Vitamin D usage with IBDs; and Crohn's study re: Vit. D needs subjects (was: Re: Re: Monolaurin)

[Guest guest]

I would like to add my experience to this. When I was first diagnosed with mild

UC, I was really pretty sick, more sick than my colonoscopy would have

suggested. I got the same story from my docs about diet and supplements.

But I was also curious about why all this happened at menopause. I wanted to

know if hormones had anything to do with it, so I went to the gyn. My gyn said

no, but just on a whim, she decided to check my vitamin D levels. Nobody else

had ever done that.

It turns out, I was deficient. After treatment with higher dose Vit D, they

never checked it again. At my last check up, I asked them to check it, and it

was low normal, so, on my own decision, I am taking 5,000 IU's through the

winter and then will go to a lower dose.

Thank goodness someone is looking into this. I have no idea how long I was

vitamin D deficient, or if it was a result of all the D.

So... it's a good idea to check for deficiency.

PJ

>

> > You should read up on vitamin D3 - many of us don't get enough of it in

> > the winter and it helps modulate neuromuscular and immune function

> > and reduce inflammation

> >

> > Mara

>

> I second that suggestion. It's now known that people need considerably

> more Vit. D than previously thought, and that it has very important roles

> in various bodily functions and disease prevention that were unknown even

> a few years ago. And people with IBDs need therapeutic doses beause we

> don't produce enough of it -- and the more so in winter, as Mara points

> out. You can easily take 5000 IUs a day though you should probably work up

> to that amount (and doctors who know a lot about nutrition and IBDs say as

> much as 10,000, depending on your levels and your disease),

>

> In general the RDAs for vitamins and minerals set years ago by the gov

> should be summarily ignored. They're way too low, and, again, the more so

> for people with auto-immune/inflammatory diseases. Also, don't ever

> believe any doctor who tells you that " if you just eat a proper diet "

> you'll get the vitamins/mineralsamino acids you need. Not hardly! (I doubt

> anybody here believes that anyway, but I thought I'd throw it in.)

>

> In case anybody's interested: Dr. Jill of Penn State -- she of the

> groundbreaking LDN and Crohn's study and pediatric Crohn's/LDN study --

> will be beginning a study with Crohn's paitents and their reaction to

> Vitamin D. I just called shortly ago to express my interest (you'll likely

> get an answering machine and they'll call you back, then ask you some

> questions re: an initial screening). You can't be on steroids to be a

> study subject, but they don't say anything about what other rescrictions

> they have. One normally finds out those things when someone administering

> the study calls you back.

>

> Here's the press release they issued last month:

> ________________________________________________________

>

> Crohn's patients needed for research study

> Wednesday, January 20, 2010

>

> Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center is studying vitamin D

> supplementation and Crohn’s disease.

>

> Crohn’s disease is form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that involves

> ongoing inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. IBD patients are

> generally lacking vitamin D, although it is not known if Crohn’s is caused

> by or results in a lack of vitamin D.

>

> Those with Crohn’s diseases are able to participate in this research

> study. Participation includes six visits to the medical center, or to Penn

> State's University Park campus, over a six-month period, providing small

> blood samples, a questionnaire, and a bone scan.

>

> To be eligible, participants need to have been diagnosed with Crohn’s

> disease, be between 18 and 70 years old, not be taking any steroid

> medication, and not have an ostomy.

>

> Compensation is provided for time and travel.

>

> For more information, call Bingaman at Hershey at , or

> Veronika Weaver at University Park at .

> _____________________________________

>

> n

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