Bloodwork results

[Coach Polly]

By the time I was "in on the know" about MRT testing, my doctor had already drawn blood and ordered food sensitivity tests from another lab that my insurance covered. It tested about 80 foods. I tested positive for lots of things (eggs, soy, yeast, gluten, etc.) basically all the major things you all have advised me to stop eating. However, I didn't test positive for cow's milk, but positive on several cheeses (go figure). Since I already know that I'm sensitive to the other biggies that Enterolab tests for I was considering just doing the dairy test. What do you think?

Just an added note, I was also extremely anemic. So much so that she insisted I do an IV round of iron (ferric?) immediately which she will repeat for the next two weeks. My Vitamin D was low as well. I am assuming this means that I have a malasorption issue so I didn't think the malasorption test from Enterolab would be useful either. I would just like some opinions.

[tex]

Since I already know that I'm sensitive to the other biggies that Enterolab tests for I was considering just doing the dairy test. What do you think?

If you're satisfied with those results, and ready and willing to make the diet changes required, (and I gather that you are), then sure, that should be a reasonable choice.

Just curious - did your doctor test you for pernicious anemia? That's always a possibility, and it could be unrelated to malabsorption issues. A severe deficiency of B-12 and/or folic acid could also be the cause of your anemia, (which, of course, would probably be directly due to a malabsorption issue). Many of us here have that problem while we're reacting/healing.

Be sure to take enough vitamin D3 to boost your 25(OH)D level significantly, because a very low vitamin D level puts us at an elevated risk of developing Crohn's disease, (or UC), if we happen to have the associated genes.

Tex

[Coach Polly]

Tex you are THE BEST! I always feel confident in your answers and opinions. Yes, I had already cut gluten, dairy, and soy out of my diet but I was eating a lot of eggs which I will no longer eat.

I will have to ask her next week about the pernicious anemia. She did a lot of bloodwork but we only talked about what numbers were out of whack. She told me to take at least 5000 iu of Vit D a day. You mentioned Vit D3 so I guess I will look for that specifically. I wonder if there is a certain brand that will abide by all the "frees" I have to follow?

[tex]

Freeda vitamins are usually the safest option, though there are other brands that may be safe.

http://www.freedavitamins.com/index.php ... 0&parent=4

http://www.freedavitamins.com/index.php ... 4&parent=4

IMO, 5,000 IU daily is a good maintenance dose for most people, (except those who live at northern latitudes), but it may not be enough to boost your serum 25(OH)D level, (if it's low to begin with), except maybe in the summer, if you live south of the Mason-Dixon line, and you spend a lot of time in the sun.

I spend quite a bit of time in the sun, and I live in Central Texas. I have to wear long-sleeve shirts, though, due to skin allergies, so I take 5,500 IU daily, in the late fall, winter, and early spring period. During the rest of the year I only take 2,500 IU daily. The reason for the odd 500 IU, is simply because my muti-vitamin contains 500 IU of vitamin D. This is usually enough to keep my level up close to mid-range or better, though I took a lot more, the first year, in order to get it up to a decent level.

Thanks for the kind words.

Tex

[Gloria]

My daughter recently tested low for vitamin D and her doctor gave her a prescription for 50,000 IUs once a week, the same dosage my osteoporosis doctor prescribed for me before he saw my test results. Apparently that is the standard dosage for someone who tests low.

I didn't need to fill it because I had a decent score.

Gloria

[Coach Polly]

That's some great info guys! I live in Alabama so getting enough sun is no problem, however I am going to ask my doc about a prescription for a higher dosage.

Thanks y'all!

[tex]

The article cited below is out of date with the RDAs and desired serum 25(OH)D levels, but it offers some guidelines for sun exposure and supplemental dosing:

How do you prevent vitamin D deficiency? I encourage judicious limited exposure to sunlight as the best method to prevent vitamin D deficiency. Since the cutaneous production of vitamin D3 is dependent on so many factors, including season, time of day, latitude, and the person's sensitivity to sunlight (i.e., amount of skin pigmentation), no one recommendation can be made. If a person knows that he/she will develop a mild sunburn minimum erythemal dose (MED) after 30 minutes of sun exposure, then exposure of the face, arms, hands, and legs for 20% to 25% of that time (i.e., 6 to 8 minutes) 2 to 3 times a week is more than adequate to satisfy the body's requirement. A sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 can then be applied to prevent the damaging effects of excessive sun exposure. We observed that adults in a bathing suit exposed to 1 MED of tanning bed radiation raised their blood levels of vitamin D to levels equivalent to those achieved by ingesting between 10,000 and 25,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D.

How do you efficiently treat vitamin D deficiency? The vitamin D tank is empty and therefore recommending a multivitamin containing 400 IU of vitamin D a day is inadequate. To fill the tank quickly and establish vitamin D sufficiency, a dose of 50,000 IU of vitamin D2 once a week for eight weeks will raise blood levels of 25(OH)D by more than 100% and usually corrects vitamin D deficiency.2 A blood level of at least 20 ng/mL should be achieved before vitamin D deficiency is considered to be corrected. It usually takes several weeks to several months before there is improvement in the symptoms. For individuals not able to be exposed to sunlight and who are prone to vitamin D deficiency, giving them 50,000 IU of vitamin D once every 2 to 4 weeks has been effective in preventing recurrence of vitamin D deficiency.

Remember, though, they're shooting for lower levels than most of us need/desire, and since many of us are prone to malabsorption issues, higher supplementation may be needed for anyone with an IBD. The recommendation of 50,000 IU once every 2 to 4 weeks, for example, is ridiculously low, (less than half the needed amount, even at the 2-week rate), for someone unable to get sun exposure.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1495109/

Tex

[Gabes-Apg]

Depending what stage of healing your digestion is at, if there is still inflammation and fast digestion timings then you may not be absorbing all the Vit D you are consuming.

Re the sunshine factor, to fully absorb and gain benefit of Vit D from sun exposure it takes 48 hours, cleansing the skin or hair with soap compromises this process

Vitamin D is essential for the active absorption of Calcium & Phosphorus from the gut. It then regulates their utilisation within the body. Vitamin D is integral to the production & balance of cells that constantly remodel our bones – these cells are known as osteoclasts & osteoblasts. Vitamin D also helps prevent Calcium and some other minerals from being excreted via the kidneys.

[tex]

Tex

[irisheyes13]

Coach Polly,

I was given a prescription for 50,000 iu of Vit D to be taken once a week but found out that it contained soybean oil, thanks to Joe here on the board. The pharmacist did some searching and she was unable to find one that didn't contain soy. I found a safe alternative at Vitamin World and each vitamin is 5000 IU so I take 1.5 tablets a day rather than 1 per week via prescription. Good luck!

[tex]

Another thing to consider is the fact that for some strange reason, most prescription vitamin D is in the form of D2, which some sources claim is not as effective as D3. Most OTC vitamin D is in the form of D3.

Tex

[Coach Polly]

The wealth of knowledge and advice from this board never ceases to amaze me!

Thanks guys!!