from the Vitamin D Council

[Guest guest]

Vitamin D Council

May 19, 2011

On July 1, 2011, the Vitamin D Council is planning to begin a free

clinic for children with autism. My time will be free, the autism

assessment scales will be free, the blood tests will be free, and the

vitamin D for the kids will be free (due to the generosity of Ddrops).

We estimate 3-4 clinic visits will be needed. Anyone in the world with

a child with autism can call and get an appointment to see me. The

Vitamin D Council will sponsor this clinic as long as we can afford it,

which means as long as we have enough donors, members and especially

enough lifetime members. From now on, a lifetime membership also means

that such membership sponsors one autistic child to come to the free

clinic and we will encourage that family (if the donor wants) to call

and thank the donor in person.

We are taking a risk, as our financial situation is - as it is too often

- precarious. In order to have a free clinic we must hire an

administrative assistant to organize and help with the free clinic.

Therefore, I will no longer be getting any salary from the Vitamin D

Council. This also helps with conflicts of interest. However, we still

have to pay a full time web director, a science advisor, a controller,

another 6 months on our $40,000.00 contract with Minervation to finish

the new website (coming any day), and a commitment to fund a $20,000

preliminary study on autism and vitamin D by the University of

California at San Francisco, a study I will tell you more about in a

future newsletter. We will soon post our 2010 tax returns for public

scrutiny. Why can't we attract the attention of a wealthy foundation or

donor? Sometimes, I make myself sick worrying over the finances of the

Council.

Please consider donating or joining as a member. If you cannot afford

$50.00, then donate whatever you can afford. We now have the ability to

process donations via credit cards - not just PayPal - so the

$5.00/month option is even easier.

Become a member of the Vitamin D Council

<http://thevitamindcouncil.wildapricot.org/>

Two More Autism Letters

In the last few weeks, I received the two letters below. I was so glad

to find out that I may be wrong, that adults with autism - not just

young children - may be helped with vitamin D.

Dear Dr. Cannell:

We talked a couple months back about my autistic 3 year old son (now 4).

As you suggested, I began giving him 5000 IU of Vitamin D daily. Since

starting the vitamin D, I have seen the following improvements;

1. Larry is now sleeping through the night which has a tremendous

positive impact on functioning throughout the day. (as well as the

functioning of the rest of the family). He does take a sleeping

medication as well. I do think the D has had a positive effect on the

length and quality of his sleep. He no longer wakes several times

throughout the night and sleeps the proper amount of time. He wakes up

with a smile.

2. He definitely has more eye contact. He is mostly " present " and

aware of his environment. He seems to pay more attention to what is

going on around him.

3. He has started a picture program to help him communicate. He was

having slow progress with this at school. He started additional home

therapy a little after he started the vitamin D. He now communicates

very well with a variety of picture cards including cookie, outside and

music. When he can't find his card, he attempts to communicate in an

alternative way.

4. He smiles much more. Along with the eye contact, we have had a

lovely increase in smiles and giggles. He used to have violent

episodes. He is on a behavior medication but since starting the D he

seems to be more emotionally engaged with others and his environment.

5. He seems to listen more and respond to his name. This one seemed

to start when we started the D and home therapy. I can be outside with

him and if he wanders off, I call his name and he responds by stopping,

listening and generally following the directions to come back. I can

ask him to do simple tasks like throw a wrapper in the garbage of turn

off the light and he will do it. He will even hold my hand and walk

into stores with me.

6. He has been interacting a little more with his older brother (18

months older). When his brother pays attention to him, Larry lights up

and seems excited, smiles and jumps up and down.

7. He initiates more physical contact with others, spontaneously

giving hugs or just being close.

Thank you so much, we have hope again.

Will he ever be " normal? "

Sincerely,

Jan

Dear Jan,

I am so pleased. Such dramatic improvement after only two months is a

sign that improvement may continue. This appears to me to be evidence

that Larry's genes are not structurally damaged, but before the vitamin

D, the involved genes did not have enough of their messenger system

(vitamin D) to properly express themselves. Yes, he may be " normal, "

whatever that is, I just don't know. I am hoping for a Larry who is

happy and able to learn like other children. What his brain needs now

is time, time to heal from the genetic, inflammatory, autoimmune

disorder that we call autism. A recent South Korean study implies the

rate is now almost one child in 35, an epidemic that may bankrupt our

medical and civil services soon unless pregnant women and young children

start taking the correct amount of vitamin D.

Be sure that he takes no excess retinol, such a retinyl acetate or

retinyl palmitate, and no cod liver oil. He also needs approximately

125 mg of magnesium, 5 mg of zinc, 2 mg of boron, and at least 80 mcg of

vitamin K2, the vitamin D cofactors Americans often lack. Seeds and

nuts are good source of all but the K2, which is usually taken as a

supplement. Trader Joe sells sunflower and almond butter that autistic

kids seem to like.

Obtain a 25-hydroxy-vitamin D in two months with the target range being

high normal, around 80-100 ng/ml. He may require more than 5,000 IU/day

to obtain such blood levels.

Stay in touch and let me know his 25(OH)D and his progress. You have my

cell phone number, call me whenever you have questions.

Sincerely,

Cannell

Dear Dr. Cannell:

I have a 19 year old boy with autism. I include a brief summary of

Jake's development with the hope of helping with his data collection. I

have tape from before the vitamin D and I will tape Jake now so we can

have video proof of this amazing change. And, oh yes, don't give up on

the adults. My favorite saying is " everyone can always do better. "

Jake is a 19 year old young man with regressive autism, having been born

perfectly normal, and actually progressed ahead of schedule until a

series of ear infections, oral antibiotics, immunizations, and an

exposure to the wild virus strain of chicken pox caused Jake to suffer a

loss of language, eye contact, joint attention, behavioral

self-modulation, and a general ability to verbally communicate his

needs, problems, and pain. He developed a severe and persistent

gastrointestinal overgrowth of yeast, alternating constipation and

diarrhea, food allergies, seasonal allergies, enterocolitis, and

lymphoid hyperplasia, that could be so painfully debilitating that it

caused him to cry and scream, try to find physically comfortable

positions, and miss many days of school.

Jake has been maintained on a strict casein and gluten free diet for 6

years, with variable and minor improvement. He continued to battle

chronic yeast overgrowth, clostridia, and alternating diarrhea and

constipation, abdominal pain, gas, bloating, and failed to progress in

terms of acquisition of social and language skills, to the degree it

seemed he should. His tantruming, mood changes, and behavioral

outbursts, in retrospect, were essentially all related to his state of

bowel function and discomfort.

Treatments have been somewhat helpful, such as oral immunoglobulin, B12

injections, complex supplementation, however his progress has been at a

standstill and his language has not had any major improvements in 7

years. Although he can express his most basic needs, conversation is

extremely difficult for him.

I started supplementing with Vitamin D, 2000 IU a day, on April 15 and

have increased his dose to 6000 IU a day just last week. It seemed that

he was having a bit more language on just the 2000 IU but it was hard to

tell. Last week, after he had been on 6,000 IU for several weeks, it

seemed as if everyone began to notice. Just yesterday I received a call

from his staff that was so excited to report that " Jake cannot stop

talking " .

We are seeing the same improvement at home. Not only talk but singing

as well. The complex language is amazing, he asked me " why would you

limit that " and when he told me he had a bad dream he said " I'm crying

because I had a bad dream that I got sick and died " . Prior to this I

would have just assumed that he woke crying because his stomach was

bothering him. He would have never been able to explain his problem in

fact I didn't even realize he knew the concept of a dream. Today I

increased his dose to 10,000 IU per day. I'll keep him on this dose for

several weeks before running another level. His first level was 17

ng/ml.

Thanks again, Dr. Cannell, I'll keep you updated on his progress.

With warmest regards, and gratitude for your work.

Dear :

Somewhere in a previous newsletter, I wrongly predicted (I hope) that

older autistic subjects would not respond to vitamin D. Obviously, one

case report does not prove the point but now I believe all autistic

adults should start taking 10,000 IU per day immediately. My reasoning

is simple, 10,000 IU/day will not harm autistic adults and it may help,

it is just that simple.

Obtain a 25(OH)D in two months and adjust the dose as need to obtain

levels of 80-100 ng/ml. Never have I been so glad that I was wrong.

Also, be it autistic child or autistic adult, if you want to bring your

loved one to our new free clinic, but can't afford the travel costs,

maybe lifetime donors will allow some of their donation to be used for

travel. I can certainly coach you via email and phone. It is not that

difficult to get one's vitamin D level into the high range of normal

while avoiding excess preformed retinol.

, you have my phone number, call if you have questions, and let me

know his responses and the blood test results.

Sincerely,

Cannell

New Phase of My Life

As of July 1st, I will enter a new phase of my life. I will stop

publishing peer-reviewed scientific papers and concentrate on getting

vitamin D into the brains of autistic children. This will involve

everything from treating children at the free clinic, public speaking

about vitamin D and autism, running public service announcements on TV

and radio, supporting the autism and vitamin D study at UCSF, and trying

to get Congressional hearings on vitamin D and autism. For that reason,

from now on, please videotape your autistic child before starting the

vitamin D and again six months after obtaining a blood levels of 80-100

ng/ml. I may ask you to testify in the future, hopefully in Washington

DC; before and after videotapes would be powerful testimony.

However, the free clinic, even with my time entirely donated, costs

money. Please help us.

Become a member of the Vitamin D Council.

<http://thevitamindcouncil.wildapricot.org/>

Cannell, MD

Vitamin D Council

1241 Ave., #134

San Obispo, CA 93401

PS While I am not planning on researching and publishing any more

theories in peer reviewed journals, new scientific theories on vitamin D

are waiting to be written. For example, take one of the most common

medical conditions in the USA, heartburn or GERD. It involves a

dysfunctional weakened muscle (esophageal sphincter) at the base of the

esophagus. Treatment is geared to stopping the side effects of this

weak muscle, not strengthening the muscle itself. Like similar muscles

in the bladder, which increase the risk of urinary incontinence in

vitamin D deficient women, I suspect, and hereby theorize, that the

esophageal muscle is weakened by vitamin D deficiency. If any

researchers are reading this, it is an easy correlation to do with

whatever cohort you have access to, GERD symptoms or GERD diagnosis

compared with 25(OH)D levels. (I understand if you don't credit me as

first theorizing it.) If any lay people are reading this, and you have,

or used to have, GERD or heartburn, please email me a letter to this

email address, telling me about heartburn before and after vitamin D,

that is, did vitamin D (5,000 IU/day or more) appear to have an effect

on the heartburn, one way or another?

For members, you will get a special newsletter in a few days with

another likely theory, one that has not been proposed in peer-reviewed

literature, one that explains 65,000 American deaths per year. This

theory's author is a Cannell, just not me. However, after researching

this theory, I have little doubt it is true, and it also explains a

longstanding mystery of medicine. Please become a member, it is the best

50 dollar investment you will ever make. (As is true with all " member

only " publications, it will be posted for all to read in two months.)

Before you complain I am withholding information, if you are taking

5,000 IU/day, you do not have to worry that you are missing out on

anything.

S. Kalman PhD, RD, FACN

Director, BD - Nutrition & Applied Clinical Trials

Miami Research Associates

6141 Sunset Drive

Suite 301

Miami, FL. 33143

Direct -

Office ext. 5109

Fax

Email: dkalman@...

Web: www.miamiresearch.com