Your Genes & Vitamin D

July 10, 2013

Vitamin D supports up to 200 genetic functions in your body! So, you can see it is a very important nutrient regardless your age. If you do not get sun exposure on a consistent schedule, then supplementation must be taken. It would also be wise to have your vitamin D3 level tested every year in November. The name of the test you want to request is 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D; NOT 1.25-dihydroxy-Vitamin D. The latter being the active form and your body (kidneys) will compensate and increase this level which is generally a thousand-fold less than your 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D. We can send you a kit and you can start the process in the comfort of your own home – optimal vitamin D levels need to be at least 40. The importance of you knowing your Vitamin D levels is just as significant as knowing your blood pressure (bp), HA1C (glucose on a red blood cell) and cholesterol levels.

I have patients with a history of chronic high blood pressure who did not respond to typical Western medicine prescriptions for years but had a positive response with Vitamin D. They needlessly suffered the bad effects of bp medications including diuretics, beta-blockers and calcium channel inhibitors.

In one particular case, a young man in his thirties had high blood pressure for several years. When I mentioned to him we should do a vitamin D test for his bp he looked at me with the, “What does that have to do with my blood pressure?” stare. Guess what? His vitamin D test came back at nine. I like to see vitamin D be at least 40 as I mentioned above. We supplemented him with a liquid vitamin D supplement called Bio-D Mulsion Forte™ at three drops a day on his tongue or about 6,000 IU. His bp was within normal within three months-without medication! Having said that, do not go off of any of your medications without supervision. You need to have your vitamin D tested and supplement accordingly. I have recommended up to 50,000 units of vitamin D for individuals who were over 55; younger people respond to sunshine very efficiently.

Vitamin D also creates the movement of calcium in the body. It is the oxygen that fuels the fire of calcium activity in the body. With low or no vitamin D, calcium is handcuffed. The combination of vitamin D and calcium supplementation helps many individuals because it acts as a natural, smooth muscle relaxer. I have consistently witnessed muscle and blood vessel tightness, including leg cramps at night, go away with vitamin D and calcium supplementation. I want to share a secret with you to pass on to your friends and family: Vitamin D creates effective use of calcium!

Itchy skin is a common body signal with either too much vitamin D or not enough calcium. I used to get itchy skin on my legs about two miles into my jogging routine, especially when it was wet and rainy in fall and early winter.  I added more calcium to my supplement regime and within a day or two the itching went away.

Calcium glues cell membranes together so viruses cannot penetrate the cellular system. Have you noticed people tend to get the flu during the winter and wondered if  it has anything to do with sunshine (or lack thereof)? I always suggest our patients start taking up to four to six thousand IU’s of vitamin D a day in the form of two or three drops which bypass the digestive process and/or at least one capsule of 5,000 IU daily beginning in the early fall until at least May or June when the sun starts breaking through the clouds and showing up.

Here is another vitamin D protocol I would like you to ponder on and pass along to friends and family. Lack of vitamin D which results in poor utilization of calcium can create the environment for viruses to rapidly over take your body. Yes, you are getting it; the flu from my experience is commonly caused by either a lack of D, low calcium or a combination of the two. You should also be aware that sugar and stress can cannibalize calcium resulting in flu-like symptoms.

I have one more case to leave you: I had a female patient who constantly coughed when she was in the office. I suggested to her to consider having a vitamin D assessment. She gave me the same, but even more intense look as the young man with the bp challenge, “What does vitamin D have to do with my chronic bronchitis?” We tested her D3 level; it was 6. I supplemented her with one tablespoon of a powdered calcium citrate in twenty ounces of pure water which she took daily for a month and six thousand IU’s of liquid vitamin D on her tongue. Her chronic cough was gone in a few weeks and has never returned. Take it from me; it’s time to know your vitamin D number!