Vitamin D Deficiency is the Devil!!!!

[Bida44]

This is not a question but my .02 on vitamin D deficiency...I'm not sure where that other thread is but I hope to help someone with this message.  I have body aches in my neck, back, numbness in my legs, hands, started sweating badly at night, blood pressure spikes, headaches, red face, nose, rosacea, sleeplessness, stomach cramps, did I mention HEADACHES??? My menstrual cycle is crazy, I have off and on acne.  My thyroid swells, but blood test says my levels are ok.  I have rough skin, mood, cry laugh happy sad.  Shortness of breath and heart palpitations were some of my symptoms too.  I thought the reaper was coming for me to die! I have been vitamin D (was prescribed 50,000 pills weekly but I was 24 and didn't take them) deficient for years not taking my supplements and my doctor DID NOT tell me how important this hormone (not vitamin) is.  My blood pressure spikes like crazy and just bc I am African American my Indian doctor thought it was blood pressure and put me on 7 different blood pressure meds that do not work.  My cortisol levels in my blood work were elevated...however MRI showed nothing wrong with my pituitary gland....my 24 hour urine for my adrenal glands came back normal.  I got tired of feeling bad and going back and forth to the doctor, did my own research and found out that doctors are not as smart as we think.  They do not think outside of the box these days.  I started taking some supplements to help my body start building itself back up. One a day vitamin, vitamin b-12 (which I am also deficient), 10, 000 in vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C.  This vitamin cocktail will help your body build back up.  It takes 6 months for the vitamin D to be fully absorbed in your system...which is frustrating because you want to feel better faster.  I am a busy mother so I sometimes only ate once per day.  This causes low Vitamin D too.  I hope this helps someone...anyone....and I hope all of you start to feel better.

[Gemfly]

Make sure you're taking D3 not D2. You need D3 daily along with magnesium and Vitamin K2 (if you don't get enough dark leafy greens in your diet and you're not on other medications where K2 would be an issue). D2 depletes your body and us harmful. Also, weekly/monthly doses of D won't stay in your body long enough.

[Alanabanana98]

That's so weird! Sounds just like me! Vitamin d us 15/16 cortisal was high 23/24 but my 24 hour urine was normal!

[Red_Star]

I only checked my vitamin D levels as this deficiency in linked to increased risk of cancer in particular colon, breast and prostate. I didn't once suspect I'd be deficient because I live in Queensland Australia and have a tan. I had severe vitamin D deficiency! O_o  

My reasons for vitamin D deficiency - magnesium deficiency and Hashimoto's thyroiditis (autoimmune hypothyroidism). My symptoms of vitamin D deficiency - very poor immune system, bone pain in my hands, mildly weak leg muscles, having to clear my throat constantly due to excess mucus.

Causes of vitamin D deficiency include:

* Lack of sunlight

* Everyone who lives more than 35 degrees latitude north or south of the equator is at risk of vitamin D deficiency in the winter months

* Dark or black skin needs up to 10 times the amount of sun than light skin to absorb vitamin D in their skin

* Wearing sunscreen - prevents absorption of UVB rays that create vitamin D

* Lack of vitamin D co-factors - magnesium (most important co factor), zinc, vitamin K2, boron, and a tiny amount of vitamin A

* Magnesium and calcium compete for absorption so excessive consumption of calcium can cause a magnesium deficiency

* Low cholesterol - cholesterol is the precursor to vitamin D. Vitamin D3 is made in the skin when 7-dehydrocholesterol absorbs UVB ultraviolet light at wavelengths between 270 - 300 nm

* Kidney and liver disease - vitamin D is processed (metabolized) by the liver and kidneys into an active form of vitamin D

* Parathyroid conditions (parathyroid - glands in front of the thyroid). PTH (parathyroid hormone) regulates calcium in the blood. As the calcium level increases, the level of vitamin D decreases

* Malabsorption including coeliac disease, Crohn's disease, food allergies, dysbiosis (yeast or bacterial)

* Hypothyroidism =  possible explanations: poor absorption of vitamin D from the intestine or the body may not activate vitamin D properly

* Older adults - the skin converts less vitamin D from sunlight  

* High cortisol levels (caused by stress, medications like steroids or medical conditions such as Cushing's Disease).  When the body is in an active stress response, most of the cholesterol is used to make cortisol and not enough is left over for vitamin D production  

* Medications including statins (cholesterol lowering drugs), acid lowering medications, anti-inflammatories, laxatives, prednisone, corticosteroids, anti-convulsants, replacement hormones, anticoagulants, blood thinners.

* Conditions that impair fat absorption such as Cystic Fibrosis, IBS, IBD, gall bladder, liver disease

* Inflammation of any type reduces the utilization of vitamin D

* Very large or obese body, as a larger body requires more vitamin D

* Gastric bypass surgery

* Very low fat diet -  in order to absorb vitamin D the body needs to have fat (vitamin D is fat soluble)

* Lacking vitamin D in the diet or a strict vegetarian diet - natural food sources of vitamin D are animal based

* Pesticides: most are fat soluble and steroid hormone disruptors (vitamin D is a steroid hormone)

* Hereditary disorders

- Renal 1 alpha-hydroxylase deficiency (also called type I hereditary vitamin D-dependent rickets)

- Type II Hereditary Vitamin D-Dependent Rickets

- Type III hereditary vitamin D-dependent rickets