Lupus > Lupus Q&A > Remedy Advice for Discoid Lupus in Teenage Son
Remedy Advice for Discoid Lupus in Teenage SonPosted By Patty (Olympia, Wa) on 04/03/2013
Replied by Art (Tustin, California, USA) on 04/04/2013
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23204220
You cannot produce any relevant amount of vitamin d from sun exposure until your shadow is shorter than you are tall. You state that your sons symptoms are at their worst in springtime, which would likely correspond with his lowest serum vitamin d levels (25 OH d level). The sunblock and hats will likely bring vitamin d production to near zero which means the only way to get enough vitamin d is through supplementation at probably higher than the RDA in order to be of benefit, but you would have to discuss vitamin D supplementation with your doctor and get approval from your doctor for health safety. It sounds like uvb sensitivity is an issue with your son and he will need to get vitamin d somehow for general health alone. If your son is not currently supplementing with vitamin D, it may be a worthwhile discussion to have with your doctor along with a 25 OH d serum test to determine where his current level is. If he is already supplementing with vitamin d, the serum test will be useful to determine wether he is taking enough vitamin d or needs to take more to reach an optimal level.
Having a serum 25 OH d level in the optimal range will have an antinflammatory effect as well as allow the body to produce cathelicidin on demand, a natural antimicrobial produced by the body to help fight infections and possibly help skin damage to heal more robustly while fighting infection in the area. There are many more health benefits to having a serum 25 OH d level in the optimal range other than just strong healthy bones, including anticancer activity and antiviral activity.
Best wishes.
Art