Reduce and Correct Deficiency Related Disease
Vitamin D first hit the front page of mainstream media in the late 90’s. It was considered a pretty flaky concept then but now serious medical establishments have spent millions on studies to prove that low levels of vitamin D can strongly predict disease severity and hasten its progression (Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) 2014 Jama Neurology).
What’s different about this 2014 study is that previous research showed a connection between low vitamin D and risk of developing MS or having MS symptoms worsen, and included patients with longstanding MS whose vitamin D levels, it was felt, could partly be a consequence, not a predictor, of disease severity. This new study looked at vitamin D levels among patients at the time of their first symptoms of the disease.
“Because low vitamin D levels are common and can be easily and safely increased by oral supplementation, these findings may contribute to better outcomes for many MS patients,” said lead author Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at HSPH.
If you have recently been diagnosed with MS, or you have been told you have CIS (clinically isolated syndrome) this is the simplest and cheapest intervention you could begin today.
If you have been diagnosed for some time, the Vitamin D benefits don’t stop – amongst other benefits Vitamin also works to neutralize the powerful inflammatory chemical IL-17 which is specific to MS.
Researchers found that early-stage MS patients who had adequate levels of vitamin D had a 57% lower rate of new brain lesions, a 57% lower relapse rate, and a 25% lower yearly increase in lesion volume than those with lower levels of vitamin D. Those stats are significantly higher than those associated with the potent and toxic medications currently recommended for MS
Loss in brain volume, which is an important predictor of disability, was also lower among patients with adequate vitamin D levels. The results suggest that vitamin D has a strong protective effect on the disease process underlying MS, and underscore the importance of correcting vitamin D insufficiency
This study was done in conjunction with Bayer (interferon beta-1b) and the benefits of vitamin D appeared to be additive even when using the medication.
The paper closes with the researcher stating that Vitamin D will be added to their standards of care – this is a great start, a powerful admission and certainly represents the new thinking in science.
Do you currently take vitamin D? Have you had you vitamin d levels tested? In much of North America, Europe, Scandinavia and other countries we just can’t get enough sunshine during the sunny months for our bodies to produce adequate levels – so deficiency is widespread. While each persons’ needs are individual (and many people super dose this vitamin) a recommendation I support comes from Reinhold Veith’s work; a good amount that is completely absorbed with no side effects is 4000iu per day.
The MS Path is a program that combines the new thinking in science with the wisdom of tradition to create a model for your recovery. Join me on May 1 for the Launch of this exciting program.
Dr. Teri Jaklin, Naturopathic Doctor, Waterdown, ON
P.S. I will be sharing many free videos, seminars, webinars with our web page members over March and into April.
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