Replies to '04/05 “What’s Up, Doc?”'

hi catlady and everyone.  just saw the what's up doc show.  i was sympathetic, CL, because i was given a diagnosis in 2006 and offered drugs.  when i said no thanks, i never heard from my clinic again, they do not seem to be interested in follow up.  i figured i was on my own and since that time have done a lot of reading in the medical journals.  i was a 15-year vegan so we could share some nutritional issues.  as a result of my reading, one of my ongoing things to monitor is vitamin D.  i am trying to keep my level over 100 nmol/L, but at last test it was down to 80 so I am supplementing again. 

 

my big question for you CL is have they tested your vitamin D3 level (and i mean specifically serum 25hydroxycholecalciferol), and your parathyroid hormone?  if they have and everything looks good, then i have nothing else to contribute.  if they haven't, here are some links to interesting reading:

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16960175&query_hl=9&itool=pubmed_docsum

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15776217&query_hl=13&itool=pubmed_docsum

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11238511&dopt=Abstract

 

this one is from march 2007 and has no abstract, but i got in to have a read of the full text through my school access and basically yep, it is just a whole whackload of people saying we have to stop going around in circles in the research and change the recommended daily intakes for vitamin D.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17344484&query_hl=15&itool=pubmed_docsum

 

this article is from the january 2007 issue of the american journal of clinical nutrition, yet another finding that the Upper Limit for vitamin D3 intake should be 10,000IU.  (whereas current recommended dailies are a paltry 200IU-600IU).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=17209171&query_hl=17&itool=pubmed_docsum

 

i could dig through my files and come up with much much more if you would like to read it.  over 75 nmol/L appears to be a valid target, established in the research, for preventing osteoporosis, and there is a whole other fun arena of reading about vitamin D3 with respect to immune system function, once you get done with the bones.  anyone with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, all that kind of stuff, you may find it an interesting research topic.

 

obviously nmol/L is metric, the conversion factor is:

25-Hydroxyvitamin D 1 ng/mL = 2.496 nmol/L

which i got from this site:

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/clinical_data.html

 

i hope this is useful to you catlady, best wishes.

 

 

So far so good for me, whew, though I feel for your situation, you seem to be doing quite well without the drugs,.

I had my bones checked recently because I have some of the risk factors, caucasion, small build, smoker (no lectures please)  and family history, and the fact that I'm not crazy about most dairy foods, hmm guess I have the big ones though.

I will say I was disappointed with the two Docs almost ganging up on you about that, you have obviously done your own research, and are very proactive when it comes to your health.  I have started at the local gym in weight exercising, and I've been out walking more with the dogs, I want to stay away from drugs as well if I can, thank goodness I have a Doc that listens and is willing to try alternatives, note to Docs, that will make your patients trust you more if you are willing to listen to them, and not dismiss alternatives as voodoo, there are no magic pills, if there were none of us would get sick.

To patients I would say get proactive, and talk to your Doc, if you have to, print the articles or the research and give it to him/her to see for themselves, they too are human.

What are the books on how to reverse Osteoperosis you mentioned? There are excercises that a person with Osteopersosis should not do and I do not know which ones they are.  I went to a Rhumatogolist and he told me my Osteopoersosis was so bad that I needed to take the drug Forteo that is injected daily and costs $800.00 a month. What do you know about this drug?? You can only take it for 2 years but the the place I got my density scan told me they see remarkable changes from women using this drug. I tried Fosamx for 1 month and felt horrible. I do not know what to do so I have done nothing now for over a 1 1/2 years. I try to eat more vegies, no soda more salmon, broclli, soy beans, yogurt and millk and I walk on the tread mill. I have never excercised in my life so even that is a hard for me. I try to avoid sugar as well. Do you know of a good Dr. in the Phoenix area to go to as well as what type of excercises I "CAN" do??