Sorry if you've been asked this question a million times, Batch. If someone has a link for me to a thread that asks this question already, then I'd be very thankful. If not though:

How exactly did you come to the conclusion that cluster headaches are the result of a vitamin D3 deficency? Not that Wikipedia is an authority on anything, but there's nothing on their clusterheadache page that discusses this as a possibility for their origin. Furthermore, there isn't much discussion of the vitamins as a treatment for clusters really anywhere but this forum.

I really am curious as to how you discovered this and how the regimen came to be. Have neurologists in general gotten on board with this? I admittedly haven't discussed this treatment with any yet despite having seen a few, but verapamil and such tends to be the go-to, as we all know. There hasn't been any mention of vitamin D3 from them.

As you may recall, I've been on the vitamins since late April and I believe they've stopped a cycle, but I cannot be 100% sure obviously as I am not conducting any kind of legitimate experiment here. I probably won't know if the vitamins are truly working until I've gone several years without a cycle. But I'm optimistic this is helping.

I really am curious though as to how you came to the conclusions that you did. If you could perhaps share some of your thoughts on this, or link me to a place where you've already discussed this, I'd be very grateful.

When did you realize we were vitamin D3 deficient?

How did you realize it?

Why are we vitamin D3 deficient?

Do you believe the hypothalamus plays a role here like many suggest?

Why do you think the vitamins work for some and not for others?

Do you believe that in the future we will find a permanent cure for our disorder?

How do you see cluster headache treatment evolving in the coming years?

Is there anything I can do as an individual to help in any way?

Sorry for all the questions. You obviously don't have to answer all of them. But thank you anyway for at least reading this. And thank you for all you do for the community.

Sorry, wanted to throw one more question out there to add to the list. Again, no hard feelings if you ignore me. I really have been thinking about a lot these questions though for a while now, and finally just needed to ask.

Why does a vitamin D3 deficiency manifest itself in such terrible pain?

Hi Constantine,

No doubt Batch will turn up and fill you in, but the answers to your questions are probably in these threads started by Batch, have a good read:

123 days Pain Free and I think I know why:
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Anti-Inflammatory Regimen and survey:
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wrote on Jun 28^th, 2017 at 11:20pm:

Hi Constantine, No doubt Batch will turn up and fill you in, but the answers to your questions are probably in these threads started by Batch, have a good read: 123 days Pain Free and I think I know why: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE Anti-Inflammatory Regimen and survey: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

These are excellent links. Thank you.

Hey Constantine,

Good questions... Check your PM inbox in the upper left corner of this window under the date...  I've sent you some detailed information on the anti-inflammatory regimen. 

Regarding a vitamin D3 deficiency and pain...  we're talking a target enriched environment.  Pain is a mechanism our bodies use to tell us something isn't right, that we're likely doing something wrong or not doing something we should be doing...

Our bodies have genetically driven requirements for vitamin D3.  So much so, our skin can generate most of the cutaneous vitamin D3 we need if we spend 15 to 20 minutes a day in the mid day sun clad in a bathing suit with no sun block five to six days a week...  This is where the UV B in direct sunlight strikes molecules of 7-hydroxycholesterol in the skin and converts it to cholecalciferol, a.k.a., Vitamin D3.  Unfortunately, most of us haven't done that since we were kids.  That means we need cholesterol too... so forget statins...

The pain we experience with CH is likely due to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). This is a nasty substance (cytokine) generated by neurons in the trigeminal ganglia that stimulates inflammation and pain... 

If we take sufficient amounts of vitamin D3 (like 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 plus the vitamin D3 cofactors and Omega-3 fish oil), we enable what is called genetic expression where the genetically active metabolite of vitamin D3 unlocks the nerve cell's genetic library of instructions so the cell can execute them...  One of the instructions is to downregulate the production of CGRP and in so doing, this helps prevent CH...

There's a growing list of 87 health conditions either prevented or treated successfully with vitamin D3 at the following VitaminDWiki link.  You'll also find a section on pain reduced with vitamin D3 and Omega-3 fish oil. Nearly all have an RCT as medical evidence of proof.

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Take care and please keep us posted,  particularly if you've more questions or any problems with the anti-inflammatory regimen...

V/R, Batch

Very much appreciated, Batch. I've been reading the threads, and it's been great to see how this all came about. Pretty unbelievable thing that deserves a 60 minutes piece, honestly: from generalized awareness raising to the public about clusters to neurologist opinions to this forum finding the vitamin treatments to an unknown future of underfunded research, it would make for something far more interesting and important than the crap they currently spew out.

Great community here. I'd (still) be royally screwed without it. Thanks to everyone here who takes the time to help others.