Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency causes bone disease (rickets / osteomalacia), but it also plays a role in many major diseases, including autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer, diabetes, and depression. In addition, vitamin D deficiency causes muscle pain, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis. Without a sufficient amount of vitamin D, the body cannot use calcium.

Dr. Michael Holick, MD, estimates that 40% of the U.S. population is deficient in vitamin D and that at least 80% of nursing home residents are deficient in vitamin D. It takes many years to become severely deficient in vitamin D, and treatment (by replenishing vitamin D) can take months to years.

The Healing Power of Sunlight and Vitamin D
Dr. Michael F. Holick, MD, interviewed by Mike Adams
This is an excellent article on the significance of vitamin D, with an overview of medical issues involving vitamin D, including muscle weakness and pain, and a general discussion of treatments.

The Vitamin D Society

Seven Signs You May Have a Vitamin D Deficiency
by Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO

Testing and Treatment

There are only a few ways to obtain vitamin D in the amount needed by the body. The primary way is through sunlight on the skin: human skin makes vitamin D from sunlight. In most of the United States, only summer sun (mid-April to August) is direct enough for the skin to make adequate vitamin D.

The other sources are by using a special sun lamp; through vitamin D supplements or prescriptions; and cod liver oil. According to new research, the amount of vitamin D in multivitamins and in food, even fortified food, is not enough to prevent or resolve deficiency.

The correct blood test can be obtained directly from the Life Extension Foundation.

Additional Information

Further information about Vitamin D: the correct test and assay; sources of Vitamin D; its antagonistic relationship with Vitamin A; cod liver oil; details about Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) and the inadequacy of Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol):

The Four Steps to Getting More Vitamin D, to Prevent Cancer, Osteoporosis, Depression, and More
by Mike Adams

Vitamin D Supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D Concentrations, and Safety
by Reinhold Vieth, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999

From Seafood to Sunshine--A New Understanding of Vitamin D Safety
by Chris Masterjohn

Update on Vitamins A and D
by Chris Masterjohn

The Case Against Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) as a Vitamin Supplement
by Lisa A. Houghton and Reinhold Vieth

Chronic Pain

Mayo Clinic Proceedings, December 2003

Vitamin D Deficiency: What a Pain It Is by Dr. Michael F. Holick, MD
Prevalence of Severe Hypovitaminosis D in Patients With Persistent, Nonspecific Musculoskeletal Pain by Dr. Gregory A. Plotnikoff, MD and Joanna M. Quigley

Vitamin D Inadequacy May Exacerbate Chronic Pain
by American Society of Anesthesiologists

Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Vitamin D Inadequacy Among Patients with Chronic Pain
by W. Michael Hooten, MD, et al.

Severe Myopathy Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency in Western New York
by Dr. Anu Prabhala, MD, et. al, Archives of Internal Medicine, 2000

Autoimmune Disease

Vitamin D: Its Role and Uses in Immunology (abstract)
by Hector F. Deluca and Margherita T. Cantorna, FASEB Journal, 2001

Vitamin D and Autoimmunity: Is Vitamin D Status an Environmental Factor Affecting Autoimmune Disease Prevalence?
by Margheritia T. Cantorna, Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine

Environmental Illness

New Clues About Vitamin D Functions in the Nervous System
by E. Garcion, et al., Trends in Endocrinol. Metabolism, 2002 (abstract)
Activated vitamin D "can also inhibit the synthesis of inducible nitric oxide synthase and increase glutathione levels, suggesting a role for the hormone in brain detoxification pathways."