This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

it's hypercalcemia that kills the rats when they ingest d3.

hypercalcemia is not good for people either and thus the historical hoopla about d3 toxicity in humans.

yes, serum d3 levels of 250 nmol/L and higher put humans at risk for hypercalcemia. no, ms patients should not be aiming for serum d3 levels above 250 nmol/L.

according to research, ms patients should ensure levels are up over 100 nmol/L.

have i personally tested with serum d3 over 250 nmol/L? yes, accidentally. i megadosed 50,000 IU per day for 8 days expecting my level to go from 103 to 150 nmol/L, consistent with previous dose-response. instead, on follow-up testing i went to 271 nmol/L.

what was different? i had identified and corrected a zinc deficiency in the meantime. i hypothesize that the liver requires zinc to complete the hydroxylation process which converts ingested cholecalciferol to 25(OH)hydroxycholecalciferol. i can't find a specific study to back that up, but i can find breadcrumb studies:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/529582_6

Impaired hepatic 25-hydroxylation of vitamin D is also seen in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis...
(Mawer EB et al. (1985) Metabolism of vitamin D in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis and alcoholic liver disease. Clin Sci 69: 561-570)

Zinc deficiency commonly occurs in patients with cirrhosis and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy...
(Gruengreiff K et al. (2000) Zinc deficiency and hepatic encephalopathy. J Trace Elem Exp Med 13: 21-31)

i'm procrastinating right now, so not going to keep digging for the study where supplementation with zinc reverses liver cirrhosis. makes sense since alcohol depletes zinc, and tight junctions are altered in cirrhosis... remember how zinc regulates tight junction permeability? that has been discussed previously in the context of intestinal permeability/leaky gut. anyway all those points should already have study links posted somewhere here at TIMS.

the take away point is, test your levels and you'll be good. and be nice to your liver

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

No need to be sorry dk, I am not invested in the idea so much that it is personal. I reached my own conclusion after years of self-observation, and research. I can admit that I might have been wrong, that I might be wrong.

I have great respect for Ashton Embrie, and it was his writing on Vit. D some years ago that "confirmed" my own observations. I am well aware that we often see what we want to see, and find what we are seeking. For instance - I have facetiously claimed that smoking tobacco is actually "good" for me because it stimulated the immune system (and I have always believed that a depressed immune system is a large factor in "MS"). Imagine my glee when my ABx-prescribing doctor told me that he was not going to encourage me to quit right now, as there is an immune-modulating "benefit" from tobacco use. He did say that I ought to quit at some point, so he isn't encouraging tobacco use.

My point is that research and knowledge are constantly expanding and evolving, and what we believed last year, may be proved fallacious next year. I am concerned that people are often influenced by popular media and popular science, and don't think critically about what they have discovered thereby. There are some cracks appearing in the Vit. D angle (for instance; a lot of people from sunnier climes are now known to have "MS", and for years we thought it was confined to northern climes, and Caucasians). I have concern that some have embraced the popular science, and failed to look further, and empirically.

Jimmylegs has provided us with much information on zinc, magnesium and vit. D, and Bethr wrote about hemachromatosis and Vit. D. We are all individual, with individual expressions of "MS". Perhaps one person will benefit from Vit. D supplementation in conjunction with zinc, or such, and others will become toxified.

Bethr - I really must get checked for hemachromatosis, as I have a permanent tan/bronzing to my skin, and I am fair with blue eyes and red hair (Irish descent). I used to be pale in winter, and sunburnt in summer, but my permanent "tan" just keeps getting better. This might explain some of the benefit that I have perceived from quitting Vit. D supplementation...

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My name is not really Johnson. MSed up since 1993

Just wanted to pop in and say Hi to Dr. Sclafani!!! Hi!!!!

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Boyfriend dx'd 6-6-06!!! RRMS............CCSVI procedure done on Nov. 13, 2010 and March 7, 2011 by Dr. Sclafani!

Cute picture, soapdiva!!

Hi Dr. Sclafani. Thank you so much for offering yourself in this way.

Satriale's pork store: ask for Tony


half italian, half sicilian


nah, but we use the air tank from the auto body shop and spare parts store next door if we need some



dont for get the uppers we sold you on the way out the door

the large vessel dilatation i am speaking about is right above the valves. this is not venulo-capillary area where blood brain barrier leak is suspected.

i imagine that this distension is long standing.

that is the theory. not sure that disruption of bbb is a result of hydrocephalus though

this is a very difficult and challenging knowledge base for me. So much so, that I am going to invite the isnvd speaker on the topic to the new york symposium in july
hemodynamic/hydrodynamic issues are critical throughout the ccsvi theory

the predominant obstruction is fusion of the valve leaflets, i suspect either caused by inflammation, infection or congenital issues. Dietary influence is beyond my knowledge. Can't comment

i can think of a few interesting uses. as a screening tool. as an intraprocedural monitor of effect of treatment

lets not kill off all the naysayers. we need them to keep everyone honest. we just dont want them to be bullies but cooperative, intelligent challengers.

i never came in contact with him in my career.

a quick review of his publications was impressive enough....diet, venous insufficiency, restenosis, endothelin to name a few topics.

go get him

i have seen this with one well known MSer. I brought it to dr zamboni and we both thought, ultimately, that it was just a prominent muscle bundle, nothing more.

the report you describe is not a ultrasound report of someone being studied for ccsvi. you should get an appropriately performed exam by someone who knows how to do and interpret it.Where do you live?

it is not that easy to determine whether the narrowing of the veins on the second go around is caused by restenosis of the original problem or vein wall injury due to balloon damage or intimal injury from the balloon.

either way, obstruction should be treated, especially if there were any clinical improvements that were short or long lived after the first treatment.

it is the nature of veins to restenose. surveillance and reptreatment is how we usually address venous stenosis.

which one is john?