Vitamin D

Overview

Vitamin D deficiency causes bone disease (rickets / osteomalacia), but it also plays a role in many major diseases, including autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer, diabetes, and depression. In addition, vitamin D deficiency causes muscle pain, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis. Without a sufficient amount of vitamin D, the body cannot use calcium.

Dr. Michael Holick, MD, estimates that 40% of the U.S. population is deficient in vitamin D and that at least 80% of nursing home residents are deficient in vitamin D. It takes many years to become severely deficient in vitamin D, and treatment (by replenishing vitamin D) can take months to years.

The following is an excellent article on the significance of vitamin D, with an overview of medical issues involving vitamin D, including muscle weakness and pain, and a general discussion of treatments.

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D
Dr. Michael F. Holick, MD, interviewed by Mike Adams
Links to a free downloadable PDF

Vitamin D Council

The Secret of Vitamin D Production
by Dr. John Cannell, MD

The Miracle of Vitamin D
by Krispin Sullivan

Testing and Treatment

There are only a few ways to obtain vitamin D in the amount needed by the body. The primary way is through sunlight on the skin: human skin makes vitamin D from sunlight. In most of the United States, only summer sun (mid-April to August) is direct enough for the skin to make adequate vitamin D.

The other sources are by using a special sun lamp; through vitamin D supplements or prescriptions; and cod liver oil. According to new research, the amount of vitamin D in multivitamins and in food, even fortified food, is not enough to prevent or resolve deficiency.

The following is an authoritative article on testing and treatment:

Am I Vitamin D Deficient?
Vitamin D Council

Additional information is in the following articles on the same site:

Treating Disease With Vitamin D
by Dr. John Cannell, MD, Vitamin D Council

The Truth About Vitamin D Toxicity
"Vitamin D toxicity fears unwarranted; Cholecalciferol, not ergocalciferol, is safe"
by Dr. John Jacob Cannell, MD, Vitamin D Council

The correct blood test can also be obtained directly from the Life Extension Foundation.

Unfortunately, it appears that almost all of the cod liver oil on the market today, manufactured by standard methods, is inadequate:

Cod Liver Oil--Notes on the Manufacture of Our Most Important Dietary Supplement
by David Wetzel

Additional Information

Further information about Vitamin D: the correct test and assay; sources of Vitamin D; its antagonistic relationship with Vitamin A; cod liver oil; details about Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and the inadequacy of Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol):

Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency
by Dr. Joseph Mercola

Commonly Ignored Facts That May Be Hurting Your Health
by Dr. John Cannell, MD

Test Your Knowledge of Vitamin D
by Dr. John Cannell, MD

The Four Steps to Getting More Vitamin D, to Prevent Cancer, Osteoporosis, Depression, and More
by Mike Adams

Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Cod Liver Oil: Some Clarifications
by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD.

Vitamin D Supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations, and Safety
by Reinhold Vieth, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999

From Seafood to Sunshine--A New Understanding of Vitamin D Safety
by Chris Masterjohn

Vitamin D and Milk
by Prof. Anthony W. Norman

The Case Against Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) as a Vitamin Supplement
by Lisa A. Houghton and Reinhold Vieth

Chronic Pain

Mayo Clinic Proceedings, December 2003

Vitamin D Inadequacy May Exacerbate Chronic Pain
by American Society of Anesthesiologists

Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Vitamin D Inadequacy Among Patients with Chronic Pain
by W. Michael Hooten, MD, et al.

Severe Myopathy Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency in Western New York
by Dr. Anu Prabhala, MD, et. al, Archives of Internal Medicine, 2000 (abstract)

Autoimmune Disease

Vitamin D: Its Role and Uses in Immunology
by Hector F. Deluca and Margherita T. Cantorna, FASEB Journal, 2001

Vitamin D and Autoimmunity: Is Vitamin D Status an Environmental Factor Affecting Autoimmune Disease Prevalence?
by Margheritia T. Cantorna, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

Environmental Illness

Activated vitamin D "can also inhibit the synthesis of inducible nitric oxide synthase and increase glutathione levels, suggesting a role for the hormone in brain detoxification pathways."

New Clues About Vitamin D Functions in the Nervous System
by E. Garcion, et al., Trends in Endocrinol. Metabolism, 2002 (abstract)

Infectious Disease

Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D
by Dr. John Cannell, MD, Medical News Today, Sep. 15, 2006

Cancer

New research shows vitamin D slashes risk of cancers by 77 percent; cancer industry refuses to support cancer prevention
by Mike Adams, NaturalNews.com

Canadian Cancer Society announces national program to prevent cancer using vitamin D
by Mike Adams, NaturalNews.com

Vitamin D: Cancer Prevention and Other New Uses
by Russell Martin, Life Extension Magazine, March 2006

New Study: Low Vitamin D Levels Dramatically Raise Breast Cancer Risk
by Sherry Baker, NaturalNews.com, May 19, 2008

Sunlight Emerging as Proven Treatment for Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, and Other Cancers
by Jessica Fraser, NaturalNews.com, July 11 2005

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