Another positive regarding Vitamin D - people with Multiple Sclerosis

[HRTstudent]

From Dr Dach's web site...

Vitamin D for Multiple Sclerosis
from http://jeffreydach.com/2012/07/18/vi...sclerosis.aspx

by Jeffrey Dach MD

Many of the old time clinicians have known for decades that Multiple Sclerosis is caused by Vitamin D deficiency and MS patients benefit from taking Vitamin D. Perhaps some MS patients have been cured simply by taking sufficient quantities of Vitamin D.

Above left image: Multiple Sclerosis. Animated Brain CAT scans one month apart, showing migratory enhancing white matter lesions in the periventricular area, changing with time, courtesy of wikimedia commons.(2)

Abram Hoffer MD and Vitamin D

Years ago, I attended a medical meeting in which another attendee, a Canadian nurse, had confided in me during lunch that her son had been cured of Multiple Sclerosis by Abram Hoffer MD with Vitamin D.

So it is no surprise to me that we are now seeing in mainstream neurology journals articles like this one from Dr. Charles Pierrot-Deseilligny from Paris France demonstrating the benefits of Vitamin D for MS patients.(1)(3)

Vitamin D and MS Relapse Rate. How Much of a Reduction in Relapse Rate ?

The authors found a linear relationship between Vitamin D level and MS relapse rate. For every 10 nmol increase in 25-OH-D level, this was associated with a reduction in the relapse incidence rate of 13.7%. (Note: 25 ng/ml = 10 nmol/l Vitamin D)

How Much Vitamin D ?

They doubled the Serum Vitamin D levels from about 50 nmol/l before vitamin D supplementation to about 110 nmol/l.

Here is the data from the article: (Table 2 Data ) Table 2.

Relapse incidence rate and incidence rate ratio.
IR1 (before D) IR2 (after D) IRR
Whole population 0.70 [0.62–0.79] 0.18 [0.14–0.22] 0.25 [0.20–0.32]
Group 1 0.50 [0.41–0.61] 0.16 [0.11–0.22] 0.32 [0.24–0.43]
Group 2 0.89 [0.78–1.02] 0.20 [0.14–0.28] 0.22 [0.15–0.32]

IR, relapse incidence rate;
IR1, before vitamin D supplementation;
IR2, under vitamin D supplementation;
IRR, incidence rate ratio, results are expressed with two-sided 95% confidence interval;

Group 1, IMT started prior to vitamin D supplementation;
Group 2, IMT started concomitantly with vitamin D supplementation;

IMT= immunomodulatory treatment.

Analysis of Data Table

Group 2 patients, before vitamin D and before IMT ,had the highest relapse incidence rate of 0.89. These are the patients prior to any therapy at all.

Group 1 patients, on mainstream treatment with IMT (prednisone and other drugs) had a relapse incidence rate reduced to 0.50. This is not a bad result for mainstream treatment with prednisone and other immune suppressing drugs.

However, when vitamin D supplements are given, there is a further significant reduction in relapse incidence rate into the area of 0.16-0.20 for all patients. Note: all patients on Vitamin D were also on IMT (immune modulating drugs, such as prednisone). This study shows that Vitamin D reduced the relapse rate far beyond the rates achieved with IMT (mainstream treatment with prednisone (called IMT).

One might wonder about the outcome and data for Vitamin D alone, or Vitamin D and B12 injections without the (IMT) prednisone?

Vitamin B12 for MS

I should add here that MS patients may have a deficiency in B12, and may respond to B12 supplements or B12 injections with a good clinical outcome.(4-6) Since many MS patients are treated with prednisone, which may cause gastric ulceration, there is a common practice to add various types of antacid drugs which are known to cause B12 malabsorption. This iatragenic form of B12 deficiency may worsen the MS symptoms and MS relapse rate. (6).

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Just sharing what could be valuable to some people.

[kelkel]

Awesome HRT. Amazing "hormone" isn't it!

Good find!

[Gambolputty]

When you really get into the literature it is amazing how may organs / tissues have Vit D receptors. Also surprising how many doctors overlook this factor as they diagnose common conditions like fatigue, etc.

I was surprised that I had to pay for a Vit D test a few years ago. Seems my insurer doesn't think it's important enough to test for

[kelkel]

Gambol we've had some interesting threads here recently on D. I'm a huge proponent of it. Google pubmed and vit D and you'll see some interesting studies. Best bang for your buck out there.

[jwh7699]

I have seen an increase in my energy levels when I started taking 5,000iu of Vitamin D before bed and in the morning.

[kelkel]

Do you know your before and after levels out of curiousity? And the time span between?

[jwh7699]

I have blood work from before I upped my vitamin D and after, but I did not have a specific blood test for vitamin D done after.

I forgot about this. I had a Micronutrient Blood Test done a few months ago, at the end of May. The only nutrients it said I was deficient in was Vitamin D and Oleic Acid. I had abstained from all vitamins for three weeks prior to the test, except my T shot, so it would be as accurate as possible. I have had blood work done since then, but not specifically for Vitamin D.