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Anti-Inflammatory Vitamin D3 Regimen and Survey (Read 239800 times)
annualheadcase
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #275 - Jan 9th, 2015 at 9:23pm
 
Hi all. I'm a newbie, though I've been on the site plenty of times. I'm one of the lucky ones in that I've been an episodic sufferer since 16, but as I've gotten older (I'm 46), the beast shows up less frequently. But when it does, I pay like everybody. And the cycles are worse. I've done Prednisone (what a downer!) and Verapamil mostly when I've been in the cycle. The rest of the year I can go about my business, drinking wine, beer, whatever, as if I never have a problem. But then Jan. rolls around, and I get nervous.

My tell tale sign I'm entering a cycle is the lump in the neck, with nagging pain like I've exercised too hard, and and a general feeling of being "off". Then the shadows creep in. That just began last week, yet I'd managed to go without getting a full blown CH. How, I'm not sure. But I knew it was coming.

So I'd just popped in again, as I wanted to try out the psilocybin method I'd read about. Instead I came upon the D3 info. I've just started the anti-inflammatory treatment yesterday. I have to say, my overall well-being has already improved. The lump in the neck has somewhat receded. My thinking is clearer. I have more energy, and the shadows have seemed to slip back to wherever.

I have to say it's very encouraging. I hope I'm not jinxing anything. Given the episodic nature of these things for me, I had a hunch this would work. I'll report back. Just wanted to add to the positive feedback, though hopefully not prematurely.

Most of all, thx to you all for giving me a place to go and realize I wasn't completely crazy.  Smiley
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #276 - Jan 9th, 2015 at 10:31pm
 
Hi and welcome.

Really pleased that you're getting positive results from the D3 so quickly, which is a great sign that it will be effective for you. Several of us have gone multiple years CH pain free using D3, I hope that in time you'll be one of these people too.
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Batch
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #277 - Jan 10th, 2015 at 1:55am
 
Hey AHC,

Welcome to CH.com and the anti-inflammatory regimen.  You've come to the right place and you've already started one of the most effective natural CH preventative regimens going.

A response to this regimen within the first 24 hours is not uncommon.  The following chart illustrates time to respond after starting this regimen for both episodic and chronic CH'ers.

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As you can see, the majority of CH'ers respond in less than 10 days with an average time to respond with a significant reduction in the frequency, severity and duration of CH around 4 to 5 days.

Roughly 5% of the CH'ers who start this regimen experience a brief improvement in CH symptoms followed by a bumpy road with an increase in the frequency of their CH.  Fortunately, most of them experience a cessation of their CH symptoms once they build their serum 25(OH)D concentration into the green zone, 60 to 110 ng/mL. 

83% of CH'ers who have started this regimen experience a favorable response by the time their 25(OH)D has reached 80 ng/mL.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #278 - Jan 10th, 2015 at 8:01am
 
Well, it is now officially 2 years since my last CH thanks to this regimen., wow is all I can say.

Ive had blood tests every 6 months or so to keep an eye on my levels which went as high as 346 nmol at one point as Batch will no doubt remember cause I emailed him in a panic. I stopped taking the D3 altogether, for a month then resumed at 5,000iu and have stayed on that since. My last test came back at 163, which is a bit low but no CH as yet (I'm episodic), so am currently taking 7500iu to see where that gets me.

Just in the process of changing my Magnesium supplement to the Doctors Best Chelated one as the Now Foods Caps can make me a bit, shall we say 'loose', and all the research i have done points to the Doctors Best one. Worth considering if Magnesium is giving you 'issues'.

Also, my migraineur 'better half', who is also on the regimen at 5000iu a day (her latest result came back at 190 nmol), hasn't had a migraine since she started the regimen over a year ago, she used to get at least one or two bad ones a month.

So all in all great news. I have to take this opportunity to say a massive thanks to Batch for not only discovering this in the first place but then having the knowledge and determination to do something about it. Imagine if he had been someone who hadn't put two and two together, now where would we be?

Anyway, hope you and Joyce are well my friend and keep up the great work.

Cheers
Rob
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #279 - Jan 10th, 2015 at 2:50pm
 
Hey Rob,

Thank you for the outstanding update.  I'm happy to hear your significant other has her migraines boxed and is running pain free.  Being able to prevent migraine headaches with this regimen is a real sleeper capability that will eventually catch fire...

Joyce and I are doing just fine.  Joyce started this regimen over 4 years ago and has been migraine free the entire time.  She's got more energy than I've seen in 20 years... and she just kicked the heck out of 77 at Christmas... Go figure.

Thanks again for the wonderful update.

Take care and cheers.

V/R, Batch
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« Last Edit: Jan 10th, 2015 at 2:51pm by Batch »  

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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #280 - Jan 10th, 2015 at 7:08pm
 
G'day Rob,
It's also 2yrs officially for me, since my last cycle, again,
Smiley too Batch.

Cheers  Smiley Hoppy.

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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #281 - Jan 14th, 2015 at 9:11pm
 
Just a quick update a week in. I've had nothing but PFDs after beginning the regimen. The knot in my knock left after about three days. I'm very optimistic I've found a treatment.

Of course my biggest worry is that I didn't first go through a full blown episode to know that indeed I was entering a cycle, but the symptoms we're all there. So I'm going to assume I was.

I also have my energy levels up and will soon go in for a blood test to check my levels as suggested. Thank you again. What a game changer.

I'm off to play Ina soccer match, which should be a good test as intense workouts proved to be a trigger the last go around.

All the best.
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #282 - Jan 28th, 2015 at 7:53pm
 
Ok... so did the regimen for the full month as described.  I started in late December because I noticed the shadow pains had returned on a regular basis.  Week one was rough.  Fiery pain through the cluster side of my head was fairly consistent for the first 5 days, then it chilled out a bit the last two days.  Felt similar to being on prednisone.  Week two, I felt like a normal human for the first time in years.  Zero headaches or shadows.  Couldn't believe it.  Week three and four, shadows started to return about every 3 or 4 days, but were weak.  Week five, shadows have returned every other day and are getting stronger.  I have an appointment with my neurologist on Monday 2/2 to show him the treatment and get my 25(OH)D test.

Two things.  One, I think that I may need to be on a higher dose of Vitamin D.  I seemed to feel great when I was loading, but as I came down from the loading schedule, things returned to normal.  Waiting for D-test before increasing to a higher dose.  Two, I noticed that some people were taking two of the 1200 mg fish oils.  I have only been taking one.  Should I be taking two?

Anyone else have a similar experience?
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #283 - Jan 29th, 2015 at 1:15am
 
Hey Kurama,

Thanks for the update...  You can take 2, 3, or 4 of the Omega-3 Fish Oil liquid gel capsules a day...  You probably get 2 to 3 times more olive oil in a caesar salad dressing... In short... no biggie taking additional Omega-3 Fish Oil. 

You really can't overdose on Omega-3 Fish Oil capsules...  You'll know long before you've taken to much Omega-3 Fish Oil... You'll get grease stains on your drawers before you run into any real problems... Shocked

You're spot on about needing a higher dose of vitamin D3...

Increase your maintenance dose of vitamin D3 to 15,000 IU/day.  On top of that add another 150,000 IU loading dose of vitamin D3.  Do this by taking an additional 50,000 IU/day for three days on top of your maintenance dose.

A loading dose of 150,000 IU over three days should elevate your 25(OH)D by an additional 15 ng/mL serum concentration and in the process, keep you CH pain free.

Just be sure to take all the rest of the cofactors.  Magnesium is the most important.  Take 500 to 750 mg/day when taking loading doses of vitamin D3 and don't forget the vitamin K2. 

Taking this much vitamin D3 increases calcium kinetics...  i.e., more calcium moving around your system than normal.  The vitamin K2 helps make sure any extra calcium goes to the bones and not the arteries or soft tissues.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #284 - Jan 30th, 2015 at 5:53pm
 
Yeah... so I definitely wasn't taking that high of a dose of Magnesium on the first loading schedule Huh

I haven't been taking the K either.  My aunt (an MD-PhD) was concerned about it being a clotting agent and didn't think I would need it at my age (31).  I wasn't really sure what part it played in the whole regimen and I don't know if she was aware of the increase in Calcium that the D3 would cause.  It's a low enough dose that I think I would be safer taking it than not.

So I'm off to get my new viterals, try another loading dose, and up my maintenance dose.  I'll post back here when I get my 25(OH)D test back and I've been on the increased regimen for a bit.  Fingers crossed! Cool
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #285 - Jan 30th, 2015 at 6:41pm
 
Kurama,

Your aunt's concerns over vitamin K are not uncommon...  Too many physicians are a little behind the times and not up to speed when it comes to taking vitamin K...  It comes in two basic forms...  Vitamin K1 a phylloquinone that comes from plants, (the Klotting vitamin) and Vitamin K2, a combination complex of two menaquinones, MK-4 and MK-7.

Not much was known about the function of vitamin K2 until recently (last 7 years).  What researchers, nutritionists and some practicing physicians have found is vitamin K2 actually functions like a catalyst in building bone mineral density.  Vitamin K2 also helps prevent a buildup of calcium in soft tissues and arteries so promotes vascular health.

The LEF Super K with advanced K2 complex that I suggest is formulated with both vitamin K1 and the K2 complex of MK-4 and MK-7. 

LEF has an excellent article on how this formulation improves the bodies clotting mechanism and at the same time helps build bone mineral density and arterial health while preventing calcium buildup in soft tissues and arteries...

Send your aunt the following link so she's singing from the same sheet of music...

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Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #286 - Jan 31st, 2015 at 3:02pm
 
Hi Batch,
Just wanted to let you know how thankful I am to have found your posts on the vitamin D therapy! I have been an episodic CH sufferer for the past 29 years and 3 years ago turned into a chronic CH sufferer. In July of 2015, I was at my wits end, when I stumbled upon your D therapy. After 3 months of following the basic regimen without any relief, I was ready to give up and try "magic mushrooms" when I happened to find your updated anti- inflammatory regimen. Within 3 weeks of starting the new regimen, my cluster headaches were gone! Thank you!!!!
My only concern is that that the regimen was not easier to find. I hate the thought of anyone having to endure the agony of cluster headaches when they maybe able to stop the pain with your amazing therapy. Is there any possibility of adding your regimen to the menu at the left of web page?
Thanks Again,
Al
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #287 - Jan 31st, 2015 at 3:34pm
 
That's a great idea.
Peter.
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #288 - Feb 1st, 2015 at 6:45am
 
Al,

Thanks for the wonderful feedback.  I'm always happy to hear another CH'er has sent the beast running.

You and Peter have a good point.  I'll work up a draft with the latest "How To" info on starting the anti-inflammatory regimen and send it to DJ.  It will be his call to include it in the tabs at the left.

Take care,

V/R, Batch
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #289 - Feb 10th, 2015 at 9:26pm
 
Hi Batch,
My best friend who is a CH'er (and that you've drunk beer with on your last trip here in Las Vegas) is not responding to this vitamin regimen.

His cycle began about July and ended in November, then gave him a PF break of a month and then started up on the other side of his head until currently in cycle still.

He has over 30 years experience as a episodic CH'er and occasionally does switch sides. So this cycle is kinda "normal" for him.

As for the D3 regimen, he has been on it since July. He takes loading doses weekly in addition to dinnertime/biggest and most fat soluble meal of his day.

Verapamil is at 480mg and doesn't want to go higher, as his attacks are "manageable" despite getting hit 1 or 2x/daily, and recently 3 to 4x/daily.

No specific triggers to mention. Of course not drinking at all.  Generally eats a very healthy diet and exercises daily with weights and cardio.


His results for the 25 OHD test came back today at 157. He is taking all co-factors as recommended. As mentioned above, he is still hit at least 3x/day, everyday.  this is what I consider bad news, as he should be PF with a 157 test result, right?

More bad news for him today from the doctors office is that he was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis of his hands, wrists, hips. He has been prescribed Methotrexate 1x/week and Folic Acid the other 6x/week.  Not sure what is going on in terms of him not responding to the regimen, especially considering his D levels are VERY HIGH as compared to others who are favorably responding.  So thought I would post here for an inquiry/hypothesis. Not sure of Methotrex--- is spelled right, but you can figure it out i'm sure.

Also would be interested to know if the two medicines mentioned above for his arthritis are going to somehow interact favorably or not to the current vitamin regimen.

Suggestions?  Thoughts?

-Gregg in Las Vegas
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« Last Edit: Feb 10th, 2015 at 9:32pm by LasVegas »  

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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #290 - Feb 11th, 2015 at 11:04am
 
Hey Gregg,

I do remember Rick and the three of us having lunch at the sports bar in North Las Vegas.  I've still got a photo the barkeep took of the three of us... I'm sorry to hear he's having such a rough time.

There are no easy answers in Rick's case.  Cluster Headache (CH), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Methotrexate (MTX) represent a mean triple threat.  On top of that, the use of MTX indicates Rick may be battling a rheumatology mind set involving the latest standards of care treatments for RA.  That's neither good or bad... just an observation...

If I'm correct in this assumption, the next treatment he'll be prescribed will be one of the MABs (monoclonal antibodies).  MABs are classified as biologics.  Like prednisone, they cut both ways.  While they won't cure RA, they can lessen the symptoms and in some cases, halt the progress. 

Unfortunately, all biologics/MABs carry a long list of side effects that range in order from nasty to down-right onerous including: compromised immune system, life threatening infections like tuberculosis and pneumonia, fungal infections and a growing list of cancers.  Watch the TV ads for Humira (Adalimumab) and you'll get an even longer list of side effects.

I can give you first hand testimony to MAB side effects...  I was a participant in a study at NIH where I was given one of the MABs, daclizumab, typically given to organ transplant patients to prevent organ rejection, to treat an autoimmune eye condition...  basically to prevent my retina from rejecting me...

Over the course of the treatment with daclizumab, it knocked my immune system to parade rest, I developed squamous carcinoma and finally eosinophilic meningitis.  These were known and listed side effects of daclizumab, but they were the lesser of the evils compared to going blind.

According to Consumer Reports, "There are nine different biologics available to treat the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, but they are not a cure. All are very expensive, with some costing more than $5,000 per week..."

As RA is thought by many experts, to be an autoimmune and clearly an inflammatory disorder, the best advice I can give at this point is for Rick to see a good endocrinologist, tell him about all his medical problems, and to ask for a full battery of endocrine tests including tests for all the inflammatory markers. 

Of course he'll also need labs for serum 25(OH)D, thyroid, parathyroid, and calcium as well as a urine test for calcium/creatinine ratio.

My second suggestion may sound off the wall... However, having his CH under control with the anti-inflammatory regimen and then have it flare up and continue unabated with a 25(OH)D serum concentration well over 100 ng/mL indicates there's likely something else going on, over and above his RA.

It could be as simple as another infection that has what's left of Rick's immune system in a tailspin.  Accordingly, starting from the top, a visit to his dentist for an exam may be prudent.  A periodontal disease, could easily be the culprit.

This might not be as off the wall as it appears...  It turns out there are many recent studies linking RA and Gum Disease (GD).  There's a bit of chicken and egg thing as to causality.  However, researchers are in lock-step agreement that RA and GD are clearly linked and that they feed on each other making both conditions worse.  When you throw in CH, you've got a trifecta.

Bottom line... Rick needs some sound medical advice from a physician familiar with autoimmune disorders. 

In the mean time Rick needs to drop his vitamin D3 intake to a maintenance dose of 10,000 IU/day and continue taking all the vitamin D3 cofactors including the 3-month course of vitamin B 50.  I checked and there are no interactions listed between vitamin D3 and MTX.  Folic Acid is one of the components formulated in vitamin B 50.

Hope this helps.

Take care and please keep us updated.

V/R, Batch
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« Last Edit: Feb 11th, 2015 at 11:21am by Batch »  

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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #291 - Feb 12th, 2015 at 12:58am
 
Thanks Pete! We thought he developed this RA from a lifetime of construction work.  But after reading your thoughtful and informative reply, we now understand there's more to it than hard labor.

I passed along your kind reply, as he does not visit CH.com but every couple years.

Please clarify the B50 part of the regimen.

Thanks again  Wink

-Gregg in Las Vegas
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #292 - Feb 12th, 2015 at 1:33am
 
Hi Gregg,
Over the years I've had problems with my knee, and my
shoulder, Made an appointment with my GP to talk with
him about the crippling pain in one of my knees, he
suggested I try taking triple strength joint care.
Glucosamine 1500mg.
Chondroitin 1200mg.
MSM 250mg.
I started 2/day tablets that contain all of these with food,
and within a few weeks my knee and shoulder were back
to normal function. I still take these daily, and never had
any joint pain since.

Smiley Hoppy.
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #293 - Feb 12th, 2015 at 7:09am
 
Gregg,

Good question...   I'll also second Hoppy's suggestion that Rick take Glucosamine, Chondroitin and MSM...  This combo helps build cartilage and the slippery stuff between bones. It worked great for me.  There are several brands at Costco...

Regarding the Vitamin B 50...  It's a formulation of all seven B vitamins each at 50 mg. There's also 400 mg of Folic acid in the mix.

The rational for taking the B 50 is interesting.  It came from Dr. Stasha Gominak, MD, a neurologist in Tyler, TX who treats her patients with sleep, chronic pain and headache disorders with a vitamin D3 regimen very similar to the anti-inflammatory regimen except she adds a 3-month course of vitamin B 50.

She and her patients were very satisfied with her regimen.  However roughly two years after starting this regimen and enjoying pain free life, some of her patients started complaining the regimen wasn't working and the pains or sleep disorders returned.

She did all the standard tests and couldn't find any reason why her regimen had stopped working.  Then one of her non-responding patients took one of the B vitamins, and like magic, the regimen started working again.

When this got back to Dr. Gominak, she started testing for vitamin B12 as a marker for the 7 B vitamins, and found it deficient in nearly all of her non-responding patients.  She took the shotgun approach and prescribed the vitamin B 50 to her non-responders and most of them responded favorably.

She explained the reason for vitamin B 50's success, was that this formulation was actually a loading dose that took care of any deficiencies among the 7 B vitamins and in the process, helped build friendly colonies of bacteria in the GI tracts of her patients.

There's more than ample medical evidence to support the fact that most of our immune systems resides in the GI tract, from the mouth to tail pipe, and in the lungs.  Researchers say that in healthy people, these areas are loaded with friendly bacterial colonies... i.e., the little engines that help with digestion and also make our immune system and other body functions work properly. 

When they've been attacked or destroyed by taking a potent broad spectrum antibiotic we tend to feel out of sorts and weak.

There are actual animal analogs when it comes to building a healthy microbiome.  I watched a special on the Koala Bear.  They had a closeup sequence of a baby koala bear instinctively eating its mother's feces.  The narrator commented that this was part of nature's way of building the young koala bear's immune system by taking a starter dose from its mother.

They aggregate term for all these colonies of friendly bacteria is the microbiome.  Most of the really exciting work in this area has been in the last 5 years.  See the following links for more details:

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The GOMBS diet that I suggest to CH'ers slow to respond to the anti-inflammatory regimen helps feed the microbiome what it needs. I've also found that a mixture of fresh pineapple, blueberry or blackberry, avocado, spinach and kale thinned with a little coconut water or cranberry juice and buzzed up in my blender makes a great smoothie to start the day... and feed my microbiome at the same time.  It's loaded with natural nutrients and antioxidants.

I hate to admit it, but I watch the NutriBullet infomercials to see if they have any new recipes...  Their existing recipes at the following link actually taste quite good.

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Hope this helps and please give Rick my best wishes.

V/R, Batch
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #294 - Feb 22nd, 2015 at 12:13pm
 
Hey Batch,
I have not been following the Anti-inflammatory regimen front very actively but now that some people have been asking about the role of Calcitriol in regimen and cluster headaches I decided to come right to the Guru and ask you.
For myself, sleep is the foundation in my CH treatment and the brick wall built on that foundation is Anti-inflammatory regimen.
So very shortly, is the best marker to follow serum concentration of 25(OH)D when we are treating CH? Would the amount of Calcitriol be significant, is it possible to measure it? Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or Register
Sorry if this has been well covered somewhere in here.
Thank you for your lifesaving work !
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #295 - Feb 22nd, 2015 at 4:19pm
 
Tony,

Thanks for the post... Good questions too.  One of the short answers is 25(OH)D is the best measure of vitamin D3 status. 1,25(OH)2)3, a.k.a. calcitriol can be measured... but it is not a reliable biomarker.  The other is 60 to 80 ng/mL is the optimum range for the 25(OH)D serum concentration for sleep according to Dr. Stasha Gominak, MD. 

She's a neurologist in Tyler, TX who suggests a vitamin D3 regimen very similar to the anti-inflammatory regimen for her patients suffering from sleep, chronic pain and headache disorders. 

The only real difference is she also suggests a 3-month course of vitamin B 50.  Taking vitamin B 50 for more than 3 months starts cutting into the good sleep benefits.  She has some excellent videos on her regimen at the following link:  Multimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to Login or Register

Understanding a little about vitamin D3 pharmacokinetics, what the body does to vitamin D3, might help in understanding the above answers.

No matter how we get vitamin D3, from the UV-B in sunlight generating vitamin D3 in the skin or from supplemental intake, the first thing that happens is vitamin D3 is metabolized by the liver into 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3.  This is an unregulated process that continues until the liver has metabolized the available vitamin D3 to 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3. 

Chemically what happens here is an enzyme in the liver adds a hydroxyl radical, [OH], to the 25th carbon position on the vitamin D3 molecule, hence the name 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 or 25(OH)D, also called calcidiol.

This is a stable metabolite of vitamin D3 with a half-life of 2 to 3 weeks depending on the serum concentration.  Roughly 20% of the serum 25(OH)D is further metabolized in the kidneys by another enzyme, 1α-hydroxylase that adds a second hydroxyl radical to the 1st carbon position on the vitamin D3 molecule, hence the chemical name 1,25(OH)2D3. 

1,25(OH)2D3 is the active hormonal form of vitamin D3 also called calcitriol.  The normal serum concentration of calcitriol is one thousand times less than the serum concentration of calcidiol, a.k.a., 25(OH)D. It has a serum concentration half-life of roughly 7 hours...

This path of vitamin D3 metabolism helps maintain serum calcium concentrations, through one of the body's control mechanisms called calcium homeostasis.  Calcium homeostasis is controlled by the parathyroid glands that secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH). 

When the serum calcium concentration is near the low end of its normal reference range, the parathyroids sense this condition and release more PTH.  This signals the kidneys to produce more 1,25(OH)2D3 that pulls dietary and supplemental calcium from the gut to keep serum calcium in an optimum concentration.  This process also helps build bone mineral density... i.e., strong bones.  When the serum calcium concentration is near the upper end of its normal reference range, the parathyroids sense this condition an slow the production of PTH.

The other 80% of the serum 25(OH)D produced by the liver gets hydroxylated to 1,25(OH)2D3, extrarenal, (outside the kidneys) in cells throughout the body by the same 1α-hydroxylase enzyme.  These molecules of vitamin D3 link up with a molecule of vitamin A (retinol) and physically attache to genes as specific sites called vitamin D receptors, (VDR). 

It's this path of vitamin D3 metabolism that's responsible for what is called genetic expression, a process that basically enables the cells to unlock their genetic libraries of instructions to do a number of things, like multiply, differentiate, control the production of special products, or die.

I realize at this point, some of you are convinced I've had a senior moment, gone off the deep end or lost the bubble completely.  Stick with me a bit longer and you'll see where I'm going with all this...

It turns out that nerve cells in the human brain produce the 1α-hydroxylase enzyme and that VDR have been found in nerve cells throughout the brain.  What is particularly curious about all this is...  the highest concentrations of VDR and the 1α-hydroxylase enzyme in the brain are found in the hypothalimus and trigeminal ganglia nerve cells.

For CH'ers new to this disorder, the big dog neurologists and experts on cluster headache all opine the hypothalamus is the head waters for the pathogenesis of cluster headache.  In other words, they think the hypothalamus manages the processes that control cluster headache.  They'll also tell you the trigeminal ganglia are where all the cluster headache pain we suffer originates...

If you've studied human physiology and anatomy, you're also likely familiar with the fact that the hypothalamus is part of the autonomic nervous system that controls sleep and the body's other circadian rhythms.

If you're like a lot of us, at this point you've just connected the dots and experienced an "Ah Ha..." moment of insight... 

Sleep and cluster headache are controlled by the hypothalamus...

The hypothalamus and trigeminal ganglia are loaded with vitamin D3 receptors and the enzyme needed to convert vitamin D3 to it's active hormonal form.

And... vitamin D3 helps control the genetic expression of these nerve cells enabling them to do what they're supposed to do... like help us sleep better and not have headaches...

Now for the conclusion of this little tale...  In order to make a really good soup, you need the right ingredients in the right proportions... 

Magnesium, zinc and boron are needed because they support nearly all the body's enzymatic processes.  Magnesium is also part of the vitamin D binding protein that transports vitamin D3 and its metabolites through the blood stream.  Molecular biologists and genetics experts have found a "zinc finger" in each VDR that helps attract and attach vitamin D3 to a gene.

Omega-3 fatty acids act as potent anti-inflammatory agents and vitamin K2 helps direct the flow of serum calcium away from soft tissues and arteries towards building bone mineral density.

So here are the soup ingredients... a.k.a., the anti-inflammatory regimen supplements...

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Hope this helps...

Take care,

V/R, Batch
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« Last Edit: Feb 22nd, 2015 at 8:52pm by Batch »  

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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #296 - Mar 1st, 2015 at 11:11pm
 
Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I finally got the results of my 25(OH)D test back from Feb 2 and I was at 74 ng/mL.  I have had 0 clusters since late January (the one I did have was laughable - literally, I laughed about how not-painful it was) and the trigeminal pains I constantly have outside of the cluster cycles has been substantially reduced.  The higher my 25(OH)D level goes, the less headaches I have in general.  It took about 60 days, but this is the best I have felt in years!  And, yes, Batch, I filled out the survey.  Smiley 

I don't feel that it is 100% controlled, yet, but the 90% that is controlled is a big change for the better.  And this is coming from someone who couldn't find any therapy (other than the defunct Ergomar) that genuinely worked.  I'm going to continue to work with my neurologist and see if I can get to 100% through little tweaks to the therapy.  I honestly think that I just need a higher concentration than the typical 60 - 80 ng/mL, as evidenced by my needing 15,000 IU for daily maintenance.

I also wanted to note that my step-dad suffers from migraines (multiple migraines per week), so I told him about this therapy and convinced him to try it.  I asked him last night how it was going and when he had his last migraine.  His face lit up and he proclaimed "I haven't had a migraine in 3 weeks!"  He started the therapy 3 weeks ago.  He even said he had recently dealt with a highly stressful event, which normally would have triggered a migraine, and was delighted to discover that he was able to deal with the situation and a migraine didn't start.  This is a huge deal for someone that has suffered from migraines weekly for about 40 years.  So it would seem that it does have a similar response in migraineurs.

I will post back if anything changes, but for now, all seems to be going well!
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #297 - Mar 2nd, 2015 at 12:33am
 
Great news Kurama for both you and your dad.

Batch has previously posted about D3 helping people with migraines and this is just another indication that it works for more than just CH.
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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #298 - Mar 3rd, 2015 at 10:59pm
 
Hey Kurama,

Thanks for the wonderful update.  A 25(OH)D serum concentration at 74 ng/mL is still a little low... but obviously doing a good job preventing most of your CH...  Try a couple 50,000 IU vitamin D3 loading doses to see if they'll take you completely pain free with no klingons...

I'm also very happy to hear your step-dad has his migraine headaches under control since starting the anti-inflammatory regimen.

There are a lot of different varieties of migraine headaches...  That said, migraineurs typically respond to the anti-inflammatory regimen with a higher success rate than do CH'ers.

My wife was a chronic migraineur for over 20 years with 3 to 5 day long attacks hitting monthly like clockwork...  She hasn't had a migraine since she started this regimen in December of 2010.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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« Last Edit: Mar 4th, 2015 at 2:14pm by Batch »  

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Re: Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Update and Survey
Reply #299 - Mar 13th, 2015 at 9:24am
 
I have been using all through the wintertime 10,000IU Vitamin D + 100mcg K2 + magnesium + Omega 3 daily with largest meal of the day. Got the results of my blood test today and it was 473 nmol/l so that's gone beyond toxicity. It's hard to get a blood test here (Finland) so I got this done on private sector and I'm glad I did.

And thanks for the excellent answer on my previous post !
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« Last Edit: Mar 13th, 2015 at 9:27am by Tony Only »  

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