Inability to Eat, Vitamin D

Question by Kristine on 12/24/2007

Ted, I am a 42 year old female in great health weighing in at only 116 pounds, quite active and able to eat "any" food I may have desired. That is, except for these past 6 years. There is nothing I did differently. I simply woke-up with the inability to eat just what I ate yesterday. If I had been overweight and lacking in exercise I suppose the doctor would have told me to lose a few pounds and get moving. Also I do not drink or have ever had but just a few drinks on New Years Eve or the 4th of July. Also, I do not smoke nor have I ever smoked. Believe me the doctor's look dumbfounded. I did; however, 3 months ago have a test for vitamin D as well as a series of other vitamins and minerals and found that my "D" levels were basically in the single digits. They immediately put me on an eight week treatment of 50, 000 iu a week. My biggest complaint was being SOOOOO tired and weak. Little did I know this wonder drug of sorts would clear-up, no, I should correct myself and say "CURE" me of IBS. Within 2 weeks I saw no more symptoms: no bloating, no gurgling, no sour stomach with nausea, NO diarrhea or constipation. My bowels began to empty quite well on some sort of schedule again, once in the morning and again in the evening with no discomfort and completely formed stools. No more drugs like "Pepcid" or "Gas-x" which I took everyday. There was no metallic odors, blood or mucus any longer. I had it so badly that I seriously believed it was cancer and was considering a colonoscopy at the age of 41. It had completely ruined my life. I went from being normal one day to being abnormal the next. Now, the problem is this, I need more of what they prescribed to me 3 months ago. If my levels were so low in the first place it would seem to me that I may still be far from being well at this point if my IBS symptoms are now returning full force. Yes, I am taking "Nature's Made" Vitamin D but I did notice that it contained mainly D3 not the D2 I have read so much about. D2 seems to be the form of "D" that along with calcium helps the intestines to work properly eliminating the symptoms of IBS. Since my levels are up they will not give me any more of the prescription form. Therefore, I need to know is that prescription a "purer" form of vitamin D containing the D2 I am desperate here to get a hold of this form of Vitamin D. The color of my bowel-movements has changed again even in the last few weeks back to yellow and not dark brown. PLEASE!!! If you know of some way in which I can finally get this under control please say so. How can they keep denying this vitamin to the public. I now know what will help me and they won't give it to me. I do know too much can be harmful but in my case I figure I have a ways to go before that happens. A simple vitamin is all I need and to think I could actually get along without the over-the-counter drugs COMPLETELY! Did you know my calcium levels were fine only my "D" was deficient. I have also sustained 3 rib fractures in the last 18 months. I had a bone density test last week and am waiting for the results after Christmas. I was told I was the youngest woman she had seen to be having this test. I ate out tonight what I had to eat a month ago during my treatment and had to rush home due to diarrhea. I take 1400 iu a day, 1000iu of D3 and 400iu of "D" in a multivitamin. What else can I do Can you really help me and how much damage has this deficiency caused me in bone loss. I feel like my doctor is not listening. Do you also feel I need another test such as a urine or MRI to check the extent of the damage Should I insist on more tests and if they refuse try another doctor Things seem to be moving quite slowly concerning my health and I do believe I have quite a bit of damage that I have sustained for nearly 7 years now. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank-you
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Replied by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand)

Dear Krist: What vitamin D does is that it raises the entire immune system, and hence it helps with the bloating, IBS and all sorts of complaints.

The problem about vitamin D is that it needs to be taken along with magnesium to balance the critical magnesium to calcium ratio of 2:1. However most SAD (Standard American Diets)are too much calcium and not enough vitamin D. I remember Billy Bob Thorton who ate just eating potatoes and developed a mycardium of the heart from excess calcium as potatoes have more calcium than milk, and the body's lack of potassium could easily lead to a heart problem too. Addition of sea salt in a drinking water could also reduce IBS, but if a urinary tract infection, I might use 1 teaspoon of sea salt in one full glass of water, one single dose does it.

The single biggest issue that prevent me from mentioning the use of Vitamin D more frequently for IBS and a range of other condition is the lack of availability of vitamin D at doses between 20,000 to 50,000 i.u., which I have seen to be quite effective, even for the condition of atrophy and lupus.

The problem about taking vitamin D for so long is the possible weaknesses felt from higher serum calcium but additional magnesium and b complex will offset most of the excesses. Still, some vitamin C is needed, especially for the leg weakness such as 1000 mg of vitamin C sodium ascorbate, an alkaline form.

The condition of weaknesses mentioned, a common remedy I used is the vitamin b50 complex, plus a balanced electrolyte such as 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda plus 1/8 teaspoon of potassium citrate in 1/2 glass of water twice a day to balance off the sodium:potassium ratio. The other thing is the addition of sea salt in drinking water such as 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt per one liter of water. The sea salt has the micromineral that is needed, and its pH averages about 8.0.

In terms of effectiveness, the vitamin D3 is the ones that the hospitals usually used, but in third world countries, such as where I live we used vitamin D2. Vitamin D4 is seen as an active form of vitamin D that we used, which is helpful against even kidney diseases, but vitamin D3 is seen is second most effective, followed by D2, being the least effectiveness. However in practice, I do not see much differences between D2 and D3, although D4 is quite effective but they are way too expensive, since it is in an active form. The greatest difficulty in obtaining vitamin D3 or D2 is the I.U. that hospitals used, which are between 20,000 - 50,000 i.u. requires a prescription and this is the major block. It used to be only 50 years ago, where vitamin D of such were available to cure a lot of people with bone diseases such as rickets, with controls in place, the bone diseases have jumped, making a boon for bone surgery, rather than a preventive vitamin D that was quite effective against a number of bone disease, because it is controlled.

The only way a lot of my friend obtained such is either to buy in bulk, go to a foreign country and buy there, or simply just taking 20 of those 1000 i.u. vitamin D2, or even more so just taking the cod liver oil. Some enterprising friend I contacted years ago bought the vitamin D from a vet, instead of giving his dog, he used it on himself due to the lack of available nutrition in humans. Actually the differences between the dog and a human is the packaging, chemically the vitamin D2 is still the same.

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Replied by Morag (Texas) on 08/13/2018

With changes in stool color, gallstones and blockage of bile duct sounds likely to me.
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