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sunshine and/or vitamin D

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 3/30/2010 5:45 PM (GMT 0)
sunshine and vitamin D supplements have stopped all my u.c. symtoms.Anyone else ever have these results?
Posted 3/30/2010 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
No, and I wished it was that easy!

Sue
Posted 3/30/2010 6:11 PM (GMT 0)
no.

Read Article here...
Posted 3/30/2010 6:37 PM (GMT 0)
In response to the one post wonder's suggestion, I second Suebear's response- for those who go into remission after eating a few macaroon cookies or whatever rocks your boat- more power to you.  Some of us have conditions that are a bit more, shall we say, stubborn. (As an aside, though, vit D deficiency is common in IBD and it is worth getting one's blood level checked.  Taking one 5000 IU vit D supplement a day brought my vit D level from below the normal range to the upper half of the normal range).  I also believe in sunshine when you can get it- just as vitamins absorbed from food are probably much more effective than those absorbed in a supplement.  Spending more than just 15-20 minutes if possible, is especially important if one has a darker complexion, since one's skin will then be very efficient at blocking sunlight and you'll need to spend more time to get the same amount of vit D.  Sunshine also lifts my mood- I think that I am SAD-prone in the winter.
Posted 3/30/2010 7:20 PM (GMT 0)
If that's true, then I must be taking the wrong type of Vitamin D! And I live in California, so I get plenty of sun!

Posted 3/30/2010 7:28 PM (GMT 0)
Ya right..I wish!
Posted 3/30/2010 7:40 PM (GMT 0)
No. I'm a sun worshipper and a golfer. It's just not that simple, I'm afraid.
Posted 3/30/2010 9:02 PM (GMT 0)
I live in Florida, take Vit D and am outdoors constantly. UC doesn't care.
Posted 3/31/2010 2:40 AM (GMT 0)
No - found I needed more vitamin D but it did nothing for my Uc as far as I know.

By the way, Dr. A should I take my supplement with food - I always take it before I go to bed!

ElaineNY

Posted 3/31/2010 12:38 PM (GMT 0)

kops2da said...
No - found I needed more vitamin D but it did nothing for my Uc as far as I know.
By the way, Dr. A should I take my supplement with food - I always take it before I go to bed!

ElaineNY

I started taking it with food after reading that. I had usually been taking it on empty stomach in mornings..... maybe why my levels are still low.
Posted 3/31/2010 1:04 PM (GMT 0)
Gee, not a very welcoming response to a simple question.

My answer: no, I never tried just vitamin D. But if it works for you then it works for you. I do take vitamin D supplements and get a good deal of sunshine (when it shines) because I do think it helps.
Posted 3/31/2010 1:44 PM (GMT 0)
Just out today:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20350569

Posted 3/31/2010 1:55 PM (GMT 0)
Now all I need is someone to translate that article!  Guess I am too old or too undereducated. Although I am not sure if vitamin D has helped my UC - it is very important and when my doctor suggested a test for it since I live where it is gloomy all winter I found I was deficient.  It has really helped my energy/endurance and less need for a nap!

ElaineNY

Posted 3/31/2010 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
lol, I'm with you on that Elaine! I think -- and I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but all it's saying is that studies are showing that Vitamin D is actually good for the gut. I've read that several times and I do know it actually has help my nails grow and strengthen, and I don't really know if it's helped my gut or not. I take it though, and enjoy the natural "D" from sunshine.

Posted 3/31/2010 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
I dunno for sure I do take about 4000 iu a day or more. I know when my sister had RA (another auto-immune disease), she was told to take like 10,000 vit D for a while because her levels were low, now she takes about the same amount as me now.
Not sure if it is a cure all or anything, but it is cheap and it is good for your body.
Posted 3/31/2010 5:46 PM (GMT 0)
BTW I take my Vit D with coconut oil because of reading that it is more easily absorbed by the body when taken with fat/oil.
Posted 3/31/2010 6:25 PM (GMT 0)
If Vitamin D helps you, then you are probably deficient in Vitamin D. It's great that you found out.

I think I'm going to add a multi-vitamin to my daily intake of vitamins. Thanks for the info.
Posted 3/31/2010 6:42 PM (GMT 0)

ickypoo said...

Gee, not a very welcoming response to a simple question.
What kind of response would be to your approval?

----------------

There is new and exciting research on Vitamin D....finally! I take about 2400 IU daily. Yes, my level was low, but my UC hasn't improved from increasing it.

One doesn't know yet what's needed to help/prevent disease. I do believe the autoimmune response might be linked to it. I don't believe it's the sun that will help, but the supplements will.



q

Posted 3/31/2010 6:52 PM (GMT 0)
Why don't you think the sun will help? You'll produce 10,000IUs with about 20min of sun exposure on 40% skin surface area versus your 2400IUs of supplementation. The big difference between solar exposure and supplementation seems to be dose. I live at 41deg latitude and don't receive much sunlight during winter months. I supplement with 8000-10,000IUs a day in the winter and feel better.
Posted 3/31/2010 6:57 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I guess we'll see with the generation who have been utilising the sun and tanning booths. Sun related skin disorders are scarier than not enough vitamin D. Many generations are paying for that source of Vitamin D.

I've read 10 minutes, not 20 for exposure daily, without sunscreen.

q
Posted 3/31/2010 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
If there's one thing Crohn's has taught me, it's that doctors and professionals are in just as much disagreement as the patients on these threads. As to the implication of sun and skin cancers, I hear ya, but I don't buy all of it. Moderation of course, I'm not advocating grilling yourself in olive oil:

"It is commonly believed that exposure to sunlight leads to skin cancer, including deadly melanoma. No one believes this more ardently than leaders of the dermatology profession. For example, a leading dermatologist, Roger Ceilley, MD, has proclaimed, "We're going to have millions more cases of skin cancer in the next decade" if people forgo sunscreen (Fackelmann 1998). Yet the relationship may not be that simple. There is evidence that a moderate amount of unblocked sunlight is actually beneficial to most people, reducing the risk of many diseases – including, paradoxically, melanoma itself."

Full article here: http://chetday.com/skincancersun.htm

Yes, it is a dubious internet article, but there is so much other credible information out there along the same lines. As the article says, I don't think it's that simple.
Posted 3/31/2010 8:13 PM (GMT 0)

quincy said...
What kind of response would be to your approval?

There were a couple of responses that struck me as being unnecessarily surly to a question that seemed quite inoffensive. Given that it was the first post for the person starting this thread, I thought they could have been given more slack, perhaps even welcomed to the community. But maybe I have been in the sun too long manufacturing vitamin D and am being overly sensitive.

By the way, I will take the opportunity to welcome sjmckay to the forum. I hope you continue to do well.
Posted 3/31/2010 8:14 PM (GMT 0)
WEll, I'm basing it on experience. I haven't "baked" since the early 80's, but since the early 60s, I've been burnt many times to the point of blisters, and I have had basel skin carcinoma, but in early stages that could be taken care of with topical medication (so far). My husband's had many cut out of his skin. There's more truth and the scares aren't taken seriously enough.

We have supplements.....maybe they, in themselves, are what can protect us from skin cancer???

People don't care when they're young, and life doesn't end when we're 50.

Melanoma is in a class by itself....considering its complexity. Sun might only be one factor.



I should add that I'm fair, I haven't been in the sun really since the early 80s....I don't wear sunscreen because of my sensitivities to them.



Maybe the indirect sun....just feeling better when it's out and helping the overall plus feeling is part of the package.


q
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