Does vit D help asthma?

[ill13632]

does vit D help asthma and at what doses?
I've read it can cause kidney problems/damage at higher doses but I've been given 50000 IU/wk before by a doctor

[ill13632]

I've also read spirulina helps and am trying that.  there was a French study I found online that said that in a small group it helps asthma

I still am wheezing for months now though when I exhale and even prednisone at 50mg didn't stop it.  I don't know if it's vocal chord dysfunction or something else?

[mklarson]

  I have a conversation with a couple of GI's that I did rotation with at the hospital a while back on the subject of GERD and asthma. Yes GERD can exacerbate asthma but when the absorption issues came up especially the uptake of calcium after taking  PPI's (proton pump inhibitors) like prilosec, nexium, etc. To avoid these problems they had their patients raise the head posts of their bed about 2 to 3 inches.  This would let gravity to the work of keeping the stomach acids out of the throat, allowing it to heal thereby relieving exasperation's of asthma from stomach acids.  Sometimes the simple fixes are the best.  

Take care

[achilles2]

Oops sorry-- a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.

[1oftheclub222]

1 tblspoon of what?

[achilles2]

In the long run it will not help asthma because nexium/zantac and either other proton pump inhibitor will inhibit your body's ability to absorb nutrients especially b12 and iron. If iron is low it will affect asthma.

My mom found the best way to help GERD is to take a 1 tablespoon in a full glass of water. This actually helps because researchers are learning that GERD can be cause by too little acid and your stomach is trying to over compensate.

Also avoid all dairy, tomatoes, and alcohol.

achilles2

[ill13632]

there seems to be a theory that GERD makes asthma worse and that treating it like with nexium/zantac can help your asthma

I have also read about these controversial antibiotic treatments but the amycin didn't work for me

[bsmsl]

Hi,

Vitamin D does strengthen the immune system and is recommended for asthma treatment as a result.  It is essential to almost all systems.  It is proven to help prevent muscle spasms and cramps.  

I have been on 50,000 IU - 100,000 IU/wk (plus multivitamins, milk, calcium supplement...) for several years.  As long as you have your vitamin D level monitored and it stays within the range your doctor determines, you are fine.  Don't take more than 2,000 IU if you are not monitoring your vitamin D level.

I hope that help you.

Take care and

God bless.

[1oftheclub222]

I am not sure they have proven anything yet, but there are studies going on

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=vitamin+d+asthma

[Tammy2009]

vitamin C (2000mg a daily recommended by a respiralogist) and 2000IU of vitamin D (also recommended) helped my lungs a lot.  Although it is properly more related to lowering the inflammation caused by reflux than true asthma symptoms.  

The one supplement that helped the most though back when I was having severe asthma symptoms (to the point of needed a two week pred taper which wasn't helping that much) was something called N-acetyl-cysteine.  It is sold under the term "NAC" and helps to clear and thin the mucus in the lungs.  Many doctors use it for COPD patients and it had a HUGE difference within a couple of days - worked better than the pred :D

I was suppose to start at 500mg capsule once a day and work up to 3 capsules or 1500mg a day.  However always use your doctor first about anything to make sure the supplement don't negatively interact with your other meds.

[ill13632]

there are studies that show higher FEV1 scores at VitC supplementation of 1g/day but I don't know the toxicity and safety.  it was a smaller study
I take vitC at 0.5g/day now but it hasn't made a dramatic improvement it seems

[ill13632]

I've been trying all kinds of supplements trying to regain my lung function but maybe it's a mistake since asthma really is uncurable and it's a mistake to treat it with supplements or meds that can do harm.
like if you take too many steroids you can get brain damage to the neurons in the hippocampus, it seems to happen to people who take high doses of prednisone

[caregiver222]

Excess vitamin D causes hypocalcemia, That is to say low blood calcium. You must (a) have very low D3 levels and (b) the doctor doesn't trust you to take two 2,000 IU units a day. There is nothing wrong with the once-a-week 50,000 IU dose, until you get your levels to normal. That being said, on the day you take the 50,000 IU dose take a calcium supplement or drink a quart of milk that day. If you don't you will be prone to "charley horse" cramps. This will also avoid calcium being taken up from the bones. D3 affects the ability of smooth muscle to respond to feedback, and that includes dilation of blood vessels and airway passageways. So while vitamin D3 supplements may not help asthma D3 deficiency can exacerbate reactions in terms of airway dilitation. When your levels become normal you will be returned to a lower daily level. There is some controversy as to how much vitamin D3 is needed. One study suggests that D3, which is manufactured by skin exposure, should be 10,000 IU a day, because that is what is produced from a 30 minute exposure of an adult male to full body sunlight for thirty minutes. In any event you have nothing to worry about from your once-a-week prescribed regimen.