Comments on: Dispatch from the wilds of New York City

By: Dave Dixon

Dave Dixon — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:34:40 +0000

Found this interesting diagram on diseases associated with vitamin D:

http://vitamind.ucr.edu/Images/metab.gif

Maybe my experience with D3 clearing up my cracked skin (which I’m pretty sure is psoriasis) has some basis after all.

RX Vitamins has a product called Liqui-D3, 2000 IU per drop in an olive oil base. Pure Encapsulations also has a liquid D3, 1000 IU/drop in a base of “medium chain triglycerides”.

Nice graphic.

Thanks for the info on liquid vitamin D3 – I haven’t really had the time lately to research it.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Herself

Herself — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:25:58 +0000

After reading this post I looked over the supplements I take and realized I was getting less than 1000 units of D3/daily, so I went shopping. I found teensy D3 gelcaps, each of which contains 2000 IU. I can add 2 of these to each of my 3 daily servings of vitamin pills without a problem for a total of 6K IU a day. But I was surprised by their size since you refer above to large pills of D3. These are even smaller than the M&M-sized supplements I take that are designed for post-WLSers. Is there something about these I don’t know? The brand I think is Carlson, I got them at a Vitamin Shoppe.

Hi Herself–

Some of the old caps were pretty huge. Most of the vitamin D3 capsules I’ve seen are fairly small.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Victor

Victor — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 02:30:05 +0000

A while back I came across this web presentation by Reinhold Vieth about vitamin D:

http://wildhorse.insinc.com/directms13oct2005/

That presentation covers a lot of interesting stuff in an easy to understand manner.

I haven’t had time to watch the whole thing, but what I did watch looks good.

Thanks for the link.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 01:20:51 +0000

Hi there – can you comment on your new book “6 week cure for the middle aged middle” ? When is it due out and what is the content like? Recipes?
Thanks!

Hey Greg–

You outed me. Sorry I couldn’t answer until today’s post.

Cheers–

MRE

By: LCforevah

LCforevah — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 18:54:55 +0000

Dr Mike
Does D3 also have an anti-depressant effect? I can’t remember if it was you or someone else on some other low-carb website that wrote about D3′s effect on mood. I have made so many changes since Nov 1st that I can’t tell if any one has made THE significant difference, but I know that removing wheat and dairy, significantly reducing other starches, adding fish oil,D3, and being scrupulous with my magnesium every night have all made me a pretty unperturbable human being.

These past two weeks, with Christmas and family situations, I have been able to handle everything with humour and alacrity, quite a difference from years past.

This change in attitude and the ease with which it was made, just brings home all the more why the low fat/high carb diet was so untenable for me. It wasn’t just the constant feeling of hunger, it was the constant feeling of “dis-ease” that made it so difficult to follow. Now, I know what was missing.

Hi LC–

Sunlight definitely has an anti-depressant effect. Whether it’s the vitamin D or something else, I don’t know. But I’m glad you doing better.

Merry Christmas.

MRE

By: Nat

Nat — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:50:38 +0000

As one who was woefully vitamin D deficient I can testify to the difference supplementation can make. It took 7,000 -8,000 IUs for over a year to get me to “optimal”, and finding a supplement that was greater than 1,000 IUs was next to impossible. It’s dangerous to take too, much you know I’m looking forward to reading your post on the subject.

I found the Weston Price article (http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/vitamindmiracle.html#miracle) helpful and my doctor recommended every person living above 40 degrees latitude read “The UV Advantage,” by Dr. Michael Holick. It’s information I pass out to friends and family (and whomever else will listen!) whenever possible.

Cheers,
Nat

I agree. Except it should be above 30 degrees latitude.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Judith Johnson

Judith Johnson — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 13:04:13 +0000

Just received my Protein Power book in the mail. Thank you so much. Happy Holidays and keep up the good work.

By: Fred Hahn

Fred Hahn — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 12:07:59 +0000

Thanks for the tip Mike on on Vita-D! Q: I read that lighter skinned, fairer haired folks (such as myself) absorb Vita-D to a much greater extent when compared to darker people – would the dosage remain the same for Scotsman like me? (Sorry I missed you this trip to NYC – perhaps next time!)

Hey Fred–

I was covered up in NY. I had way more to do than I had time to do. MD and I are planning a more relaxed visit in a few months – we can get together for sure then.

Even fair-skinned Scots don’t get enough vitamin D in the northern latitudes in the winter. I would definitely recommend supplementing.

Cheers—

Mike

By: Bruce Kleisner

Bruce Kleisner — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 08:52:10 +0000

I just finished Walter Voegtlin’s “Stone Age Diet” (1975), and before that I read the new Taubes book. My question is how the Indians and explorers survived on pemmican (sun-dried lean meat and rendered suet) for years at a time, with no deficiencies. I don’t think there is any Vitamin A/D in suet, so how did they survive winter without deficiencies? Could it be that the high-fat low-carb diet prevented deficiencies, maybe by preventing losses of nutrients? Or maybe it has traces of Vitamin A and D that are enough to prevent winter deficiencies.

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts-C00001-01c20u6.html

Hi Bruce–

First, I don’t think anyone survived on pemmican alone for years. It was a food that provided a lot of easily transported and/or stored calories, not a food to be eaten when other foods were readily available. Many Indians and explorers mixed dried berries in with their pemmican, which would provide some other phytonutrients. Pemmican is nothing but dried meat and fat – meat that hasn’t been cooked to death contains an antiscorbutic (a substance that prevents scurvy), so scurvy wouldn’t be a problem. And people survive nicely for long periods of time, i.e., in some cases most of their lives, on all meat diets.

Cheers–

MRE

By: Rob M

Rob M — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:11:38 +0000

Doc,

What are your thoughts on tanning beds to stimulate Vit. D production?

Hi Rob–

The right tanning bed will do it. Just make sure its an older one that provides plenty of UVB along with the UVA. And don’t get burned.

Cheers–

MRE