Vitamin D

[George999]

Vitamin D in the oral treatments section?  Well, if you believe that genetics has something to do with Peyronie's, there is a brand new study out that you might find extremely interesting.  This study not only ties Vitamin D to gene expression on a grand scale, but it also demonstrates that SUPPLEMENTING with Vitamin D DOES change a person's genetics in a positive way.  That being the case, it would imply that there is much potential for benefit and little potential for harm in raising Vitamin D levels in cases of Peyronie's.

Abstract

Background: Although there have been numerous observations of vitamin D deficiency and its links to chronic diseases, no studies have reported on how vitamin D status and vitamin D3 supplementation affects broad gene expression in humans. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin D status and subsequent vitamin D supplementation on broad gene expression in healthy adults. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01696409).

Methods and Findings: A randomized, double-blind, single center pilot trial was conducted for comparing vitamin D supplementation with either 400 IUs (n = 3) or 2000 IUs (n = 5) vitamin D3 daily for 2 months on broad gene expression in the white blood cells collected from 8 healthy adults in the winter. Microarrays of the 16 buffy coats from eight subjects passed the quality control filters and normalized with the RMA method. Vitamin D3 supplementation that improved serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations was associated with at least a 1.5 fold alteration in the expression of 291 genes. There was a significant difference in the expression of 66 genes between subjects at baseline with vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D,20 ng/ml) and subjects with a 25(OH)D.20 ng/ml. After vitamin D3 supplementation gene expression of these 66 genes was similar for both groups. Seventeen vitamin D-regulated genes with new candidate vitamin D response elements including TRIM27, CD83, COPB2, YRNA and CETN3 which have been shown to be important for transcriptional regulation, immune function, response to stress and DNA repair were identified.

Conclusion/Significance: Our data suggest that any improvement in vitamin D status will significantly affect expression of genes that have a wide variety of biologic functions of more than 160 pathways linked to cancer, autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular disease with have been associated with vitamin D deficiency. This study reveals for the first time molecular finger prints that help explain the nonskeletal health benefits of vitamin D.

Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01696409


Citation: Hossein-nezhad A, Spira A, Holick MF (2013) Influence of Vitamin D Status and Vitamin D3 Supplementation on Genome Wide Expression of White Blood Cells: A Randomized Double-Blind Clinical Trial. PLoS ONE 8(3): e58725. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058725

Editor: Moray Campbell, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, United States of America

Received: October 3, 2012; Accepted February 5, 2013; Published March 20, 2013

Copyright: ß 2013 Hossein-nezhad et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Funding: This work was supported by a pilot grant from the National Institutes of Health Clinical Translational Science Institute Grant UL-1-RR-25711. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

* E-mail: mfholick@bu.edu

[swolf]

This has probably been addressed before but do you know if there is a specific advantage to getting your vitamin D through supplementation? or is getting it through sunlight really the best way? I know in the case of other things supplementation may actually be the preferred method of getting a nutrient/whatever.

[Hawk]

Swolf,

I don't think there is any question about what method produces the best delivery of vitamin D to your body.  It would be the sun.  For one thing there can never be vitamin D toxicity from the sun not to mention that some would suggest that it avoids all discussion on the type of vitamin D (D2 vs D3 etc).  It will also likely raise your levels to optimal levels ore quickly and reliably since absorption thought the digestive tract is less of an issue.

The problem is of course that depending on where we live it may not be much of an option.  Then the big controversy of life threatening melanoma and other skin cancers.  Finally the lesser issues of free radicals and skin aging.

Supplementation MUST BE MONITORED BY BLOOD TESTS.

[Hawk]

George,

With my quick read through this, did they based their findings on 8 (EIGHT) people in this study?

I must have missed something but I am in a rush.

[ashtown]

I just ordered a 12 month supply of vitamin D3 10,000 IU, since I work from home and there is precious little sunshine most of the year.  

[MattFoley]

I live in sunny California and I take 4,000 iu daily of D3 ever since I heard about the clinical study being done with vitamin D and testosterone.

[Hawk]

My wife started at a blood level of 24 ng/ml and taking 10,000 IU about 2-3 days a week moved her to about 40 ng/ml which most doctors are very happy with but many would say is a minimal end of the optimal range (which is 40 - 80)

Do either of you have a starting blood test for D?  I get concerned when people just state what they are taking with no explanation as to why.

[MattFoley]

My Vitamin D level was 62 before I started with the D3 supplements. The ref. range is 30-100 ng/ml so I'm normal but for a Peyronie's patient, can a level towards the high-end be better? I don't know but I'm willing to find out.

[ashtown]

I don't have any figures to start from but if you spend 23 hours a day in the house and it's non stop rain outside chances are you need a boost, especially after cutting out foods like milk and cheese that would normally help.  

[Hawk]

So do you figure you need a boost of 2000 IU a day, 10,000 once a week, or 10,000 a day? This is not something you can guess at unless you are taking a nominal amount of vitamin D in a multivitamin (400IU).  Vitamin D is toxic at high levels.  Further, even before toxic levels a 40,000 man study showed increased incidents of very aggressive prostate cancer at levels above 80 ng/ml or below 20 ng/ml.  

Why would you not get a blood test so you know where you are, how effective your supplement is, and at what rate it takes to maintain you at an optimal level?

[ashtown]

I can probably organise this through the urologist who I see privately and my next appointment is in April.

My local surgery is absolutely hopeless and as a patient I can't even make an appointment to see one of the GP doctors there. The best you can do is phone them and organise a call back within a couple of days, after which the doctor will decide whether or not he is willing to see you. Past experience shows they have no interest at all in treating Peyronies or even really discussing it.

I'm only on Pentox now because the urologist sent a letter to the surgery recommending it but I have never met the doctor who actually writes the prescription.

[Hawk]

I am not sure how NHS compares to U.S. medicine but I have a close enough relationship with my family doctor that as long as he sees me once a year he is usually happy to oblige if I call in and ask for an order for a simple blood, stool, or urine test.  In a pinch you can order Vitamin D tests on line.

[Hawk]

Here is a link that should be reliable but if you look you can probably find the test for $40 US dollars
https://vitamindcouncil.zrtlab.com/  Hopefully it is legal in the UK.  We have a couple states in the US that try to stop such independent testing.

[ashtown]

A few years ago it always worked that way here as well. Nowadays they make it difficult to see one particular doctor and if you call up 5 times you may end up speaking to 5 different doctors who all access the information through a computer database. If I was to call them about stiff knees I am sure they'd go through the motions but with Peyronies they've treated me like I have the plague.

I've seen various places in the UK where I can purchase vitamin D tests online for about the same price. I was just reading that a huge number of people in the UK search for information on the internet rather than seeing a doctor and they were lamenting that people were self-diagnosing rather than asking why people would search online instead of using the NHS.

[funnyfarm]

I have always had mine done by labcorp by ordering online, since it costs too much too see a Dr without insurance:

Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy Blood Test

[LMP]

How old are you Ashtown?

[ashtown]

I'm 45

[George999]

This has probably been addressed before but do you know if there is a specific advantage to getting your vitamin D through supplementation? or is getting it through sunlight really the best way? I know in the case of other things supplementation may actually be the preferred method of getting a nutrient/whatever.

The best way to get Vitamin D is from the sun, no question.  Why?  Because when UVB strikes the skin, it breaks down cholesterol into a number of byproducts, one of them being Vitamin D3.  HOWEVER, many researchers strongly suspect that at least some of the other byproducts are beneficial to the human body.  So, while Vitamin D3 from a supplement is equivalent to Vitamin D3 from the sun, the supplement fails to provide the other components of the reaction produced by the sun.  You must also remember, there is third solution here which provides an even better result than either supplement or sunlight.  That would be a specialized Vitamin D lamp which, unfortunately is very expensive ($400 range).  Its better than a supplement, because it provides all the factors that the sun would.  Its better than the sun because it works 24hrs year round, not just mid day in the summer.  AND its potentially better than the sun because it can provide a more pure UVB with less unwanted UVA.  It is UVA that is really the major cancer risk, not UVB.  BUT ANY exposure to sun or Vitamin D lamp should be limited to no more than about 15 minutes.  That is all it takes to generate tens of thousands of IUs of Vitamin D.  Any burning or significant redness is a cancer risk.

Supplementation MUST BE MONITORED BY BLOOD TESTS.

This is very true.  Vitamin D is NOT a vitamin at all, but a pro-hormone and when you are dealing with any sort of hormonal issue, you need to know where your blood levels are AND, probably more importantly, you need to know where your serum calcium levels are.  IF you are Vitamin D deficient and you have a parathyroid problem, you WON'T be aware of it because ALL symptoms will be masked by your low Vitamin D levels.  If you then start Vitamin D supplementation, your serum calcium levels will shoot into a toxic range and make you very sick.  Be safe and get the appropriate blood tests unto you know your body well enough to be able to maintain a safe AND EFFECTIVE level.

With my quick read through this, did they based their findings on 8 (EIGHT) people in this study?

That would not surprise me at all.  It was a pilot study.  Just the fact that those eight people showed uniform genetic changes is more than enough to convince me.  It is far more convincing to me than a number of scammy large scale studies based on the gigantic women's health study all showing Vitamin D to be of no use.  None of the women in that study were ever taking Vitamin D at more than 800IU per day and NONE of them ever had blood levels measured, but oncologists and dermatologists dishonestly use those studies to try to scare people away from Vitamin D.  When it comes to Vitamin D, I will trust the people who know and that would be endocrinologists, not oncologists or dermatologists who have been trying terrify people about sunlight for so many years, all of which has done nothing to bring cancer rates, even melanoma rates down significantly.

Vitamin D is toxic at high levels.  Further, even before toxic levels a 40,000 man study showed increased incidents of very aggressive prostate cancer at levels above 80 ng/ml or below 20 ng/ml.

As I stated above, I COMPLETELY agree that blood testing is the only safe way to go.  However, most doctors are absolutely phobic about Vitamin D.  If you ask around you will find it almost impossible to find a doctor who has EVER had a patient with Vitamin D toxicity.  There ARE doctors who have had patients with life threatening para-thyroid problems EXPOSED by supplemental Vitamin D, but NOT direct Vitamin D toxicity.  Even the NIH admits that the lowest level at which they have observed Vitamin D toxicity is 400ng/ml.  My wife had her Vitamin D levels go up over 160ng/ml and was symptom less with serum calcium levels and everything else fine.  Naturally, we brought it down as quickly as possible, but the reality is that it is probably much easier to poison yourself with Tylenol than it is with Vitamin D.  AND the prostate cancer study shows an increase that is more than countered by the deaths that didn't occur due to Vitamin D deficiency.  If your Vitamin D levels are at 100ng/ml, your risk of dying from anything period is much less than if they are 20ng/ml, but lots of docs will be happy with 20ng/ml.  Personally, I think 50-70 is good level for most people.  I make sure to keep mine in the 80-90 range though since high levels have shown a beneficial effect for hypertension, which in my case would more than balance out the minor risk from other issues.

To me this study is the first I have EVER seen that shows a simple way in which genetics can be manipulated in ways that improve health.  I think it is huge and that it more than validates my own decision years ago to raise my Vitamin D levels radically.  Even my Naturopath was terrified at the time (and I do the same with Potassium, Iodine, DHEA, a number of things doctors insist are "toxic"), but now several of my doctors are beginning to work hard to raise all of their patients Vitamin D levels.  And I expect that will save more than a few lives and I am very happy about that.  I fully expect new groundbreaking Vitamin D studies to continue to roll out and add ever increasing urgency to folks getting their Vitamin D levels into a healthy range.

Good discussion!

- George

[KAC]

Is  a vitamin D lamp different from a SAD lamp?

[George999]

Is  a vitamin D lamp different from a SAD lamp?

Yes.  Very different.  SAD lamps are not UV lamps.  They are engineered to emit light frequencies that stimulate the brain in ways that relieve depression.  Vitamin D lamps are specialty lamps that start at around $400 and go all the way into the thousands for larger and more sophisticated ones.  Some include a special high intensity narrow band red light as well since this has been shown to be therapeutic.  These lamps used to be mercury vapor based but are now fluorescent based and the lower end ones are mostly made by Sperti.  I have one of the older ones but don't use it anymore due more than anything to lack of discipline to make the time for it.  So ... I am on supplemental D instead.  It is less effective, but easier to manage for me.  - George

[Hawk]

It was a pilot study.  Just the fact that those eight people showed uniform genetic changes is more than enough to convince me.  

George I will have to take time to go back and reread that study but I do not recall that the 8 showed uniform changes but that they showed a change of 1.5 times.  If it was uniform it is certainly more convincing than if it was the over average with some higher and some lower (how low).

Also on the subject of the lamp.  I would have some concern that it was not putting out what they said it was putting out or that it was also putting out UVA.  How would you know and how consistent is the output over the actual operational life of the bulb?

And from the Skin Cancer.org site UVA & UVB - SkinCancer.org  

UVB, the chief cause of skin reddening and sunburn, tends to damage the skin's more superficial epidermal layers. It plays a key role in the development of skin cancer and a contributory role in tanning and photoaging. Its intensity varies by season, location, and time of day. The most significant amount of UVB hits the U.S. between 10 AM and 4 PM from April to October. However, UVB rays can burn and damage your skin year-round, especially at high altitudes and on reflective surfaces such as snow or ice, which bounce back up to 80 percent of the rays so that they hit the skin twice. UVB rays do not significantly penetrate glass.

[LMP]

I sympathise with your frustrations with the NHS Ashtown. It's almost as if you have to forward book an appointment to be ill in order to see a doctor. The reason I ask your age is that you're entitled to, if you haven't already had, a health MOT, where they give you a full check up. Use this as a shoe horn to get in and see a doc. If you tell them you feel really tired all the time they'll check all your hormones, testosterone, thyroid etc. Specifically ask for vit d, b12, ferritin. Just play the 'male family history' card of thyroid and vit d problems.

And always, always get printed copies of your results. Don't get palmed off with 'normal no action'. They must give you the results on request by law and believe me the staff hate doing it. I have a thick file going back years. We pay enough tax, dig your heels in and get something back.

[George999]

George I will have to take time to go back and reread that study but I do not recall that the 8 showed uniform changes but that they showed a change of 1.5 times.  If it was uniform it is certainly more convincing than if it was the over average with some higher and some lower (how low).

Also on the subject of the lamp.  I would have some concern that it was not putting out what they said it was putting out or that it was also putting out UVA.  How would you know and how consistent is the output over the actual operational life of the bulb?

Hawk,  I think you are attaching a different meaning to uniform than I am.  A number of studies have shown that people with higher vitamin D levels have better health outcomes.  A major argument AGAINST artificially raising serum Vitamin D levels has been that "there is no way to know whether these people have better health BECAUSE their Vitamin D levels are higher OR whether their Vitamin D levels are higher because of their genes which are the root cause of their better health, in which case supplementing would gain nothing".  AND the argument from Vitamin D detractors has ALWAYS been that "it is IMPOSSIBLE to change a person's genes".  This study demolishes both those arguments.  When you raise a person's Vitamin D levels, you also cause genetic changes that makes their genetics more like those who have the higher Vitamin D levels and a lower mortality rate.  That is what I meant by using the word uniform.  That when you raise blood levels of Vitamin D, genetic expression moves in the direction one would expect - that is, toward a better health outcome pattern.  I am using uniform to describe the direction of change in terms of health benefits, NOT the degree of change or whether it is positive or negative.  And its the direction (which is whatever is more healthy) that is important, not the degree.  AND remember that while certain gene expression is beneficial, other types of gene expression are toxic, so you want to move genes in a healthy direction which is not always more expression, but sometimes less.

As for lamps.  ALL unshielded fluorescent lamps put out a certain degree of UVA.  In the case of Vitamin D lamps, that UVA is minimized.  The specs that come with the lamps and are available on marketers websites disclose those numbers in detail.  That is why you need to limit exposure.  You also need to use eye protection which is explained when you buy the lamp.  I am not arguing that UVB is totally safe.  I am arguing that UVA is by far the larger threat when it comes to skin cancer.  There are a large number of tanning systems which actually filter out UVB and I consider them very toxic without a lot of redeeming value.  The whole point is that when you buy a lamp you need to look at the specs and make sure you are getting UVB and not just a lot of UVA.

[George999]

And always, always get printed copies of your results. Don't get palmed off with 'normal no action'. They must give you the results on request by law and believe me the staff hate doing it. I have a thick file going back years. We pay enough tax, dig your heels in and get something back.

Sigh ... its that way here in the USA too.  Doctors don't seem to like their patients analyzing their own blood tests.  They like patients to be passive.  But studies in the US have shown that patients who actively manage their own health care have better outcomes than passive types.  So my advice to anyone here in the US as well is to ALWAYS demand all copies of ANY lab testing.  I certainly wish I had done that in my own case over the years.  It would have saved me a lot of trouble on multiple occasions.  Additionally, make sure you ALWAYS share those lab tests with ALL of your doctors AND make sure ALL of your doctors have a list of ALL the pills you are taking including Vitamins and Supplements.  They often won't like it, but you have to stand up to the bullying and assert your rights.  Its YOUR body, not theirs.  And you have a right to manage your own health.  Of course that also brings responsibility.  If you make a health care decision and it goes wrong, you can't blame your doctor for it.  - George

[Hawk]

Obviously I support having a partnership role with doctors as is clear from the existence of this forum.  My father drummed that into my head from a very early age.  There was more than one instance when he would have been dead had he not taken things into his own hands.  

My wife and I both have our own file with every blood test, image, we have had for over a decade along with consultation notes.  I actually find that doctors are happy to give you that information  In fact I often pick up my blood work results right at the lab in less than 24 hours and I am often aware of the results long before the doctor.  

[George999]

Good for you Hawk.  I think you are ahead of me.  I have found that the more confident doctors are, the more willing they have been to work with me.  Some have told me that I am an "easy" patient since I do a lot of the work for them and because I know enough not to do stupid things (at least most of the time).  Others have pushed back.  But I have found that even with those, once I confirm that I respect their expertise and education AND am willing to take responsibility for my own actions and not do things against their advice and come back afterward and blame it on them (which some people do!), things settle down pretty fast.  I have also learned to double check doctor's advice to the point that when things don't work out, which has happened on multiple occasions, I try to pick up the pieces and move forward rather than trying to affix blame.  A doctor who lives in fear that he will face your wrath if he misses something by neglecting to do a procedure will not be a good doctor.  He or she will be a lawyer averse doctor who is more concerned about his or her legal security than about your health.  That is a serious issue and I want my doctors to be my partners in health without conflicts of interest, NOT my advisories who are willing to order unnecessary invasive tests just to protect themselves from a lawsuit.  - George

[ashtown]

I sympathise with your frustrations with the NHS Ashtown. It's almost as if you have to forward book an appointment to be ill in order to see a doctor. The reason I ask your age is that you're entitled to, if you haven't already had, a health MOT, where they give you a full check up. Use this as a shoe horn to get in and see a doc. If you tell them you feel really tired all the time they'll check all your hormones, testosterone, thyroid etc. Specifically ask for vit d, b12, ferritin. Just play the 'male family history' card of thyroid and vit d problems.

Thanks LMP, I've never had a health MOT. Ironically I always took good health for granted and can't remember the last time I saw a doctor in the previous 20 years before I got Peyronies, so all of this was nasty shock. Apart from Peyronies I am still very healthy and sometimes have to remind myself that I am really just dealing with an injury but one that causes physical and psychological difficulties.

[George999]

Here is a short video overview of Vitamin D.

http://video.wpt2.org/video/1865522011

[Hawk]

Excellent video.  I just got time to watch it.  

I am currently on 50,000 IU once a week (D2 of course).  I figured I would take them til they are gone (2 more weeks).  I am throwing in a few 2,000 IU of D3 during the week.  I will get another blood test in about 3 weeks.

I liked the balanced approach and the reminder that we cannot ump to conclusion on data.  Data can be accurate but our conclusions flawed.

[George999]

Here is another one just out dealing with ongoing research on Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer.  A bit tedious at times since it is much more detailed, but interesting never the less.  I have watched everything but the Q&A which begins around the midpoint of the video.  - George

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KzZafNhKso&

[MattFoley]

Hawk, the only thing I know about D2 is that it can be toxic at higher levels. Please double-check that.

[George999]

Matt,  D2 is no different than D3 in terms of toxicity.  Toxicity is a consequence of blood levels, not of intake.  MDs typically prescribe D2 in 50,000IU and higher doses.  The key is blood testing.  That is the key to safety with Vitamin D.  But the dangers of toxicity are way overblown.  The biggest risk is from hidden parathyroid problems that cause a spike in serum calcium.  - George

[Hawk]

Actually I think the only vitamin D you can get in the U.S. by prescription is D2.  I only have 2 capsules left then I will switch to D3 simply because it is somewhat superior.   At my levels I could go lay on a nude beach in Tahiti being fed a straight diet of Alaska salmon for 6 months and I would still be in the mid optimal range.  

[George999]

D2 is the type of Vitamin D that is produced by mushrooms.  D3 is the same Vitamin D as what is produced in the skin from the sun.  Animals are covered in hair, fur or whatever.  Thus they can not make Vitamin D in their skin.  So they make it in their coat and consume it orally via grooming.  Birds make it in their feathers.  It is that ubiquitous.  Much of the D3 that is sold as a supplement is extracted from lambs wool.  The battle rages over which is better, D2 or D3.  But D3 is more bio-equivalent and I think that is an important factor.  - George

[james1947]

An article on Vitamin D but I don't think is something we don't know:
Should You Worry About Your Vitamin D Levels? | Healthy Living - Yahoo! Shine

James

[Hawk]

Actually I think that article made several misstatements or at least a very poor use of words that give a false impression.  If the writer worked for me they may be looking for another job.  Their use of the phrase "taking excessive Vitamin D" is just one example and their suggestion that anyone could go toxic from taking doses over the recommended allowance is deceptive.  They should have added you could get toxic if you take 10 times the recommended allowance and that would actually be an overstatement unless they unlined the would could.  Finely they suggest you should wait until you have bone pain to ask for a blood test.  I think I would like to know my D levels BEFORE rickets sets in.  Oh, one more thing.  They to an absolute falsehood by any standard when they said "most people in the U.S. are already meeting their D needs".  The data shows that as being a uninformed as saying Peyronies Disease usually reverses itself.

OK, I'm done  

[George999]

Actually the situation with vitamin D is very similar to what we have to deal with in terms of Peyronie's.  Most doctors INCLUDING MOST UROS are nearly totally, if not totally, ignorant when it comes to Peyronie's, yet they almost always THINK that know everything anyone could ever know about it.  That is why we around here encourage people to go to RECOGNIZED Peyronie's experts like Lue and Levine.  Its the same story with vitamin D.  To get the real scoop you have to go to the experts who are the dedicated vitamin D researchers.  That is why I send people to grassrootshealth.net which is operated by leading RECOGNIZED vitamin D specialists, many of whom have spent most of their lives researching vitamin D.  People should not be getting their information on vitamin D from Dermatologists and Oncologists, but rather from endocrinologists who focus on the metabolic role of vitamin D in the body.

The LARGEST danger from vitamin D has to do with rare occasions of para thyroid issues where even low amounts of vitamin D supplementation can be toxic.  But that is not true vitamin D toxicity.  We don't warn people not to eat peanut butter just because some have deadly allergic reactions to it.  But the majority of the medical community, unfortunately, has a terrible phobia about vitamin D.

[Hawk]

I just finished a 3 month stint of taking 50,000 IU once a week.  I actually threw in about another 5,000, 10,000 IU of D3 with it and have started getting a little sun since Sprin finally arrived.  I want to wait a few weeks before I get another blood test to give any artificial spike a chance to settle down and get a good reading.  In the mean time I will take 4,000 IU of D3 a day and continue to get  little sun when I can.  It should be interesting since I was at 21 ng/mL.  I'll be happy to shove it to about 60 ng/mL and if I were to wager, I am nowhere near that yet.

[DO]

I had a vit. D deficiency and when my endo told me to add a supplement, after a few months it had increased my calcium levels. so I stopped the D. We are now wondering is there a correlation with the plaque build up with peyronies, also triggered a ultra sound of my para thyroid which was negative.... my uro thinks there is no link. Now with my routine colenoscopy they found calicum deposits in my small intestine causing ulcers...now that triggered a ultra sound of my only kidney(next week) to r/o deposits there! my D level now is below normal! So I am back on D!!! This is crazy and all I want to do is have fun!!! Next week is more blood work to recheck the calicum level and the D... and a follow up with the endo!
in two weeks is the last of 12 VI since last year and the next month a follow up ultra sound of my penis!
Life is a adventure!

[james1947]

Hawk & George
Thanks for the remarks.

DO
Since you mentioned:

the last of 12 VI since last year

What are the results?

James

[George999]

DO, if I were you, I would add a regular dose of Vitamin K2 to the mix.  NOT ordinary Vitamin K, but Vitamin K2.  Vitamin K2 is necessary to keep calcium OUT of the soft tissues of the body.  With insufficient levels of Vitamin K2, you will experience calcification everywhere, no matter where your vitamin D levels are, AND your blood levels of calcium will shoot up even if your para thyroids are healthy.  A number of things can cause Vitamin K2 levels to be low, among them, excessive Vitamin E and certain drugs like coumadin. - George

[DO]

James,  after 11 injections of Verapamil over a period of every 2-3weeks I went from a 55% downward curve to a 20% and now it curving upward and a slight bend to the right, next month ultra sound will document exact measurements of progress. I travel from New haven Connecticut to NYC about a 60 -90 minutes for my injections ! However I had had shrinkage!! I feel it is a inch or two shorter! My uro says its a average looking in size! It dose not get rock hard and tends to bend with penetration... He says this is fixable with more Cialis, but oral sex is great...no more pain, no more nocturnal erections with pain waking me up! I am back on Pentox 1200 mg total during the day, and dealing with the side effects of numbness in my feet and some insomnia. I take 5mg Cialis every day I take the vitamins L cart. L arg. omega's alpha lipoic, coq10  d, b, and reveristrol, Fenergreek I wear traction up to 4-5 hours now per day, and every am I use VED in the shower for 15 -20 minutes.
This disease has made me obsess about my penis! I constantly trying anything, reading everything... and makes me want to get all the sex I can before it stops working... I am not the same person...

[james1947]

This disease has made me obsess about my penis! I constantly trying anything, reading everything... and makes me want to get all the sex I can before it stops working... I am not the same person...

True for me also

James

[Hawk]

I have been pretty obsessed with my penis ever since I found it.  

[Jonbinspain]

I'm not sure about being obsessed, but he's certainly my oldest friend. I have forced him to misbehave himself at times - putting him in dark wet places that he wasn't supposed to be in, etc. But, he certainly didn't seem to mind at the time.  

[DO]

You guys are Great! Thank you!

[muffslayer]

10,000 IU tablets constipate the hell out of me.

I only take 2,400 IU, no constipation.

[MattFoley]

No question about it: All I do all day long is think about my penis. All damn day!! I just wanna fix it and satisfy all my sexual urges. I never thought that at the age of 49 I would be so sex obsessed.  

[George999]

10,000 IU tablets constipate the hell out of me.

I only take 2,400 IU, no constipation.

1)  No one should be taking large amounts of Vitamin D without blood tests to monitor calcium and Vitamin D levels in the blood.  Vitamin D does NOT cause constipation unless there is something seriously wrong going on.

2)  Vitamin D should always be taken in softgel form, not as hard tablets.  Assimilation from tablets is unpredictable.

3)  I know of at least one case where a person taking Vitamin D ended up being hospitalized and seriously ill because he was NOT following up with blood tests and he was not being careful of where he was buying his Vitamin D.  It turned out that the 5,000IU tablets he was taking, which were made in Canada, actually contained 500,000IU.  He was taking them daily.  Bad things can happen when one is not very careful about taking hormonal supplements and Vitamin D IS a hormonal supplement.

[skunkworks]

Vitamin D Levels for Preventing Acute Coronary Syndrome and Mortality: Evidence of a Non-Linear Association