This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Just wanted to share with the rest of you. I just did a full blood workup, including Vitamin D 25 Hydroxy. I've been taking 7,000 IU daily, with a multivitamin (which incl. 15mg zinc citrate), in the mornings. I work in an office and try to get outside about 15 minutes a day. My levels came at 52 ng/mL. Would that be 130nmol/ML?

Anyway, I guess that number is kind of in the mid/high range. I've been supping with Vit D for a long time and mostly try to stay in the 5,000 IU/day range (though have been known to go as high as 10,000 in the really cloudy times of the year). Usually I taper it down in the summers as I tend to get a lot of sun, but I will monitor this number much more closely.

Oh yeah, Calcium came in at 10 mg/dL. Pretty happy with the levels overall.

Will keep y'all posted.

130's close enough. sounds like good mid-range results, with high being up toward 250. good job. did you get a zinc level too?

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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

Hey JL! Yeah I'm pretty happy with the numbers, though hard to believe I have to supplement 7,000 just to hit that. Makes me think the dietary suggested intake of ~600 IU is outrageously low. But maybe the MS genes make me absorb less of it... who knows. Anyway, unfortunately I didn't get Zinc levels. I had an annual physical and the dr. was kinda useless. He wasn't even going to do a complete blood, just a lipid test. So he didn't include much else.

I am doing my own tests through Life Extension though. I like having the control to do the tests I want. I'm a nerd like that This first round I ordered the gluten sensitivity and a A1C (family history of diabetes). Next month I'll add the zinc test... JL -- anything else you would suggest from this selection??: http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements ... -Tests.htm The Cytokine Panel looks super interesting, but at 399, it is way too expensive. Do you think the Omega Score -- to measure the levels of Omega acids - would be valuable?

How often do you test your numbers?

52 ng/mL converts to 130 nmol/L not /mL. The conversion factor going from ng/mL to nmol/L is 2.496 for 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.

Note: nmol/L could also be abbreviated as nM which is read as nanomolar (the capital M is mol/L).

NHE

oops didn't notice that extra m! knew what you meant ikulo :

ya recommended dailies tend to be on the low side in my xp, esp if you don't have the right mix of ingredients for absorption. you've probably read that my d3 absorption tripled when i fixed my zinc deficiency.

will check your list. off the top of my head serum magnesium could be useful. ttfn

_________________
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

i checked it out - if you go for it, test the regular serum magnesium (under the "M" section - not the RBC magnesium). the RBC test is better but there's less easily accessible research out there (far as i can tell) with healthy control levels, including units, for comparison's sake. if you have $$ to burn could get both magnesium tests for future reference.

go for zinc for sure! i sometimes get copper done too so that i can look at the ratio.

i usually get serum ferritin done too, and b12.

uric acid (aka urate) is an interesting one if you care to spend the money. i do that one fasting, no coffee or anything before, since it can confound the results.

omegas can't hurt but i haven't had them done myself and don't have any numbers for comparison's sake either.

in your cbc did you get a hemoglobin result? just curious.

green with envy that you can request your own requisitions online like that. if i had access to that kind of service locally, i think i would be in business right now.

ttfn

_________________
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

Thanks for the suggestions JL! I wouldn't say I have money to burn but I can definitely budget a few dollars to make sure my levels are in line. I'll add the mag and zinc tests for sure, they're not unreasonably priced, and I'll add the other ones when I can afford them.

My Hemoglobin came in at 17.1 g/dL. The lab has a range of 14.3 - 18.1.

hmm, interesting - i'm at 13.6.

'klenner' protocol says at least 13, so i just squeaked in there. my lab's range is 11.5-15.5.

even though your level is in line with your lab's range, because you're out the top of my lab's range i just went looking for info on elevated hemoglobin..

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-h ... nt/MY00112
"high hemoglobin count is slightly different from one medical practice to another. It's generally defined as more than 17.5 grams (g) of hemoglobin per deciliter (dL) of blood for men and 15.5 g/dL for women."

i noticed that altitude can play into hemoglobin levels, eg higher levels at higher altitudes. my lab is probably a bit below 602 ft / 183 m ASML. if yours is higher that could account for the diff ranges.

_________________
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

Yup. I'm a male and I live at 5200 feet altitude. So that could explain the higher number.

colorado's a beautiful state! i once enjoyed a lovely all expenses paid trip there, courtesy of the usgs hehehe - all two training days' worth

_________________
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