2009 FDU Open
Dr. Anthony Rivano
Monday, October 12, 2009
Vitamin D Deficiency And Chronic Pain
Most patients and most primary care physicians are unaware of the very real link between Vitamin D deficiency and chronic pain. It is a major cause for concern amongst chronic pain sufferers and has been recently discovered that Vitamin D deficiency is now at epidemic proportions in the United States. If you are a long time chronic pain sufferer, consider visiting your primary care physician to evaluate your Vitamin D levels. Make sure you request that he/she tests for 25-hydroxyvitamin D. This is a more accurate marker for true blood serum values. Optimal ranges are 50-65ng/ml! Once it has been determined that their is a deficiency your doctor will provide you with either a prescription Vitamin D supplement or recommend an over the counter supplement. If it is determined that you find yourself deficient it is important to follow your doctor's advice especially if you have any type of kidney failure, kidney stones, hyperparathyroidism or sarcoidosis.
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How much Vitamin D should be taken if I don't have a deficiency? Should I increase those levels in the winter months? Can I get enough Vitmain D from the sun?
ReplyDeleteDear Vicki,
ReplyDeleteThese are great questions and I have provided an excerpt from www.lef.org to better answer these questions. However, you can get adequate amounts of Vitamin D from the sun provided you have sun exposure for 10-20 minutes per day directly on your skin. There is no specific need to increase your levels during the winter. It is important to maintain an optimal blood serum level year round. The best way to determine this is to ask your primary care physician to test your 25 hydroxy-vitamin D levels before and during your supplementation. Please read below for further explanation.
"While the federal government’s recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamin D is 400 IU (10 mcg) daily,83 many health experts now advise daily doses of at least 800 IU (20 mcg) of vitamin D.84 Life Extension recommends that healthy adults supplement each day with at least 1000 IU of vitamin D. Elderly adults may benefit from higher doses such as 2000 IU daily, and even up to 5000 IU daily. Research published over the last decade suggests that vitamin D toxicity is unlikely at daily intake levels of less than 10,000 IU (250 mcg).14,85-88"
"Comprehensive research reviews conducted by a leading authority on vitamin D, Dr. Michael Holick, suggest that a healthy serum level of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) is 75-125 nmol/L. Serum levels within this range have been associated with improved bone health and muscle strength, as well as protection against numerous cancers.6,7,89"
References:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/may2007_report_vitamind_03.htm