You were saying...?

[MediaMole]

Apparently, the sun should be a close to noon as possible. As the sun gets lower in the sky, UV is reduced and that’s what helps produce vitamin D.

[aruanan]

I have a doctorate in human nutrition/nutritional biology.

Most people can get enough vitamin D to suit their needs from about 15 minutes of sunshine three times a week, even without any dietary supplements or drinking vitamin D supplemented milk.

This amount of vitamin D is sufficient to prevent rickets, the vitamin D deficiency disease (discovered between 1910-1930). It doesn't follow, though, that this is the optimal amount of vitamin D for health. Over the last decade or so the role of vitamin D as a steroid hormone involved in cardiovascular disease, cancer, autoimmune disease, unexplained pain has become evident. It has anti-inflammatory effects and immune-modulating effects. In the kidneys it is hydroxylated by the enzyme 1 alpha-hydroxylase to 1,25(OH)D, its active form. This enzyme is also present in a wide variety of sites outside the kidney such as osteoclasts, skin, colon, brain, and macrophages, meaning that vitamin D has broad effects in many tissue types. There is currently a great deal of research in all these areas. It is still not known what the optimum level of vitamin D is, except that it is below the level that induces vitamin D toxicity and above the amount necessary to prevent rickets.

Contrary to your claim that the body has no way to excrete excess vitamin D, there is no way for the body to excrete any vitamin taken to excess other than the normal means of excretion. Vitamin D is excreted principally in bile as well as metabolised to water-soluble metabolites that are excreted in the urine. Because of this, the half-life of vitamin D in the liver is approximately 3 weeks (compare this to the vitamin A half-life of about 140 days). This is said to underscore the need for frequent replenishment of the body's supply.

A good review of vitamin D can be found HERE.

[allmendream]

I was saying that by condemning allopathic medicine (as opposed to homeopathic “medicine”), it seemed to me, and perhaps to any other reasonable observer who knows about “homeopathy” and “allopathy” and the quack who coined those terms (Hahnemann); that you were advocating homeopathy.

In my experience the only ones who speak of “allopathic medicine” are proponents of “homeopathic medicine”.

Just as the only ones who speak of “dialectic materialism” are communists, and anyone who speaks the word (without laughing) “heteronormative” is a homosexual.

[savedbygrace]

From a quick read, it seems that article proposes three hypotheses and concludes one is most likely. In doing so, it admits that they only have anecdotal evidence of D3 toxicity.

What did I miss?

BTW, it seems you probably skimmed the original article at the top of this thread, if you’re intimating that it makes those ‘loony’ claims as absolutes. I’d suggest you read it mor4e carefully.

[allmendream]

“you can cut your risks from most major diseases by 50 to 80 percent” from the article.

[allmendream]

A known medical condition is far more than just “anecdotal evidence”.

This is what the Mayo Clinic has to say on the subject, very sensible advise.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d-toxicity/AN02008

Vitamin D toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis D, is a potentially serious but treatable medical condition that occurs when you get too much vitamin D.

Vitamin D toxicity usually results from taking an excessive amount of vitamin D supplements — not from your diet or too much sun exposure. That's because your body produces only a limited amount of vitamin D from sun exposure, and even fortified foods don't contain large amounts of vitamin D. Although vitamin D toxicity is rare even among people who take supplements, you may be at greater risk if you have health problems, such as liver or kidney conditions, or if you take thiazide-type diuretics.

The main consequence of vitamin D toxicity is a buildup of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), causing symptoms such as:

Nausea
Vomiting
Poor appetite
Constipation
Weakness
Confusion
Heart rhythm abnormalities
Kidney stones
Treatment of vitamin D toxicity may include:

Stopping vitamin D supplements
Restricting calcium intake
Medications
Hydration with fluids
Hospitalization in severe cases
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient. The Institute of Medicine recommends that children and adults up to age 50 get 200 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily. The recommendation for adults over age 50 is 400 to 600 IU daily. However, many health experts consider these recommendations to be too low. The American Academy of Pediatrics, for instance, now recommends that children and adolescents get 400 IU of vitamin D daily. Many experts now “unofficially” recommend that adults get as much as 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily. In addition, it's likely that the vitamin D guidelines will be revised upward.

Supplements can be a reasonable way to meet recommended levels — as long as you pay attention to how much you take. And be sure to tell your doctor about any supplements you take.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

This can be problematic, as I suggested. The metals, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium, and Magnesium, all have a careful balance in body in relationship to each other. Too much or too little and very bad things can happen quickly.

My personal experience of this imbalance in the blood salts comes from traipsing around the hot desert. Just consuming water was not enough, your salts would be imbalanced and you would get heat exhaustion, which feels much like seasickness. So an ampule of 1 tsp each of sugar, salt, and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, to raise blood pH), was added to a quart of water before drinking. It absorbs faster than pure water.

Not too long ago, a young man achieved the near impossible by killing himself with Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate). Ordinarily it passes through the body, even with laxative effects. But in his case, he gargled with it twice a day for a month. This allowed his body to uptake a toxic level of magnesium.

[savedbygrace]

You’re short quoting out of context. In context, that is the “new understanding” Cox is reporting on. Reporting on.

The author reveals in paragraph 4 that he is a financial writer, so if you somehow got the impression he was writing that short quote as an expert, you were mistaken.

The research I’ve read about seems to back up the claim, BTW.

As I asked earlier, do you know of any evidence that 10,000 IU a day is toxic?

[sig226]

We are currnetly pondering whether my mother’s anorexia (not anorexia nervosa) is caused by the 3,000 IU of D that she has been taking for ten years because a nutritionist told her that it cures cancer. She is also taking a pile of other products whose contents are not known to me.

[dalereed]

i drink 5-6 gallons of vitamin D milk a week, does that count?

[allmendream]

Let me see the research that backs up the claim that taking vitamin D can reduce your risk of most major diseases by 50-80%.

Try to have it both ways much? Taken out of context, but I can (but fail to) back up the claim? Sorry, the context was that he made the unsubstantiated claim that it would reduce your risk of MOST major diseases by 50-80%.

That is kooksville.

[savedbygrace]

I was reporting on what the article actually said.

I think you’re confusing two different concepts. The first, that D3 toxicity exists, I’m not disputing. The second, what dosage of daily supplements results in D3 toxicity, has not been identified. That is what we are discussing - what dose results in toxicity.

[allmendream]

What the article actually said, that you said you could substantiate with research you had read was that...

“Simply put, unless you are one of the few people with optimal serum D levels, such as lifeguards and roofers in South Florida, you can cut your risks from most major diseases by 50 to 80 percent. All you have to do is get enough D.”

[savedbygrace]

Let me see the research that backs up the claim that taking vitamin D can reduce your risk of most major diseases by 50-80%.

You're belatedly answering my first question - have you read any recent research with conclusions counter to yours? The answer must be no, or you would not need to ask me to do your document research for you. Start here: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/vdds.shtml http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/vitaminDToxicity.shtml and we can discuss specific studies later.

[savedbygrace]

For context, you need to start at the top of the article, as I indicated by making reference to the “new understanding”. The concept that bringing serum levels from deficiency to optimum can significantly reduce the risk of many diseases is the new understanding Cox is reporting.

Please read the two articles I linked in my previous reply to you for background.

[savedbygrace]

Excellent post. Thank you.

[hennie pennie]

>>>> "The body has no mechanism for excreting excess vitamin D, and vitamin D overexposure from excessive supplements can lead to toxic accumulation in adipose tissue, organ failure, kidney stones, deafness, etc." <<<<

Do you have any information about the symptoms associated with hypercalcemia? Evidentally, when one has tooooo much Vitamin D in one's system, the body starts laying down deposits of calcium into the tissues -- but I've not yet run across some LAY PERSON's depictions of this phenomenon.

Surely syndromes associated with Vitamin D toxicity will start to become pretty common within a few years.

Thanks.
HP

[hennie pennie]

Anorexia and Vitamin D?

I'm very curious about that, as the last few times that my family took high dose D, all of us lost our appetite for over a week, it was really strange.... one meal a day, and total energy.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

“Ever hear of HyperCalcemia?

Sure.

Think. Your body can make 15,000 units of vitamin D
in just a brief 20-30 minute exposure to sunlight.

5,000 in a day is not going to hurt you. In fact, the
Chinese have done extensive testing on real people and
the level it becomes toxic is far, far above that.

And of course, I get tested regularly.

best,
ampu