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D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free (Read 3366 times)
DannyUK
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D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Oct 30th, 2017 at 8:07pm
 
Hi all,
First of thanks to Batch for all his work in the D3 regimen and the other knowledgeable people on this site.

Now the quick story. It is not me that suffers from CH but my brother. He has been suffering for a few years now. Started out as just seasonal; spring and autumn, but now seems to be suffering all year round. After doing lots of research on this site he has now started the D3 regimen.

As he was having quite a bad period he jumped straight into it without waiting for bloods. We have now had D3 levels checked after one month following the regimen and they came back as 197.2 nmol/L. That also included a few days loading period so must of been low to start with but now somewhere near adequate.

Something is definitely happening as he has noticed a change in cycle but still not pain free. Over the past week he seems to suffer quite a bad attack around the same time each night.
I wondered if anybody else taking D3 had experienced this before. I see the use of Benadryl is mentioned if there isn't a reaction th the D3. Would the next step be to try Benadryl (or the UK equivalent) for a week or so?

Thanks all

Danny
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« Last Edit: Oct 30th, 2017 at 9:41pm by DannyUK »  
 
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Genever
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Re: D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Reply #1 - Nov 5th, 2017 at 10:17pm
 
I am currently experiencing the same thing. I have been taking it for about 2 weeks and it feels as though the pain has shifted, but is not all gone. I have added Benadryl. This worked for me in the past rather quickly but not this time for some reason. I’m sure others who know more will chime in.
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Batch
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Re: D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Reply #2 - Nov 6th, 2017 at 11:57am
 
Hey Danny,

Thanks for the update.  Please tell your brother he's doing great getting is serum 25(OH)D up to 197.2 nmol/L.  That's the initial target for episodic CHers.  If he's a chronic CHer, the target is 250 nm/L according to data from the online survey.  These aren't hard numbers so a 20% range around them is a better way of looking at them.   In your brother's case as he hasn't experienced a pain free response, 20% higher is the direction to go.

Going over 250 nmol/L is not a big deal as long as serum calcium remains within its normal reference range and PTH is in the lower third of its normal reference range.  For reference, I've maintained my serum 25(OH)D at 140 ±50 ng/mL (350 ± 125 nmol/L) for the last three years.  I'm still here and in excellent heath at 73.  I don't take any Rx medications.

My PCP looks at my 25(OH)D labs during my annual physicals and smiles saying "As long as your serum calcium remains within its normal reference range and your PTH is low, I guess you know what you're doing controlling your CH this way.  He's had a copy of the treatment protocol since I started seeing him for my annual physicals in 2014.

There are a few things your brother needs to understand about this regimen. For starters, as he's not pain free, it's ok to experiment with the other vitamin D3 cofactors by doubling their dose, one at a time to see what happens. 

Next, allergic reactions can overpower vitamin D3 making it less effective.  The solution  here is for your brother to see his local chemist/pharmacist for a first-generation antihistamine and take it as suggested by the chemist for a week to 10 days to see what happens. 

Anything that causes inflammation like a low grade infection, trauma or surgery can impact vitamin D3 making it less effective.  Taking 1000 mg (one gram) of vitamin C every four hours during the day can help with infections and inflammation.  Turmeric (Curcumin) at 1000 mg/day with meals also helps.

CH are also pH sensitive.  A shift in systemic pH lower (more acidic) favors the CH triggering mechanism increasing their frequency, severity and duration.  This condition is usually due to diet. 

The first solution here is to drink a baking soda tonic made with a teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) stirred in a cup of cold water to elevate systemic pH making it more alkaline.  Drink a half cup (4 oz) of this tonic every four hours during the day and at bedtime.  Avoid taking it during the first hour after eating as the bicarbonate will slow the digestion process.

The next part of this solution is diet... Avoid all sugars except for fresh fruit and unsweetened fruit juice.  I look for NON-GMO juices to avoid taking Glyphosate from Roundup Ready crops.  No artificial sweeteners including Stevia.  They act to slow or stop the reproduction of friendly symbiotic colonies of bacteria and biota living in our GI tracts called the microbiome.  If they've been wiped out by an antibiotic, they'll need replacement with a good probiotic.  Other foods to avoid include wheat gluten, refined starches, peanuts, corn and grain oils. 

Good foods to eat include fresh whole food veggies fruits and berries (organic and NON GMO if possible). Free range chicken, eggs, beef, pork and lamb.  Wild caught fish like salmon, halibut some cod and sole.  Basically avoid farmed fish and shrimp (we'll never know what they've been fed but for sure it wasn't wild herring, sardines, smelt or other bait fish). 

The good oils include butter, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, lard and my favorite, bacon fat. You can find more healthy food types at the following link.

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Thanks again for the update on your brother.

Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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« Last Edit: Nov 6th, 2017 at 12:04pm by Batch »  

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DannyUK
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Re: D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Reply #3 - Nov 6th, 2017 at 12:18pm
 
Thanks for the detailed reply Batch.
He was episodic when they first began around 7 years ago but now they are definitely chronic. Over the last few days he seems to be suffering with one of the worst bouts I've seen. I'm not sure whether it's just the change in season, the altered D3 level in his system or something else unknown.

I could not find Benadryl here in the UK but the chemist did have Sleepeze tablets which contain 50mg of Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride. Will start on a 7 day course of these today and recommend he goes back to a loading dose to increase the D3 even more.

After reading all of the success stories I really want the D3 regimen to work for him. Something is definitely happening to his cycle so we will be sticking to it.
Will keep you updated after trying the anti histamine.

Thanks

Danny
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DannyUK
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Re: D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Reply #4 - Nov 14th, 2017 at 4:49pm
 
Little update on my brother (Mike)
This is just as much a log for me to monitor the process as much as anything else.

Completed 7 days of 50mg Diphenhydramine HCL and an increased D3 dose of 20,000iu a day. The first couple of days he seemed pain free during the day and was suffering one attack at the same time each night.
Now there is no real schedule to them. Still suffering the odd attack day/night that is silenced with oxygen.

Certainly having a lot less attacks than the previous week but at the moment not entirely sure if its the D3 or just end of a bad spell.

Either way he is sticking to the full D3 regimen each day so lets hope for further improvement!

Thanks

Danny
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Batch
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Re: D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Reply #5 - Nov 15th, 2017 at 9:21am
 
Hey Danny,

Thanks for the update on Mike's progress.  I'd hoped, as I'm sure the two of you did, that he would be CH pain free by now.  The good news is it appears this regimen is working... so we're getting closer to a complete pain free response.

Fortunately, there are more things to try.  For starters I would continue the Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) every four hours and before bed for another week.  I'd also add a 1000 mg tablet of vitamin C every four hours along with the Benadryl throughout the day.  That may sound like a lot but Linus Pauling took 18 grams of vitamin C a day and lived to 93 ! 

Vitamin C is a great antiviral, antibacterial and antioxidant agent so it covers the bases so to speak in case there's a low level infection brewing away or inflammation from any source...  It's also great for the cardiovascular system.  Our bodies lack the enzyme to synthesize vitamin C so we need to obtain it from dietary sources or from supplements.  Everyone should take at least 2 grams a day...

There's a video of Dr. Linus Pauling giving a lecture on Preventing illness and disease with vitamin C at the following link.

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I think you'll find this video very informative and humorous as well as he pokes serious fun at the very low vitamin RDAs recommended by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine...

I would also add a 1000 mg capsule of Turmeric (Curcumin) a day with food.  Curcumin is another wonder supplement that also aids in quelling inflammation.  It has a long list of health benefits.

The next thing is to start drinking a half-cup of baking soda tonic 4 times a day an hour after eating (so as not to interfere with digestion) and before bed.  You make this tonic with a teaspoon measure of baking soda in a cup (8 oz) of water.   

The rational for the baking soda tonic is CH is pH sensitive... If systemic pH gets too low (too much acid), this condition triggers vasodilation which favors nearly all CH triggering mechanisms.  The sodium bicarbonate will elevate systemic pH making it more alkaline.

While we're on water... make sure Mike is drinking at least 2.5 liters of water a day...  CHers tend to become dehydrated and that makes it easier for the CH beast to jump ugly...

I'd also start a course of probiotic and continue taking it until the bottle is empty.  Dealer's choice on the brand... I look for the best bang for the buck/pound in terms of Billions of live probiotic cultures. 

The rationale for taking the probiotic deals with building or recolonizing the friendly symbiotic colonies of bacteria and biota living in our GI tracts called the microbiome.  If the microbiome is happy, we're usually healthy.  We keep it happy by feeding it with its favorite foods, fermented veggies like kimchi, Sauerkraut and picked veggies.   

If the microbiome is unhappy or damaged... we have health problems...  Any of you remember getting loose as a goose after taking an antibiotic... that likely wiped out your entire microbiome?

The microbiome functions as an important part of our immune systems, so it's important to keep it healthy as most of the antigens that make it into our bodies ride on the food we eat...

There's also a Gut-Brain Axis of communication either direct through the Vagus nerve or through chemical messengers.  Sending the wrong messages from the gut to the brain causes problems...

Finally, there's diet...  No sugars of any kind... No artificial sweeteners including Stevia.  Sugars tend to brew the wrong cultures of bacteria in the microbiome and artificial sweeteners act as a poison...  No gluten and if you must eat bread, make sure it's organic and NON GMO.

Try to eat organic NON GMO whole food produce, fruits, dairy products and nothing from a can if at all possible.  Look for free range organic meats, chicken and eggs as well as wild caught fish.  There's no telling what feed lot cattle, farmed fish and farmed shrimp are being fed.

Why NON GMO?  Monsanto has developed genetically modified seeds that grow crops that are "Roundup Ready."  Roundup (Glyphosate) is a herbicide.  Roundup Ready crops can be sprayed with this herbicide to kill weeds but it doesn't kill the genetically modified crop. 

Invariably, these crops take up the Glyphosate.  Most of the corn, wheat, barley, soy and other grains grown in large farming consortiums are now Roundup Ready crops... Some of these grains and corn are used to make cooking oils.  Some are used to feed cattle and dairy herds... See where this is going?

Monsanto scientists say that Glyphosate is non-toxic to all mammalian biological functions and is only toxic to plants not genetically modified to be "Roundup Ready" and this is true...

Guess what???  Our microbiomes are members of the plant kingdom and for sure, are not Roundup Ready...

On that note... take care and watch what you eat.

V/R, Batch


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« Last Edit: Nov 15th, 2017 at 9:22am by Batch »  

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DannyUK
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Re: D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Reply #6 - Dec 5th, 2017 at 6:26pm
 
Thank you for the detailed reply Batch they always make a good read. Been a little while since my last post so a few things have changed.

Went to see a neurologist a few weeks ago who was quite promising. He recommended an increase in Verapamil and also prescribed a week long dose of prednisone which worked wonders! For anybody who hasn't tried prednisone I would certainly give it a go - I know it doesn't work for all but it stopped Mike's headaches dead within 24 hours.

Throughout the prednisone he stuck to the D3 regimen religiously. One week after stopping the prednisone he had his first headache but wasn't too bad. I have every confidence that after a complete break in cycle that the D3 will work its magic.

Talking D3, the neurologist said he would take a look as Mike was the second person in a week to mention it. The more people taking a detailed look the better.
For people out there still struggling, there are plenty of other options to try so don't loose hope!

Danny
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Batch
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Re: D3 regimen altered cycle but not pain free
Reply #7 - Dec 6th, 2017 at 6:48am
 
Hey Danny,

Thanks for the feedback...  It's encouraging to hear another neurologist is willing to take a look at vitamin D3 and the cofactors as a CH preventative.

That Mike responded to prednisone tells me it's likely he needs a higher dose of vitamin D3, but we need to know his 25(OH)D level first.  Try to get him this lab test.  If the NHS is not covering this lab test you can order the 25(OH)D home blood spot test kit for $65.00 + $5.00 USD shipping from Grassrootshealth.com as a part of their D* Action Study at the following link:

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Take care and please keep us posted.

V/R, Batch
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