Vitamin D

[Gillyfran]

Hi everyone

I wondered if anyone has a problem with very low vitamin d? This has happened to me before and after the supplement it goes up, then when I have a blood test a year later it's back down again.

Gilly

[Gingermac]

I haven’t had a problem though I do try to use a supplement in the winter. However it does look like there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and RLS everydayhealth.com/columns/...

[Gingermac in reply to Gingermac]

Just checked some test results from last March, they didn’t flag up low vitamin D but my levels were 56 and they consider anything <50 to be low, while levels up to 175 seem to be acceptable. Perhaps I’ll make a bit more effort to take my Vit D supplement - it’s a spray so I sometime forget it when I’m popping my vitamins in the morning.

[Hidden in reply to Gingermac]

Trouble is a study with 12 people isnt really enough to say for sure that Vit. D is helpful for RLS. Dr. Buchfuhrer did a webinar a couple of days a go, and he said supplements dont really help RLS, the only one is iron which can help.

[Kaarina Administrator]

Hi Gillyfran,

I am diagnosed with osteoporosis and good levels of Vit D are beneficial for this condition. I do not know if I had low Vit D before but since being tested for it my levels are very good and I put this down to eating a tin of sardines (including bones) practically every day. I am also prescribed a Vit D capsule daily.

[Gillyfran]

Thank you for your replies. I will update if any improvement to my RLS.

[Eryl]

Our main source of vitamin d is our own skin when it is exposed to sunlight. so make sure you spend time outdoors, without wrapping yourself up when possible. i.e. do vigorous exercise to keep warm. In winter most people living in the temperate areas need the small supplement gained from foods. The main sources being oily fish or cod liver oil capsules. with a little gained from red meat, liver and egg yolks, and some fortified foods. If you're not eating o lot of those you'll probably need supplements.

[Gillyfran in reply to Eryl]

What you say is quite right but it appears that even if you follow through on all those things sometimes the body doesn't work the way it should. I lived in Southern France for many years where sunshine is in abundance, and although I didn't sunbathe I did have a tan because of walking around and gardening. The doctor in France was very surprised with the reading which was a couple of years ago, but for me it's now an ongoing problem.

[Kaarina Administrator in reply to Gillyfran]

I have not sat in the sun for a good few years now as it makes me feel unwell. I used to sunbathe at every opportunity. I was happily surprised that on being tested two days ago and a year ago that my Vit D level is high. As I said previously I can only think it is the daily tin of sardines I eat. I do take a cod liver oil capsule too but have always taken them. I am also prescribed a Vit D capsule to be taken daily.

[Hidden in reply to Kaarina]

Except for not sitting in the sun now, you'd make Norwegians proud and would fit right in! 😁

You know how to tell a foreigner from a Norwegian? When a foreigner sits out and a cloud comes over them they don't care. If the same thing happened to a Norwegian, they would have to move with the sun.

[Graham3196]

In Australia our doctors advise us to cover up and apply suncream and then take our Vitamin D supplement. They find its cheaper to supplement than to treat skin cancer. We used to have solariums here for those who wanted to absorb Vitamin D "naturally" . Now they are outlawed because of the number of young ladies dying from skin cancer. Would you believe that the solarium operators have gone underground into private houses and old factories to tan the hides of those with a death wish.

Incidently I have RLS and I had low Vitamin D. An extensive survey might be interesting. Can we arrange a poll of contributors. Assume we all have RLS and then just ask the question is your Vitamin D below 60. Better still if we can ask them to enter their measured vitamin D level.

Cheers

Graham

[Bajatom]

Vitamin D supplements harmful:

drmcdougall.com/2015/03/31/...

[chris1993]

Vid D is highly correlated and so is magnesium - magnesium is a crucial one.

[Graham3196 in reply to chris1993]

Hi Chris

Where do you find out this sort of stuff?

Graham

[chris1993 in reply to Graham3196]

I studied chemical medicine for a long period of time and I suffer myself. My worry is as winter is here if vitamin D is down now it will drop in winter and can have further impact on your bones. I would discuss with your GP about possibly having steridexol 25,000mg it’s usually a 6 week course (believe me that’s not a lot) but it is Linked with RLS/WED

[Spookydave in reply to chris1993]

Hi Chris perhaps I can lean on your knowledge a little I'm taking magnisium ,with amazing results for my rls I'm wondering if I'm correct in my thinking that with a low magnisium level the absorption of vitamins is reduced ? I might change my title to captain magnisium 😀

[chris1993 in reply to Spookydave]

Hi Dave, you are partially correct. If your magnesium is low it reduces the ability to absorb as much calcium and vitamin D which can cause irreparable bone issues. It is heavily linked to the ability to convert vitamin D to an active substance for your body.

I hope that helps, your pancreas is the essential organ in absorption of vitamins and nutrition, which magnesium can support.

[Spookydave in reply to chris1993]

Thank you Chris

That's the information I was hoping for it does substantiate my theory but better explained 😊 I'm a long term type one diabetic I wonder if there's a link re my pancreas 🤔

[chris1993 in reply to Spookydave]

If you think you’re having problems with absorption such as weight loss etc there is a natural medication call creon that produces the same enzymes as your pancreas does

[Spookydave in reply to chris1993]

Thanks again Chris well no I'm not having weight loss all seems fine .. it's just that iv been taking magnisium and it's stopped my rls I was wondering if other people are deficient in it and its stopping their absorption of vitamin D 🤔 and whether the fact that my pancreas doesn't produce insulin means it struggles to process the vitamins 🤔

[chris1993 in reply to Spookydave]

It is certainly possible. It is only in the last 2-3 years we have been testing vitamin levels. Excluding iron because it was a kind of expectation within medicine that the levels with show a symptom that’s atypical with a defiecy. I.e calcium and vitamin D are linked to osteoporosis.

[Spookydave in reply to chris1993]

Thanks again Chris I feel so sad for everyone with this condition I might be grasping at straws but perhaps someone else might be helped by this sort of open discussion

[chris1993 in reply to Spookydave]

Maybe... I suppose that’s why we use the forum though. We give the advice from our experience

[Denm27 in reply to Graham3196]

Hi, I take magnesium, which is cheapest at my local Wilco store. I'm prescribed vitamin D by my doctor

[chris1993]

Hi Dave, you are partially correct. If your magnesium is low it reduces the ability to absorb as much calcium and vitamin D which can cause irreparable bone issues. It is heavily linked to the ability to convert vitamin D to an active substance for your body.

I hope that helps, your pancreas is the essential organ in absorption of vitamins and nutrition, which magnesium can support.

[Graham3196 in reply to chris1993]

Thanks Chris Its great to have an expert in the forum. I hope we dont wear you out by asking too many questions.

Its interesting that my doctor suggested that I supplement my Vitamin D level but didn't tell me about any association with the RLS. For the last 10 or 15 years I have been more careful about keeping out of the sunshine and wearing a hat and suncream, hence I wasn't surprised to hear that vitamin D was down a bit. I thought Vitamin D was all about distributing calcium to where it mattered for strong bones. This is the first I have heard of it related to RLS so suddenly its become more acutely on my mind.

It raises the point that you might know of other correlations between RLS and other vitamins or minerals that might help some of us. To you these things might seem common knowledge but I think I am typical in that I have paid hundreds of dollars to ostensibly learned people to help me do something about my RLS and not one of them mentioned Vitamin D. They go straight to the pharmaceuticals.

So if we should all be trying Vitamin Z 27 or nibbling zirconium please spread the word. I'm going to look for my Vitamin Ds

Thanks

Cheers

Graham

[chris1993 in reply to Graham3196]

I wouldn’t go so far to say as expert but I am grateful for the comment. I just have a lot of experience and suffer myself so it’s knowledge and experience.

[Gillyfran]

This has been a good discussion and thank you all for sharing your thoughts. Chris, (sorry) what dosage is good to take with Vit D. I have been subscribed the liquid that I take once per week.

Gillyfran

[Hidden]

If anyone listened in to Dr. Buchfuhrer's webinar a few days ago which was arranged by the RLS Foundation, he said that vitamins or supplements will not help RLS. Only iron is linked to RLS. Just passing on what he said.

[Graham3196 in reply to Hidden]

Interesting that Dr Buchfuhrer rules out magnesium that so many people report offers them relief. It would be good to see his sources of the research that proves that magnesium doesn't help.

It helps us to see the dilemma facing the GP who doesn't have time to learn all about every "minority" disease and has to rely on someone else to provide a solution to hundreds of different problems. Enter the salesman from Big Pharma with a solution in their hand and in the background is a lawyer happy to sue the doctor if he doesn't follow Big Pharma's "scientifically based" process.