hey there
your endo's comment reminds me of this post
http://www.thisisms.com/forum/chronic-c ... 17004.html
specifically
"The first thing to understand when beginning nutrition investigations, is the unfortunate language of the lab. Specifically, the term 'normal'.
The 'normal' range is often quite a broad range which in many cases includes both sick and healthy people.
There is a much smaller range within the normal range that can be described as 'optimal'."
the main point of that post is in its title: Step 1: Assess/Correct Your Nutrient Imbalances
it's intended audience in context is ppl who are planning surgery to correct blood flow issues, but the message applies to anyone with an array of physical, mental and/or emotional symptoms that don't necessarily trigger a specific dx with a medical doc.
if you look at the nutrients associated with diabetes, apnea, neuropathy, pain, stiffness, fatigue, anxiety, depression and cognitive function, you'll end up with a pretty short list of associated essential nutrients. often they correspond to ones we know societally we don't get enough of.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/surveill/n ... lt-eng.php
then it's a matter of checking the recommended daily amounts needed for each for an individual of your gender and age, and then you evaluate your diet to see how it stacks up. one important thing to remember is that the recommended amounts are generally considered a MINIMUM adequate intake, not a target to work towards but to exceed at the very least.
at a bare minimum, what you get out of this work is reassurance that you're doing everything perfectly right, all chronic symptom/issues have nothing whatever to do with diet and/or lifestyle, and things are properly in the docs' hands.
more likely, you find there's some room for improvement. sadly, clinical tests (or at least the way they are interpreted) aren't often sensitive (for single nutrients) or comprehensive (looking at ratios or interactions) enough to detect important nuances. so, it's a matter of working on diet. especially in the short term, chronic problems aren't generally going to turn around overnight. but starting to figure things out and take steps, gets you closer to healthy than not. sometimes people go for supplements to get a short term therapeutic boost or headstart, especially when things have been out of line for a long time. it can take a while to work through the details of what's most suitable for each person. baby steps, otherwise it can be overwhelming.
as for your d3, i'm assuming you mean 5000 IU of vit D3 per day, since 5000 mg = 125000 IU which would be a toxic dose. did anyone mention balancing your supplemental d3 intake with mineral cofactors?
if it's of any interest, here's a list of some of your symptoms, alongside nutrients i have personally used with success against the same
pain/stiffness - d3/magnesium
fatigue - iron
anxiety - magnesium/b12
cognitive - zinc
libido - zinc
that's an overly simplistic list, but those are the ones i personally consider pretty obvious 'go-to' solutions.
it's also well known that b6 an b12 are good for mood. i learned an interesting snippet in a tv show the other day, namely that low b12 can cause feelings of guilt. i had forgotten all about feeling exactly that, because it was so long ago that i started working on b vitamins. the show made me remember. so weird!
there are sooo many resources to help out if you're interested in learning more. if not, the docs will work you through the process, maybe slowly, but nonetheless surely.
there are loads of folks on here who can answer questions, whatever angle you pursue.
at the end of the day, it's not paranoid to start looking for answers, at all. the blurry vision aspect you're probably reading about is optic neuritis (by the way, also linked to zinc status).
speaking of which, note also from the link above that "If you have an MS diagnosis, you are likely to have a constellation of nutrient imbalances that have been extensively researched."
if you check that list, you'll find it's basically the same as for many chronic illnesses associated with developed countries. and it has a lot of similarities to the list of nutrients we know from research we're not getting enough of as a society (even though blood tests won't necessarily pick up the problem).
well that turned into a marathon, will leave it there and say take a deep breath, we all are familiar with the terrified feeling when something new and scary looms, and at the end of the day you have a lot of power and control when it comes to your health. the docs are only part of the picture. hope that helps
