Quoted from ruthiegirl

Mayflowers- I've also seen liquid vitamin D, with only two ingredients: vitamin D3 and olive oil. I used to buy it for my son, before he learned how to swallow pills.

Thanks. I'd rather take a pill...more conventiant. Well, I bought some Carlson Solar D Gems, 2,000 ius. I can buy 4,000 and I thought I saw 5,000. ?? I want to see if I can tolerate it. It's not all fish oil.  I think there's some lanolin in it too. It also has lemon in it.. That could be an issue if my skin starts to break out.  Ok...I'm going in

Quoted from Mayflowers

Thanks. I'd rather take a pill...more conventiant. Well, I bought some Carlson Solar D Gems, 2,000 ius. I can buy 4,000 and I thought I saw 5,000. ?? I want to see if I can tolerate it. It's not all fish oil.  I think there's some lanolin in it too. It also has lemon in it.. That could be an issue if my skin starts to break out.  Ok...I'm going in

Mayflowers, is there any way that you could just get out in the sun more? Twenty minutes would be great!

There's almost no vitamin D to be made in the northern US this time of year. How much vitamin D our bodies produce in the sun depends on many factors, including the angle of the sun, which varies not just at different times of day (more at noon, less in early morning or late afternoon) but also the sun relative to the equator. Where I live is too far north to really make any vitamin D in the winter, even if we don't bundle up against the cold. Mayflowers lives north of me. Traditional people in this part of the world either migrated south in the winter, ate lots of D-rich foods (such as fish livers), or stocked up on D in the summer to see them through the winters.

I don't know if a tanning bed (or equivalent) might work, but actual outside sun isn't really an option.

Ruthie's right. Plus age is a factor in metabolizing D in the body too. The older we get the less we can make D by the sun.  Well forget the Carlson D. I got sick from the lemon in it.  .  I have to find Bluebonnet and pay through the nose...   My brilliant sister thinks that strontium is better for bones than vitamin D.      She stopped taking vitamin D.      I wash my hands. I'm sick of trying to explain things to her.  

Quoted from Spring

Mayflowers, is there any way that you could just get out in the sun more? Twenty minutes would be great!

That's why last year I was going to the tanning beds to amp up my D making.  IDK if I can afford it this year.. I'll get tested for D levels soon and then I'll know more.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

. Mayflowers lives north of me.

Actually I live south of you ... I live in Jersey.       But it's still the NE and no sun..

No harm meant, but I think I would die if I lived in that part of the country!
I've always known that your neighbors  migrate to the South by the zillions in the winter, but, basically, I always thought it was simply to get away from the cold! Maybe they have thought that, too, but it may have had more to do with how much better they felt because of getting Vitamin D! Even my parents migrated to Florida in the winter - the sun shines a lot more there during the winter.. Did them a world of good too.... I don't think you could pry my brother from down there with a fork lift.

I think some people absorb D from pills and some don't...Maybe one cause could be gluten damage in the gut that causes malabsorption....which makes it difficult to extract nutrients
properly from both foods and supplements.  Just my hypothesis...

....Both my husband and I have raised our D levels with 5,000 iu of oral D in summer and I take a bit more in winter (he doesn't) which we've taken for years.......and we take D in different forms and his level doesn't drop in winter even though he's not getting any sun... and I've rotated my brands of D and it makes no difference.  I just abosrb vitamin D well from a supplement...  Mine has K and his has many other minerals.....Both of us have D levels in the 70s.....and I am not someone who ever sits in the sun....rarely in summer (although I might be outdoors, I'm generally in the shade because I don't like the heat) And in the winter, I get no sun...

Perhaps people with gut damage really need to get their D from natural sunlight.....which is
almost impossible living in the northeast in the winter time...

My D is very high. I am gluten intolerant, have IBS. I stopped gluten about 18 months ago. Still working on the gut issues, but have had good results from swami and Dr. D's intestinal protocol.
At the recommendation of a naturopath, I was taking about 3,000 IU of D3/day--capsules of varying brands. I live in the extreme northeast of the US. In the summer, I soak up as much sun as I can, less concerned about skin cancer than about D deficiency.  In December, my D level was >96.

Go figure!

Quoted from prunella

My D is very high. I am gluten intolerant, have IBS. I stopped gluten about 18 months ago. Still working on the gut issues, but have had good results from swami and Dr. D's intestinal protocol.
At the recommendation of a naturopath, I was taking about 3,000 IU of D3/day--capsules of varying brands. I live in the extreme northeast of the US. In the summer, I soak up as much sun as I can, less concerned about skin cancer than about D deficiency.  In December, my D level was >96.

Go figure!

Well, my hypothesis has been proven wrong...but let me ask you this....how long are you off gluten?  And how long are you taking vitamin D?  Your level is extremely high for where you live,
for the amount of D you're taking....I doubt anyone can soak up enough D in summer to last
until December...You are obviously someone who absorbs D well from supplementation....
and have obviously gotten great results from your SWAMI and the intestinal protocol!  Good
for you!  

Quoted from Chloe

I think some people absorb D from pills and some don't...Maybe one cause could be gluten damage in the gut that causes malabsorption....which makes it difficult to extract nutrients
properly from both foods and supplements.

speaking of gluten damage, I would have stopped eating wheat a long time ago if I had read Wheat Belly. I'm just hoping I can repair the damage. It might be why it's so hard for me to get my D levels up.  I'm afraid to take extra K.  My blood is thick enough and K makes it clot more.

Quoted from Mayflowers

speaking of gluten damage, I would have stopped eating wheat a long time ago if I had read Wheat Belly. I'm just hoping I can repair the damage. It might be why it's so hard for me to get my D levels up.  I'm afraid to take extra K.  My blood is thick enough and K makes it clot more.

I'm off gluten nearly 8 years....it takes diligence....and the ability to find grain substitutes....I
do well on quinoa and fine on millet but brown rice....kind of binding....
..My husband does great on spelt....his SWAMI gives him no wheat
except for sprouted....although he doesn't like sprouted bread...relies on brown rice and spelt..
He was miserable first few weeks on his SWAMI....was such a wheat addict...His stomach went
from bloated to almost normal looking...He was forever burping....doesn't happen very often...
He's off gluten since August....For people who don't have major gut damage, I think their digestive system will improve on a diligent diet...It just can't be that wheat is eaten some of the
time...I think it takes time to really heal...and it doesn't take much to cause inflammation in the
gut lining from a few wheat meals.

Quoted from Chloe

..My husband does great on spelt....his SWAMI gives him no wheat

I hope I have your diligence. I think I will.    All I needed was some motivation. Wheat Belly is serious motivation. I got contaminated last week from take out palak paneer (spinach). The chef must have put flour in it to thicken it.. which is not standard and I had such indigestion, pain and acid reflux.  

BTW, Spelt is  similar to wheat. Your husband isn't gluten free.   Spelt contains gluten.
I just read this and its very interesting...

http://www.food-allergy.org/spelt.html

Quoted from Mayflowers

I hope I have your diligence. I think I will.    All I needed was some motivation. Wheat Belly is serious motivation. I got contaminated last week from take out palak paneer (spinach). The chef must have put flour in it to thicken it.. which is not standard and I had such indigestion, pain and acid reflux.  

BTW, Spelt is  similar to wheat. Your husband isn't gluten free.   Spelt contains gluten.
I just read this and its very interesting...

http://www.food-allergy.org/spelt.html

Yes, I know spelt isn't gluten free....His Warrior Swami gives him spelt and sprouted wheat as
beneficials...but no unsprouted wheat is allowed.  Spelt is alkalizing compared to acidic wheat
so perhaps the focus of his SWAMI isn't so much gut related as it's focused for his other health
issues....prostate/kidney/bladder/blood pressure.  When you're truly gluten intolerant, you know.
The fact that he showed any improvement by giving up wheat and eating spelt instead shows
that his diet is working for his issues...I think he is happy eating brown rice pasta because he's
allowed to have tomatoes (he's a nonnie) so he gets tomato sauce.  Our diets are so different from one another...He was a big cheese eater before...and his only neutral options right now are ricotta and cottage cheese -- options he doesn't even like.  

Sorry, I'm SO off topic regarding vitamin D updates...but just really wanted to say that to heal
the gut from true gluten damage, you really have to stay away from it completely...for quite
awhile diligently....It's really important to explain to all chefs anywhere that you are seriously gluten intolerant....I make it a point to say "I want to make sure my fish isn't dusted in
flour, that there is no flour in the soup I'm ordering, that none of my food has bread crumbs,
or that any sauce is thickened with flour".  I make waiters go into the kitchen and check with the
chef what is in everything I'm ordering...It's a pain in the butt...but it's allowed me to eat out without having my food corrupted with gluten.

Is the book "Wheat Belly" about gluten grains or just wheat?

Quoted from Mayflowers

I'm afraid to take extra K.  My blood is thick enough and K makes it clot more.

I already know I have problems with calcium settling in soft tissue, and I certainly don't want any in my brain! Vitamin D can cause calcium to do this if there is not enough Vitamin K.

I'm not sure I am going to be able to deal with this much Vitamin D in one pill. I have been feeling strange for two days.... Nausea, groggy, headache, achy, pouring sweat last night ..... I thought at first that I might be coming down with the flu, but I do not have a fever. The nausea has lessened in the last few hours. Had it since Thursday. Another problem is that I have been wanting to eat the house down in spite of the nausea. So all this is very uncommon for me and if it is not better by Tuesday I'm calling the doctor. That is the day I'm supposed to take the next 50,000 IU's. On the other hand, maybe this is all simply some sort of detox?????

I was talking to an RN I know today, and she said she can't take that much at once either. She is now taking some she got at the health food store that are liquid, and she is doing all right with it. She will have her D level checked in about three months. So it will be interesting to see how she comes out with that.

Quoted from Spring

I'm not sure I am going to be able to deal with this much Vitamin D in one pill. I have been feeling strange for two days.... Nausea, groggy, headache, achy, pouring sweat last night ..... I thought at first that I might be coming down with the flu, but I do not have a fever.

Sorry to hear that.   I felt like that Thursday but I had food poisoning. Since I've been pretty compliant, it wasn't that bad.

Are you taking the D with your biggest meal like dinner? Never take it on a empty stomach..that will surely make you nauseous. I also read to take magnesium and minerals with it. That's what I do.  With dinner, I take 5,000 ius,  magnesium and 2 multi mineral caps which come out to about 500 mg of calcium.

Spring- I think you definitely need to call the doctor about your reactions to the vitamin D. You may do better having smaller amounts daily for a while, instead of such huge quantities less often. How often are you supposed to take those 50,000 iu pills? I've never taken more than 15,000 iu at one time, and I've only taken that much for a few days before dropping back down to 10,000 iu per day (when I was nursing Leah through a bad illness that I suspect was pertussis.)

Mayflowers, I will try your method if I take anymore of this stuff. I did eat something soon after I took the pill last Tuesday, but I didn't take any other supplements that I can remember until later. The problem with most of my minerals is that they contain substantial amounts of calcium, and I don't want to overload with that right now. Especially since I am eating so many foods that contain it.

Ruthie, I am only supposed to take these things four weeks, then once per month for six months. So I only have three more weeks to take this humongous amount. I feel tremendously better today. No nausea, aches or headache, and I slept better last night. I may go ahead and take the pill for tomorrow with my biggest meal, as MF suggested, and see how it goes. It still amazes me that doctors will finally get focused on one vitamin, but everything else that needs to be addressed at the same time to make THAT vitamin actually work never gets any attention at all. It is pitiful how clueless they are about it. And it is certainly not to our best interests. I've been knowing this for decades, but it still amazes me.

One pill or two per week?

I still don't quite understand why the doctor didn't tell you to take 10,000 iu per day instead of these large doses.

I took one 50,000 ius a week for 10 weeks. I had no problems with it at all...and I'm sensitive!  

I think Spring just needs to eat a bigger meal with it. Sounds like she wasn't eating enough when taking it.

I was taking D in the morning because Dr. Oz said to do it. Wrong. I didn't even absorb it. My levels dropped..! I absorb it best with Dinner and the minerals with it.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

One pill or two per week? I still don't quite understand why the doctor didn't tell you to take 10,000 iu per day instead of these large doses.

It is once per week for four weeks. Once per month for six months. For all I know, some insurance companies may pay for this size, but mine didn't.

Quoted from Mayflowers

I was taking D in the morning because Dr. Oz said to do it. Wrong. I didn't even absorb it. My levels dropped..! I absorb it best with Dinner and the minerals with it.

I wonder if he came up with that because we absorb calcium better during the day when we are active rather than at night.

Quoted from Spring

I wonder if he came up with that because we absorb calcium better during the day when we are active rather than at night.

He said something about vitamin D giving energy because it's associated with the sun, so if you want more energy to take D in the morning.  I never noticed any difference    and I slept better taking it at night with the magnesium and mineral supplements.

I just got the DPN Phyto D 2000 that I had ordered before I went to the doctor, and it has 2,000 IU's D3, 25 mcg.s Vitamin K, plus Strontium etc. He recommends taking two per day. I would have a lot more confidence in this than what I'm trying to achieve with this who-knows-what Vit. D3 I'm taking from a drug company.

Quoted from Mayflowers

He said something about vitamin D giving energy because it's associated with the sun, so if you want more energy to take D in the morning.  I never noticed any difference    and I slept better taking it at night with the magnesium and mineral supplements.

I don't especially need anymore energy in the day time, but this "drug store" D3 made me sleepy!! So it sounds like we both react to it the same.