Community Chat

[tsavorite]

---

@Nightowlz wrote:

---

@Teddie wrote:

@Nightowlz  Thanks for providing that chart. That is what is helpful. My husband was in the deficient level at 20-something but was told he was “good.”  Imagine that. Thank goodness he has me for his wife. 😉 

---

@Teddie 

My sisters Vit D3 was non-existent. I told her she has to keep taking the D3. She took what the doctor prescribed & thought that was it.

My other sister keeps taking Vit D2 the doctor prescribes. I told her she needs D3 not D2?

---

I know mine was low yrs ago and I began taking a prescription D2 from the doctor and it went up maybe 5 points after 6wks.  So I began taking 5000 i.u.'s d3 OTC and got it up to the high 60's in a few months.  My internist wanted to know how I did it LOL!  I told him the supplements from Costco do work and I recommend them.  Been taking it for yrs now and have my levels checked to be sure not to high.  I now take 2000 i.u. daily and that keeps me at the high 50's or 60 range on my labs.  When your level is low you may need a higher amount for a period of time to get it up to range...then lower to maintain but lab testing is key to this.

As for one's immune response....that is such a delemma for me.  I have a autoimmune disease and already figure "something" isn't function correctly.  So by taking anything that could increase my immune response won't it potential create the cytokine storm response when you really don't want that?  

It is such a balancing act in the body...what helps one person seems to make things worse for someone else.  Many factors to consider.  BUt I have osteopenia and keeping D in the correct range is also important for bone health.  

[software]

Unless you are deficient or have been diagnosed with something that requires it, you don't need supplements.

But if you do take something on a regular basis, please be sure it gets in your chart.  Just like you would a prescription med.

I test on the low end for VitD.   My internal medicine doctor as well as my nephrologist reminds me to stay on my VitD supplement.   I get it OTC.

I regularly drink both cranberry juice & orange juice.   And my doctors know that too.

[Teddie]

@Mominohio  Completely agree with you. People are deficient in nutrients—and they can be very healing. 

[Teddie]

---

@Nightowlz wrote:

---

@Teddie wrote:

@Nightowlz  Thanks for providing that chart. That is what is helpful. My husband was in the deficient level at 20-something but was told he was “good.”  Imagine that. Thank goodness he has me for his wife. 😉 

---

@Teddie 

My sisters Vit D3 was non-existent. I told her she has to keep taking the D3. She took what the doctor prescribed & thought that was it.

My other sister keeps taking Vit D2 the doctor prescribes. I told her she needs D3 not D2?

---

@Nightowlz  Oh my goodness, that’s terrible! She had to have had all kinds of symptoms with that going on.  Poor dear!  I hope she’s keeping up on taking her vitamin D3 and watching her levels to keep them up. 

[Nightowlz]

---

@Teddie wrote:

---

@Nightowlz wrote:

---

@Teddie wrote:

@Nightowlz  Thanks for providing that chart. That is what is helpful. My husband was in the deficient level at 20-something but was told he was “good.”  Imagine that. Thank goodness he has me for his wife. 😉 

---

@Teddie 

My sisters Vit D3 was non-existent. I told her she has to keep taking the D3. She took what the doctor prescribed & thought that was it.

My other sister keeps taking Vit D2 the doctor prescribes. I told her she needs D3 not D2?

---

@Nightowlz  Oh my goodness, that’s terrible! She had to have had all kinds of symptoms with that going on.  Poor dear!  I hope she’s keeping up on taking her vitamin D3 and watching her levels to keep them up. 

---

@Teddie 

Her daughter & 3 of her kids live with her. She takes care of all of them plus her DH which is legally blind. She does not get much sleep. Like a lot of other parents taking care of their grandchildren.

[Teddie]

---

@Nightowlz wrote:

---

@Teddie wrote:

---

@Nightowlz wrote:

---

@Teddie wrote:

@Nightowlz  Thanks for providing that chart. That is what is helpful. My husband was in the deficient level at 20-something but was told he was “good.”  Imagine that. Thank goodness he has me for his wife. 😉 

---

@Teddie 

My sisters Vit D3 was non-existent. I told her she has to keep taking the D3. She took what the doctor prescribed & thought that was it.

My other sister keeps taking Vit D2 the doctor prescribes. I told her she needs D3 not D2?

---

@Nightowlz  Oh my goodness, that’s terrible! She had to have had all kinds of symptoms with that going on.  Poor dear!  I hope she’s keeping up on taking her vitamin D3 and watching her levels to keep them up. 

---

@Teddie 

Her daughter & 3 of her kids live with her. She takes care of all of them plus her DH which is legally blind. She does not get much sleep. Like a lot of other parents taking care of their grandchildren.

---

Oh my, @Nightowlz , I’m sure your sister loves her family dearly but she must be just exhausted. How you must be so concerned for her. ♥️

[Drythe]

At the direction of my Immunologist, I am tested for and take D/3.

Although I live in a sunny place, and am outside frequently, I still test low.  She told me that a high level of Americans are low.

~~~

Just want to add, if you are admitted to the hospital, seeing your regular physician, or a new one, please tell them what supplements (if any) you are taking. So many think that because many supplements are not prescription they don't need to be part of their record.

This is especially true for any hospital admission.

[Mindy D]

---

@on the bay wrote:

@Mindy D -

Thanks! I know you are good at doing research too!

One I read today was from Chris Magryta,MD, newsletter at salisbury pediatrics.com, March 26, 2020

and the other I don't remember if it was from Dr Fauci or Dr Gupta or who. 

Maybe they really don't know or not sure it would do any good anyway.

(stopping it).

---

@on the bay OK, got it. It is looks as if she is basing this on what I mentioned before. As I said, Dr. Magryta is probably basing this on the potential for cytokine storm from D while you are infected. She does not state this so I am having to infer this from her Newsletter in its entirety  There really is not any evidence with D during a COVID-19 infection yet.  She might be just being cautious. Plus, she could be wrong, especially in those with reduced immune function, like older people. Don't forget that everyone needs adequate Vitamin C, zinc and Vitamin D.
Red bell peppers are great source for the C and A. Oysters are the food containing the most zinc, but only eat a couple or you will get too much zinc, which is harmful,; there are many charts with zinc rich foods online. Vitamin D supplementation or natural sunlight can provide D. Make sure you consult a physician for medical advice on all of this. For Dr. Magryta's advice, I found too many studies to cite here. Just for the research with D and melatonin and NLRP3 inflammasome activity I found way to many to cite. 

According to Dr. Magryta's Newsletter from March 26, 2020, "COVID Prevention" on the website Salisbury Pediatric Association:

"In my reading of the data and the various hypotheses to date, the biggest risk for a bad outcome is age and comorbid diseases like metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus and hypertension/CV disease. What is the common link to all of these states? Excessive inflammation and a weakened immune response pre infection to kill the virus which allows the virus to replicate rapidly and cause an immune dysfunction called an inflammatory cytokine storm. These are the conditions that inflammation based diseases produce.

4) Before you get ill, maintain adequate levels of vitamin D and A for T regulator cell activity. Eat lots of bright red/orange/yellow vegetables and fruits. Get 30 minutes of direct sun a day or consider getting your levels checked and supplement accordingly per your providers recommended doses. Vitamin D and melatonin are known to help reduce NLRP3 inflammasome activity which helps reduce an overactive immune response.***

5) If you get sick, your best bet is to stop the Vitamin D*and get lots of sleep and continue to eat as healthily as possible as is tolerable. Melatonin which rises at night as we get ready for sleep is critical for innate immune based inflammasome repression and control. ***Avoid blue light screens at night after the sun goes down. Dim lights in general an hour before bedtime. Try and sleep 8 hours nightly.

🌹🌹🌹This is the research she is basing her advice on. It looks, to me, as though she read one source that includes all of this. I think her source is a pdf called "Integrative Considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic" March 18, 2020 From Arizona State Univerity online. These are the citations that correspond with each part of her composition. If you google the title of the pdf you can read all of it for yourself. The pdf cites extensive research, too much to include here. I've tried to glean out the relevant citations below:

*Verway M, et al. Vitamin D Induces interleukin-1β Expression: Paracrine Macrophage Epithelial Signaling Controls M. Tuberculosis Infection. PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(6):e1003407.
29 Tulk SE, et al. Vitamin D3 Metabolites Enhance the NLRP3-dependent Secretion of IL-1β From Human THP-1 Monocytic Cells. J Cell Biochem. 2015;116(5):711.

***Hard-eland, R. Melatonin and inflammation – Story of a Double-Edged Blade. J Pineal Res. 2018;65(4):e12525.
21 Silvestri M and Rossi GA. Melatonin: its possible role in the management of viral infections – a brief review. Ital J Pediatr. 2013;39:61.

@on the bay I found more on the pdf. 

"To Avoid: Given the integral role of inflammatory cytokines (namely IL-1B and IL-18) in the pathogenicity of COVID-19, as well as the impossibility of predicting which individuals are susceptible to the “cytokine storm”, technically called secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, or sHLH, it appears to be prudent to avoid high and regular use of immunostimulatory agents which increase these cytokines. Again, in the absence of human
🌹🌹🌹However, 1,25(OH)vitamin D has also been found to increase IL-1b levels,
should, therefore, be used with caution and perhaps discontinued with symptoms of infection.
🌹🌹🌹DURING SYMPTOMS OF INFECTION OR POSITIVE TEST FOR COVID-19:
23
Of note, Sambucus
and

clinical data, 🌹caution is warranted with the following immune activating agents due to preclinical evidence of increased IL-1B and/or IL-18 production in infected immune cells:
! Sambucus nigra (Elderberry)30
! Polysaccharide extracts from medicinal mushrooms31,32
! Echinacea angustifolia and E. purpurea33,34
! Larch arabinogalactan35
🌹🌹🌹! Vitamin D36,37
Likely Safe: Other commonly used natural imm"

Her Vitamins A and D T cell statement might be coming from another source. I have to go back online to get this later.

[on the bay]

@Mindy D -

You are amazing!

To have found where she got her resources-incredible!

I have learned so much today from you and @SilleeMee and others.

[Mindy D]

@on the bay You can also review this from "The Lancet;" The prestigious British Medical Journal.

"COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression" by Puja Mehta, Daniel F. McAuley, Michael Brown, Emilie Sanchez, Rachel S. Tattersall, Jessica J. Manson, et. al. https//do I.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30628-0

@on the bay From the introductory paragraph
"As of March 12, 2020, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been confirmed in 125 048 people worldwide, carrying a mortality of approximately 3·7%, compared with a mortality rate of less than 1% from influenza. There is an urgent need for effective treatment. Current focus has been on the development of novel therapeutics, including antivirals and vaccines. Accumulating evidence suggests that a subgroup of patients with severe COVID-19 might have a cytokine storm syndrome. We recommend identification and treatment of hyperinflammation using existing, approved therapies with proven safety profiles to address the immediate need to reduce the rising mortality."