DHEA and Vit D

We often find clues that our infections were present longer than we realized, unfortunately.

My vitamin D was low as well, but my DHEA was also very, very low.

Kat I'm like you, I think Lyme and Co has been with me a long time. Years and years.
My Vitamin D and DHEA and Thyroid are just a few that were always low even with ever increasing supplements.
Oddly the only high thing was B6, so high I was told to stop anything with it.

Like Traveler said, the more my brain fog clears the more I'm studying the past and seeing so many clues I didn't know were clues

eat2bwell is right, have you added more Vit D, my LLMD has me on 15000 iu of D3 daily, I found one that's in a coconut base too

Traveler said...
Actually, some people - even some Lyme patients - have high levels of vitamin D, so levels need to be checked before supplementing. Hypercalcemia can occur with high blood levels of vitamin D, so testing should be performed regularly to check vitamin D levels.

Yes, agree....When we've been 'low' and supplement - especially high doses...we must test periodically.
As Traveler said you don't want to have high blood levels of D (hypercalcemia)

My regular GP tests me for Vitamin D.

If she wouldn't do it, I would just ask my LLND.

Maybe if your GP hears you are supplementing with Vit. D, he/she will agree to have you tested.

Also, will you not be monitoring your hormone levels?

Laker, I would make sure your LLMD understands that your GP WON'T test you. If your LLMD still won't test you, then I would highly suggest that you either do the testing on your own, or find a LLMD that will. While those things that you are using are important - it's just as important to not over do it.

Funny thing - I managed to sneak in some schooling yesterday, and part of it was about vitamin D! LOL!

Here is some of the information:
"Vitamin D is, contrary to its name, not actually a vitamin at all but a hormone. Nonetheless, it is absolutely critical to health and well-being, and people are far too frequently deficient in this important compound. Vitamin D serves a variety of purposes, most having to do with bone growth; it enhances absorption of calcium (the primary building block of bone structure) in the intestines, as well as jump-starting the process of building new bone tissue (Holick & Chen, 2008). It also enhances nerve and muscle function,strengthens the immune system, and even plays a role in regulating genes in various parts of the body (Ods.od.nih.gov, 2011).

The good news is that vitamin D has a widely available source–the sun. Exposure to UVB light, which unlike UVA is blocked by glass, triggers production of vitamin D in the body, and adequate sunlight exposure each day may be enough to provide the necessary amounts. In recent decades, the frequency of vitamin D deficiency has increased as people have begun avoiding sun exposure, wearing protective clothes and applying sunscreen to protect against sunburn and skin cancer; sunscreen with an SPF of 15 can decrease vitamin D production by as much as 99%. A careful balance must be found, therefore, between allowing adequate vitamin D production and protecting against the harm that can be done by UVB rays (Holick & Chen, 2008).

That said, it can be very difficult or even impossible for people living in northern climates to receive enough sunlight to produce vitamin D. If the sun reaches the earth at too drastic an angle, such as in wintertime or those areas far from the equator, the atmosphere can block the UVB rays required by the skin to manufacture D.

Additionally, people with darker skin make vitamin D more slowly than people with paler skin (Vitamin D Council) and may require more time exposing their skin to UVB. Washing the skin sooner than 48 hours after sun exposure can also decrease vitamin D production, because D requires time to absorb into the bloodstream."

I was sad to read that last part, because I also got out into my garden yesterday and got a nice dose of sunshine, but after I relaxed just a bit, I showered!! There's not much chance of me NOT showering for 2 days after playing in the garden! LOL!

Most times the dr will test for Vit D 25, the usual formulation. However, 25D is metabolized from 1,25 D. Lyme and some co's will bind the 25D so as to show low levels while the 1,25D is high. But most dr's don't realize this, even llmd's. Since the D25 shows low and the immune system is down regulated the body can still have too much D1,25.

My internist will check for Vit D and TSH but she's not willing to change thyroid dosage. So I went to an MD DO who is the one that thought of checking for lyme, but she did the reverse blot and it was neg. She said to take 15k Vit D for 3 days then 5k a day. She also increased my thyroid so that I have morning and afternoon dose now. THat's what I've been doing since oct. The internist then sent me to a rheumatologist, and it took until late Jan to get an appt. In the meantime, internist agreed to do Igenex lyme test. I'm still waiting on rheumy to call me with labs, and in the meantime after the positive Igenex I found a new MD DO that treats lyme. I'm hoping he can work with thyroid too.

I tried researching what the high DHEA meant, and didn't really find much. The rheumy said there is only a concern if it continues to go up, but he didn't test it.

Traveler - My DHEA is testing high. So he meant if it continues to go up outside of the normal range, that's a problem.

I found a lot about low DHEA, but hardly anything about high. I have no clue on this one.

Thanks Traveler!

Hi Kat, Like Chicken I use Nascent iodine to supplement (I'm on Naturthroid 97.5 now).

Nascent iodine, I've found after stopping it a couple of times is critical for me. I lose my hair like crazy when I stop using it.

Kat, to know what you need, more than the TSH must be tested. There's a ton of information on this site about thyroid health: /stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless/