Cpnhelp.org

Sunni,

Maybe you're using that much of it?  Also, the experts say weight is an issue.  If you're overweight, the D gets lost in the fat where it's absorbed and you need to take more to keep serum levels up.  Also, D3 is a precursor to the active metabolite and you might be converting alot right now while you're doing CAPi.  

I have my 1,25D tested quite frequently and before I began taking any abxi, it was extremely high, probably due to infection and inflammationi and now it's in the normal range.  So, you might want to do a little more discovery to check 1,25D the active metabolite but be sure it gets sent to a reliable lab as the sample needs to be frozen or you'll get a false low reading.  Quest labs seem to be fine.  

One other thing to consider is if you're taking adequate amounts of calcium because this can alter the amount of 1,25D and so I'm not sure if it might have impact on the conversion of D3.  You are using D3 right?  That's the most common form of D supplementation here in the US. 

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NACi 2.4g, Zithi 250mg/MWF, minoi 200mg, Tinii 5day/1g/5 pulses, Valcyte
Iodoral 12.5mg, Supps, CFIDSi/FMSi, Hashimoto's, Psoriasis, PA, IBSi, Sec Addisons

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GFAi - asthmai, sinusitis/rhinitis, tendonitis, low back pain, hypothyroid. Started azi 1000mg/week Jan 9, '08. Increased azi to 250mg/day, added 20mg Benicar daily Mar 13, '08. First Flagyli pulse started June 30, '08. Added Doxyi 200mg/day Aug 16.

Rennie is right. Fat cells sequester D--making it unavailable to the body. You may need larger amounts to compensate for this. Losing weight is the best thing all round. The best way to do this is on natural foods--nothing processed. Lots of fresh vegetables--organic if you can get them. Some low sugar fruit,brown rice,lean chicken, salmon and olive oil. Cut out fruit juices, sodas and all processed and packaged food.

There was a woman on TV recently who lost 160 lbs on a raw food diet. I couldn't eat that way 100% but I do eat about 50 to 70 % raw organic vegetables in my diet.The easiest way is to make a big salad with lettuce, brocolli, pea pods, raw summer squash, tomatoes and whatever else you like. Make enough for about 3 days and store it. Eat some for two meals a day with 1/2 cup of organic kidney beans. Make a simple dressing with vinegar and olive oil + spices. Leave out the bread for now. Throw in some fish or chicken for dinner.

For breakfast, make a whey protein shake (unsweetened) with a banana and a cup of soy milk (organic unsweetened--try Westsoy brand). Whey has lots of good amino acids that help burn fat and build muscle) Mid morning have some unsweetened yogurt and a little fruit.

I noticed you are hypothyroid. Are you taking meds for this?

Good thing you are getting tested for your D levels. Let us know how things work out.

Raven

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Feeling 98% well and going for 100! Still testing + for Cpni since June '08.CAPi since 8-05 for Cpn and Mycoplasma P. for MSi and/or CFSi. Also EBVi and HHV6 NACi, Iodoral, T3, BHRT, Methylcobalamin injections, Nitro patch, LDNi and Methylation supplementsi

There is a post on Dr. Mercola's site that Quest Labs routinely underestimates D scores by a large percentage. Which lab is being used?

From : http://www.cpnhelp.org/vitamin_d_status_measurem

Serum 25(OH)D is the barometer for vitamin Di status. Serum 1,25(OH)(2)D provides no information about vitamin D status and is often normal or even increased as the result of secondary hyperparathyroidism associated with vitamin D deficiency. Most experts agree that 25(OH)D of < 20 ng/mL is considered to be vitamin D deficiency, whereas a 25(OH)D of 21-29 ng/mL is considered to be insufficient.

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CAPi for Cpni 11/04. Dx: 25yrs CFSi & FMSi. Currently: 150mg BID Roxithromycin, Doxycycline 100mg BID, Tinii 1000mg/day pulses; Vit D2000 units, T4 & T3

I'm 5'8" tall. Yes, I need to lose some weight but I don't think 20lbs for my height is a huge percentage. I've actually lost 10lbs since starting thyroid meds but it's been very, very slow. My last free T3/T4 tests were within normal but below mid-range so maybe I should talk to the doc about bumping up the meds slightly. I eat South Beach diet-ish so I don't eat sugar or white flour. I have not gained weight since my D levels went from 50 to 30. If anything I lost a pound or two. Not much but I'm not sure weight would be a huge factor in such a drastic D level change when it wasn't a few months ago. I mean, could 20lbs allow 4,000UI to make my D go up but dropping to 3,000IU make it go down so much? Maybe it's as Reenie said. I did add Flagyli only within the last few months and doxyi just last month. Perhaps that extra strain on my system has added an extra D consumption burden. I also switched brands a while ago. Maybe it's not as good. Can anyone recommend a good brand?

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GFAi - asthmai, sinusitis/rhinitis, tendonitis, low back pain, hypothyroid. Started azi 1000mg/week Jan 9, '08. Increased azi to 250mg/day, added 20mg Benicar daily Mar 13, '08. First Flagyli pulse started June 30, '08. Added Doxyi 200mg/day Aug 16.

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GFAi - asthmai, sinusitis/rhinitis, tendonitis, low back pain, hypothyroid. Started azi 1000mg/week Jan 9, '08. Increased azi to 250mg/day, added 20mg Benicar daily Mar 13, '08. First Flagyli pulse started June 30, '08. Added Doxyi 200mg/day Aug 16.

I think that the worst food ever, is anything soy based, soy featured or soy itself. Genistein has a strong immunosupressive properties. My health problems began when I started vegitarian-like diet based on tofu, soy milk..etc. 

I am pretty sure that one of the main reasons why we are here is because most foods nowadays are contaminated with GMO, especially junkfoods loaded with GMO. GMO is a soy protein produced on a massive scale providing immunosupressive properties as well.

 Soy is very bed. i even remember Dr.Mercola article pointing soy disadvantages out.

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CFSi, Severe Peripheral neuropathy, Insomnia, Azitromycine/Clarithromycine, Doxycycline 2x100mg, Calcium Pyruvate 6000mg 5 days before pulse, Metronidazol 3x250mg, ACC 2 x 600 mg -  treatment duration: 7 months, Charcoal 1000 mg/day, Chlorella, Cholestyram

Sunni,

You CAN take Vit D WITH your cal/mag supplement.  In fact, it helps your body utilize the calcium better and it's often included in these supplementsi anyway. 

I take Kirkland (Costco brand) Calcium Citrate which contains D, mag, K, zinc and some other nutrients.  I take 2 tabs with my bedtime snack of plain yogurt/granola and a Nature Made 1000 iu Vit D tab which I bought at Costco.  I take another calcium tab in the morning added to my AM dose of vitamins.  My endo told me to divide up the doses for better absorption and I think it's also best to take with some food.  

I know I'm absorbing this because my bone density has IMPROVED drastically (up 8/9% since 2002 after falling below the 2002 level in 2007) by adding this source of cal/mag with added D.  I take Kirkland's Premium Performance Multivitamin in the AM with the shot glass full of other supplementsi recommended here and then a few more later in the daytime, usually with dinner along with my evening dose of abxi.  Since the evening supplements don't contain calcium or magnesium I take my abxi at that time.   

Total supplemental calcium for the day = 1015 mg (not counting dairy foods)
Total supplemental Vit D for the day = 2200 ius  

I was mainly sunbathing in the springtime here in sunny Phoenix which brought my D up from 8 to 49 and taking less Vit D but then my level dropped to 34 mid summer which I contribute to spending less time in the house in the a/c and also as I wasn't feeling well enough to be out much. 

I also think the spring equinox is probably when the sun is best for increasing D and ability to produce D may begin to decline anyway thru the summer months leading to fall.  This might be what happened to you too, if you were depending on the sun to keep your D level up?  Sunscreen also blocks production of D so if you were using any, this would effect your D levels too, maybe?   

BTW, when I raised my D from 8, I began to experience die off.  My D was only that low due to purposely avoiding sun and all Vit D sources as I was on the Marshall Protocol for 3 1/2 yrs.  

My recent Vit D level is 55 now, again and I will try to maintain it thru the winter months.   

Yes, 1,25D is a specialty test which is sent out and the specimen must be FROZEN or it's useless.  You can also have PTH (parathyroid hormone) checked which is another strongly tied in indicator of any calcium related problems and you can check your serum calcium levels which is usually a routine test in your CMP (comprehensive metabolic panel) of blood work.  

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NACi 2.4g, Zithi 250mg/MWF, minoi 200mg, Tinii 5day/1g/5 pulses, Valcyte
Iodoral 12.5mg, Supps, CFIDSi/FMSi, Hashimoto's, Psoriasis, PA, IBSi, Sec Addisons

Michael,

I find that if I don't get adequate amounts of complete proteins as in fish, meat and chicken I don't feel well and I get puffy.  I think soy is fine for most folks but for alot of us with health and weight issues, we need to get more protein that is already in its usable forms as it takes energy for our bodies to break them down and combine the amino acids to use properly.  

Also, too much soy can be detrimental especially for men because it can create an environment of raised estrogen levels.  For women, soy can be good because of this.  

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NACi 2.4g, Zithi 250mg/MWF, minoi 200mg, Tinii 5day/1g/5 pulses, Valcyte
Iodoral 12.5mg, Supps, CFIDSi/FMSi, Hashimoto's, Psoriasis, PA, IBSi, Sec Addisons

Sunni,

If you are overweight and feel sluggish, I would agree with the idea of raising your thyroid meds.  I spent the last month homebound and so far the only major change I've made is bumping up my "low normal" thyroid a bit with the help and suggestion of my endocrinologist.  

I doubt 20 lbs would make that much difference but I'm not certain.  If you've been the same weight all along and your D level was higher earlier this year I doubt it matters.  Take a look at my other post in this thread.  

I think you may have experienced the same thing I was by lowering your Vit D intake in the summer months when you prob needed to keep it up or take more until late winter/early springtime next year.  Then, I think you'll need to begin to supplement it heavier again late spring/early summer to make up for the change in the equinox again.    

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NACi 2.4g, Zithi 250mg/MWF, minoi 200mg, Tinii 5day/1g/5 pulses, Valcyte
Iodoral 12.5mg, Supps, CFIDSi/FMSi, Hashimoto's, Psoriasis, PA, IBSi, Sec Addisons

Lots of good info here. Thanks everyone.

Another thought I had was that the meal I usually take my D with is somewhat low-fat. Does anyone know how much fat is required to absorb the full 1,000iu?

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GFAi - asthmai, sinusitis/rhinitis, tendonitis, low back pain, hypothyroid. Started azi 1000mg/week Jan 9, '08. Increased azi to 250mg/day, added 20mg Benicar daily Mar 13, '08. First Flagyli pulse started June 30, '08. Added Doxyi 200mg/day Aug 16.

Soy has been bad-mouthed by some natural foods people. However, I was amazed to learn from a scientific source that genestin contained in soy foods can counter endotoxini reactions.

Also, organic soy foods are not GMO. The problem with soy is that people eat too much of it and eat soy products that have been adulterated by cargeenan, cane sugar, rice syrup and other additives. Have to read the labels.

Raven

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Feeling 98% well and going for 100! Still testing + for Cpni since June '08.CAPi since 8-05 for Cpn and Mycoplasma P. for MSi and/or CFSi. Also EBVi and HHV6 NACi, Iodoral, T3, BHRT, Methylcobalamin injections, Nitro patch, LDNi and Methylation supplementsi

___________________________________________________________
GFAi - asthmai, sinusitis/rhinitis, tendonitis, low back pain, hypothyroid. Started azi 1000mg/week Jan 9, '08. Increased azi to 250mg/day, added 20mg Benicar daily Mar 13, '08. First Flagyli pulse started June 30, '08. Added Doxyi 200mg/day Aug 16.