Boots online 3for2+Half price Vit d back instock (Boots instore possible 50%+3for2)

Ted_Hutchinson

aurora_borealis wrote: »

I want some topical vitamin D3.

Any ideas please?

Have you thought about using the contents of a capsule in some massage oil such as almond, grapeseed or sunflower. It's easy to slide the two halves of these capsules apart and drop the contents into a small bottle of carrier oil. If you dropped the contents of a 5000iu capsule into a small bottle of oil and shook it up till it dissolved then you could apply that in a massage. I'm not into massaging so don't know how much carrier oil one uses but I expect there are others who can give you an idea of how much oil to apply, it's just basic maths then to work out the amount of Vit d you want to apply in each massage. Your skin makes Vit d very near the surface and so it should work.

I've found this but it doesn't say how much D3 in each application.

Ted_Hutchinson

mo79 wrote: »

Thought I'd share some supplement links.

5000IU D3 x 120 for £21.80 (exc. £1.95 p&p)

bio‑tech Pharmacal Inc. are far cheaper, including postage it worked out about £13.50 for 250 x 5000iu.

or

400IU (think it's D3...) BOGOF, free p&p, £1.38 for 60 or £4.50 for 180.

Yes it is D3, I've got an email from them somewhere.
£4.50 for 360=1.25p each and if you are going to take 10 daily to reach 4000iu that's 12.5 p daily. if you used the Biotech 5000iu they are 5.4p each and you only need 5 one week and 6 the next to average 4000iu/d. so they work out cheaper.

The public adoption of physiological level D3 treatment has the potential to smash the cholesterol theory (as cholesterol precursor being the material UVB uses to make D) and prove that arterial calcification due to poor calcium metabolism is the popular cause.

Funny isn't it that cholesterol levels drop in the summer months now who can hazard a guess as to why that might be?
What is even stranger is the when you go up in the world (altitude wise) and are nearer the sun (less pollution more uvb) you also have lower cholesterol

Here's some BBC News today.

But do remember that if you stay in the sun TOO LONG (so that it goes red or burns) you do more harm than good. A quarter of the time it takes to start burning is quite long enough. It's explained in the animated diagrams here how if pre vitamin d gets too much heat that is converted to lumisterol3 and tachysterol3 and excess Vitamin D3 cholecalciferol on the skin is processed on into useless suprasterols when that gets too much heat. So SHORT session in the sun will generate vitamin d3 but longer sessions are counterproductive they not only damage the skin but before that happens you will have destroyed the skins cancer protection system.

mo79

Brilliant, thank you! :jI've bookmarked Bio-Tech.

I think good omens are with me as my brother's high strength prescription D1 is said to be out of stock 'til next year due to the particular sole company having problems sourcing a component that makes part of it, so he'll be have no option but to go for the high strength Boots alternative immediately - fortunately!

I wish I could get more sun, but I'm not really a big sun fan and couldn't find anywhere decent to catch some sun, and when adequate UVB is available. Plus I'm naturally light brown so would feel awkward at "why's he trying to get a tan?"

Ted_Hutchinson

mo79 wrote: »

I wish I could get more sun, but I'm not really a big sun fan and couldn't find anywhere decent to catch some sun, and when adequate UVB is available. Plus I'm naturally light brown so would feel awkward at "why's he trying to get a tan?"

It takes people who have coloured skin longer to make the same amount of Vitamin D as a white skinned person because the colour reduces UVB penetration. The darker the skin the longer is needed. Perhaps 3 times for a brown skin and up to ten times for the blackest skin.

But you have to understand that there is a lot we still don't understand about individual variability when it comes to vitamin d status/sun exposure and the efficiency of usage. This study is quite interesting. At Latitude 27S it's hard to imagine anyone can be vitamin d insufficient and I really can't imagine Winter at that latitude is the same as ours.

Does a high UV environment ensure adequate Vitamin D status?

This study assesses the Vitamin D status of 126 healthy free-living adults aged 18-87 years, in southeast Queensland, Australia (27 degrees S) at the end of the 2006 winter. Participants provided blood samples for analysis of 25(OH)D (the measure of an individual's Vitamin D status), PTH, Calcium, Phosphate, and Albumin, completed a questionnaire on sun-protective/sun-exposure behaviours, and were assessed for phenotypic characteristics such as skin/hair/eye colour and BMI. We found that 10.2% of the participants had serum 25(OH)D levels below 25nmol/l (considered deficient) and a further 32.3% had levels between 25nmol/l and 50nmol/l (considered insufficient). Our results show that low levels of 25(OH)D can occur in a substantial proportion of the population at the end of winter, even in a sunny climate. 25(OH)D levels were higher amongst those who spent more time in the sun and lower among obese participants (BMI>30) than those who were not obese (BMI<30). 25(OH)D levels were also lower in participants who had black hair, dark/olive skin, or brown eyes, when compared with participants who had brown or fair hair, fair skin, or blue/green eyes. No associations were found between 25(OH)D status and age, gender, smoking status, or the use of sunscreen.

But back to moneysaving.
ULTRA VITALUX 300W - for sunbathe
seems a possibility and not too much money to lose at £32.26 delivered complete with ceramic Lampholder E27. It will need supporting in some way but I expect I'll find a place for it. I'll let you know how I get on with it when after arrives and I've used it a bit.

mo79

Black hair, brown eyes, olive skin...I'm just asking for trouble! I was surprised I have slightly high cholesterol (albeit still more 'bad' LDL), not enough to be treated, and my BMI showed that I'm perfect weight.

Australia is one of the top countries in terms of air pollution, and I guess as pollution inhibits UVB - as can natural fog - that explains it on top of other factors.
In places like the Middle East you can attribute deficiency to more reserved clothing.

It would be interesting to hear how the lamp goes. I'm too much of a rain fan; if only vit D came from raindrops!

BarmyCow

As a total vitamin virgin, I'm hoping that Ted (or other posters) can help me with what may be a stupid question.

Like many others, I think I suffer from a touch of SAD and having read Ted's comments on the benefits of D3 with interest, I took advantage of the Boots offer and am now the proud owner of a number of vit D3 bottles. I am now a bit worried that I may have rushed into this in haste as I'm sure it is a standard disclaimer that you should "consult your doctor if you are currently taking prescription meds" but I am a bit of a wuss and wondered if I am worrying unnecessarily (not looking for medical advice - just reassurance).

I had a splenectomy 2 years ago and am taking 1000mg pencillin V daily, as well as 10mg citalopram, 100mg propylthirouracil, 100m thyroxine and polish that lot off with approx 4 x 30mg dihydrocodeine. Other than rattling when I walk :eek: I now wonder whether I should really be taking any other tablets voluntarily - am I going to be OK to take my D3 or would those in the know suggest I speak to my GP before even opening the bottle ? Hopefully the D3 will have no adverse effect on my other meds but would the 8 tablets a day be too much ?

I reduced the citalopram with my GP guidance 2-3 months ago but don't feel ready to come off this altogether and I was hoping that an increase in D3 would enable me to feel more positive about doing this next year (when we start getting proper sun again).:rolleyes:

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

mo79

I think that's a standard disclaimer. Some bottles of vitamin D talk about consulting a doctor, others don't. They just report a recommended dosage (albeit very low).

The thing is your body makes D3 anyway. Just very likely not enough like most of us due to clothes, indoor living and latitude. The other ingredients of the capsules are basic carriers as in other pills. D3 is often taken from sheep lanolin.

The body uses 3000-5000IU around per day. Toxicity doesn't begin until over 40,000IU for a number of months.

The only thing to bare in mind is why your spleen was removed. If it was due to something like sarcoidosis, this is due to vitamin D dysregulation and there's schools of thought that either suggest vitamin D depletion (an unnatural thing) or indeed physiological vitamin D supplementation along with other medication.

There's nothing wrong with taking a couple of tablets now - it's sold at health food shops, but you should get a vit D blood test done and discuss with a doctor before you decide to take more than several pills. Not that it'll do you harm, it'll just satisfy your fears.

Ted_Hutchinson

Drugs.com | Drug Interactions Checker
This is a useful way to check if the tablets you are taking interact with the ones you are considering taking. There are other Drug interaction checkers online if that one doesn't list all the drugs you take.

I would have thought that had Sarcoidosis been the reason for your spleen removal you would have had been given information on the problem of maintaining optimal vitamin d status with this condition.

Vitamin D hypersensitivity syndromes include conditions such as primary hyperparathyroidism, occult cancers (especially lymphoma) or granulomatous disease (especially sarcoidosis). In such cases, treatment of vitamin D deficiency should be done under the care of a knowledgeable physician. A serum 25(OH)D, serum 1,25(OH)2D3, PTH, and SMA will lead the clinician in the right direction.

Hypersensitivity to vitamin D
Hypersensitivity to vitamin D can occur (128). Primary hyperparathyroidism is probably the most common example. It would be simplistic to avoid or minimize vitamin D intake because of this. Before the occurrence of hyperparathyroidism, vitamin D nutrition is preventive because it reduces parathyroid secretion and lowers the likelihood of parathyroid hyperplasia (129–131). Once primary hyperparathyroidism exists, production of 1,25(OH)2D is persistently up-regulated by the high PTH concentrations, and 1,25(OH)2D concentrations correlate directly with serum 25(OH)D (132). In hyperparathyroid individuals, vitamin D exaggerates hypercalcemia because of the connection between vitamin D nutrition and 1,25(OH)2D production. Vitamin D deficiency can mask primary hyperparathyroidism (132) and this could account for the occasional cases of hypercalcemia that occur when large groups of elderly people are given vita min D supplements (133). Some patients with sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, or lymphoma become hypercalcemic in response to any increase in vitamin D nutrition (122, 134, 135). For these persons, it may be prudent to avoid any dietary or environmental sources of vitamin D.

Using sunlamps/suntanbeds is an alternative way of maintaining vitamin d status through the winter for those who can't use tablets. If you don't have problems with sunlight in the summer then there shouldn't be a problem with regular limited sunbed use. Low pressure tubes emit both UVB and UVA but it's worth asking which of the beds use tubes with a "natural" or "higher uvb" output. High pressure tubes only give out UVA and consequently are no good at all for vitamin d production.
Consider using the lamps for LESS time than is required for tanning (but more frequently) for vitamin d you only need 25-50% of the time it takes you skin to go pink. To get 4000iu just 25% of 1 MED is required.
Again you still have to check your meds as some prescription meds make your skin more sensitive to UV radiation.
Ideally we would all get plenty of sun exposure in the summer to build our reserves up to around 130nmol/L at the end of August / early September
Currently the peak level is 70nmol/L and this drops to 40nmol/L over the winter.
If we peaked at 130nmol/l then dropping 30nmol/l over the winter would still leave all systems working.

mo79

Ted,

Does the fact that Holland & Barrett's Vit D3 is in white tablet form negate any of it's effects?

Ted_Hutchinson

mo79 wrote: »

Ted,

Does the fact that Holland & Barrett's Vit D3 is in white tablet form negate any of it's effects?

The Tablet Vs. Capsules Controversy: Which Is Better?
I have slid the Bio-Tech D3-5capsules apart and dropped the contents into fish oil and they dissolve almost instantly.
I've not bought the H&B ones so haven't experimented with them.
They are the same company as Puritans Pride but that site doesn't give any indication of how long they take to dissolve in stomach juices, but because it is such a big firm they are likely to have checked it doesn't pass through undissolved.

I'm sure you are aware that vitamin d is fat soluble so needs to be taken with food. It may be worth experimenting with one by dropping it into some milk/horlicks/soup and seeing how long it takes to disintegrate. The heat (from the Horlicks) wouldn't harm the cholecalciferol. You can bake with cholecalciferol and the biscuits/cakes still have a Vit d content. It must be something to do with the UVB light (rather than heat) that makes it so fragile on the skin as it certainly isn't stable on the skin. The previtamin d is quickly turned into lumisterol3 and tachysterol3 and the actual D3 into two suprasterols and 5,6 trans-vitamin D, that explains why you never get vitamin d toxicity from sunlight but spending too long in the sun is counterproductive.