Question: What level of serum Vit D would be considered toxic? I didn't see any mention of checking serum levels prior to supplementation and periodically thereafter to assure one is maintaining an appropriate level of D and not overdoing it. I have been supplementing with 50,000 IU of D3 twice monthly as well as 5,000 IU daily due to Hashimoto's (never did get covid despite working in hospitals and nursing homes, btw). The highest my level has been was 91, and I was told to back off of the daily supplementation due to concern of toxicity.
In the studies I cited in part 5, large seldom dosing did not seem to work as well as smaller daily dosing. The trouble with testing is that vitamin D is fat-soluble and tends not to hang around in the blood stream. Yet it's the best indicator we have. The toxicity that has been seen has involved simultaneous calcium supplementation, which I never ask patients to supplement. If I tested up to 115 or so, I would not be worried in my own case. But that may be too high for some individuals, depending on various factors, including parathyroid activity.
Very interesting. I been suspecting that the Vit D supplementation that my husband and I both have been doing (coincidentally) is the reason neither of us contracted covid. (I work in the medical field and he's in the airline industry). Thank you for your information as well as the response!!
No nutrient operates alone. Deficiency or excess of most nutrients result in effects on other parts of our chemistry as the body tries to compensate. One effect of excess vitamin D can be magnesium deficiency, since processing D consumes magnesium. Most people are already deficient in magnesium, too.
Other efforts to manipulate our chemistry have unintended consequences, too. For example, statins widely used to reduce cholesterol and LDL have been shown to diminish immune response. We seem to prefer those chemical manipulations in order to maintain our hedonistic lifestyles. Unfortunately, they never work to extend life expectancies, but have paid for a lot of yachts.
"In 1938, Jeans and Stearns demonstrated that vitamin D had to be administered cautiously, since infants given more than 1800 units of vitamin D daily did not grow as well as infants given 340 units daily.14 In adults, it is estimated that continued ingestion of 60,000 units per day may cause intoxication."
K2 carboxylates proteins used in vitamin D and vitamin K metabolism, which are involved in osteoblast / osteoclast activity balance --> bone remodeling. I don't actively recommend K2 supplementation, but rather green leafy vegetable abundance in the diet, which is likely enough for most people.
The Rotterdam study in 2004 showed the plant form K1 is relatively ineffective. K2 is primarily found in meat and eggs. Natto has some K2 for those who can tolerate the soy, and the smell.
I've heard large (>10K iu/day), continuous dosing of vit D can cause kidney stones, by raising blood calcium levels, and that taking vit K along with your intake of vit D will ameliorate that tendency.
The things we hear are interesting. I have Rx'ed 10,000 U/day for 14 years, and 14,000 U/day for the last year, taking the same myself, to cancer patients. The only kidney stones I have treated are those the patients came in with, not new ones.
Calcium and magnesium work together, so magnesium should be tested to ensure sufficiency when using high doses of D. But if you have cancer, kidney stones are just inconvenient, I suppose. Boosting magnesium might take care of it, though.
K2 is actually synthesized in the colon from K1, leafy greens. Few foods directly supply K2. The molecular form of K2 may matter as well in that some forms K2-Mk7 can cause heart issues. The body nominally creates the K2-Mk4 molecule.
In an emergency situation, go for it. "Emergency" being low vitamin D levels, no sunlight or supplementation, and then (oops!) a case of covid. However, the general trend of the studies I cited seem to point to early and regular dosing (sunlight or supplement) as being a safer strategy prior to infection.
Yes, it’s for emergencies with loved ones, or whomever, who won’t or don’t supplement. Ours is vacuumed sealed and in the freezer. I was feeling iffy about the 12,000 iu I’ve been taking, up from the 5-7 I’d been taking for years, but not so iffy after this article.
I am unsure why when my levels were at 110 that my doctors got excited. I had been doing 5000 units 2X daily. I dropped to 2000 units 2X and levels dropped to the 70's. As one with osteoporosis I was advised via various forums that levels 50-80 were the preferred target. Mentioning that to my renowned bone doc got shrug. No evidence of any Calcium issues even after Prolia which did play with PTH, a known effect, now resolved.
Excessive D and issues with calcium levels seem the issue. As near as I can tell the chemistry associated with calcium involves a dance among D, K2, PTH and kidney function. I suspect few really understand the entire chain. We humans obviously were designed to get our D via the sun but modern life tends to avoid sun exposure as nature intended. Clear to me that supplementation is necessary and stunning that officials have not made that recommendation.
I was hospitalized for covid almost exactly one year ago. I spent two months there, five weeks of which were on a ventilator. I'm admittedly overweight and was 49 years old at the time. By the grace of God I somehow survived, but have lasting to my lungs from the ventilator and still require oxygen. My D level was 106.
I was not and will never be vaccinated for covid (or anything else based on what I've witnessed over the past few years). It floored me when my discharging doctor said to me, "I hope you'll get vaccinated in the next couple months," disregarding my hard-earned natural immunity. I kept my mouth shut for fear they would vaccinate me right then and there before letting my husband take me home.
This is stark evidence that the medical industry, and our governments, don't like us, and need us to be sick -- medics for profits, and governments for power. "Health care" is a pernicious misnomer. We're on our own, and everyone who hopes to survive needs to learn to manage their own health.
Question: What level of serum Vit D would be considered toxic? I didn't see any mention of checking serum levels prior to supplementation and periodically thereafter to assure one is maintaining an appropriate level of D and not overdoing it. I have been supplementing with 50,000 IU of D3 twice monthly as well as 5,000 IU daily due to Hashimoto's (never did get covid despite working in hospitals and nursing homes, btw). The highest my level has been was 91, and I was told to back off of the daily supplementation due to concern of toxicity.
In the studies I cited in part 5, large seldom dosing did not seem to work as well as smaller daily dosing. The trouble with testing is that vitamin D is fat-soluble and tends not to hang around in the blood stream. Yet it's the best indicator we have. The toxicity that has been seen has involved simultaneous calcium supplementation, which I never ask patients to supplement. If I tested up to 115 or so, I would not be worried in my own case. But that may be too high for some individuals, depending on various factors, including parathyroid activity.
Very interesting. I been suspecting that the Vit D supplementation that my husband and I both have been doing (coincidentally) is the reason neither of us contracted covid. (I work in the medical field and he's in the airline industry). Thank you for your information as well as the response!!
No nutrient operates alone. Deficiency or excess of most nutrients result in effects on other parts of our chemistry as the body tries to compensate. One effect of excess vitamin D can be magnesium deficiency, since processing D consumes magnesium. Most people are already deficient in magnesium, too.
Other efforts to manipulate our chemistry have unintended consequences, too. For example, statins widely used to reduce cholesterol and LDL have been shown to diminish immune response. We seem to prefer those chemical manipulations in order to maintain our hedonistic lifestyles. Unfortunately, they never work to extend life expectancies, but have paid for a lot of yachts.
From reference 13) above
"In 1938, Jeans and Stearns demonstrated that vitamin D had to be administered cautiously, since infants given more than 1800 units of vitamin D daily did not grow as well as infants given 340 units daily.14 In adults, it is estimated that continued ingestion of 60,000 units per day may cause intoxication."
I've posted my friend's song we recorded about hacksxxxine death, in my latest substack post you can click my name to access the post
Hard as Hell
Also the story of that song....
Regards and blessings
G
Such valuable information! Thank you so much. I will share this as much as possible with as many as I can.
no one ever talks about K2 and its relation to vit D, do you know if it helps? in what amounts etc
K2 carboxylates proteins used in vitamin D and vitamin K metabolism, which are involved in osteoblast / osteoclast activity balance --> bone remodeling. I don't actively recommend K2 supplementation, but rather green leafy vegetable abundance in the diet, which is likely enough for most people.
The Rotterdam study in 2004 showed the plant form K1 is relatively ineffective. K2 is primarily found in meat and eggs. Natto has some K2 for those who can tolerate the soy, and the smell.
I've heard large (>10K iu/day), continuous dosing of vit D can cause kidney stones, by raising blood calcium levels, and that taking vit K along with your intake of vit D will ameliorate that tendency.
The things we hear are interesting. I have Rx'ed 10,000 U/day for 14 years, and 14,000 U/day for the last year, taking the same myself, to cancer patients. The only kidney stones I have treated are those the patients came in with, not new ones.
Calcium and magnesium work together, so magnesium should be tested to ensure sufficiency when using high doses of D. But if you have cancer, kidney stones are just inconvenient, I suppose. Boosting magnesium might take care of it, though.
K2 is actually synthesized in the colon from K1, leafy greens. Few foods directly supply K2. The molecular form of K2 may matter as well in that some forms K2-Mk7 can cause heart issues. The body nominally creates the K2-Mk4 molecule.
oh my... and I've seen the Mk7 variety touted as super...
It is certainly cheaper. It has a much longer residency time in the body and may cause heart issues with some people.
Dr Amy Myer has a Vitamin D with K supplement. Drops so even children can take: https://store.amymyersmd.com/collections/supplements/products/vitamin-d-k2-liquid
II understand quercetin (sp) will boost the vitamin D.
I think you are thinking of Zinc. The Quercetin is a Zinc ionophore and so takes the Zinc into the cells to interfere with virus replication.
Thank you John, I wasn’t sure.
👍🏻
Specific dosage advice like this is very helpful.
You’ve probably seen this, Robin Whittle’s stack on how to very quickly raise vit D levels, in an emergency situation, in as little as 4 hours.
https://nutritionmatters.substack.com/p/calcifediol-to-boost-25-hydroxyvitamin?s=r
In an emergency situation, go for it. "Emergency" being low vitamin D levels, no sunlight or supplementation, and then (oops!) a case of covid. However, the general trend of the studies I cited seem to point to early and regular dosing (sunlight or supplement) as being a safer strategy prior to infection.
Yes, it’s for emergencies with loved ones, or whomever, who won’t or don’t supplement. Ours is vacuumed sealed and in the freezer. I was feeling iffy about the 12,000 iu I’ve been taking, up from the 5-7 I’d been taking for years, but not so iffy after this article.
I am unsure why when my levels were at 110 that my doctors got excited. I had been doing 5000 units 2X daily. I dropped to 2000 units 2X and levels dropped to the 70's. As one with osteoporosis I was advised via various forums that levels 50-80 were the preferred target. Mentioning that to my renowned bone doc got shrug. No evidence of any Calcium issues even after Prolia which did play with PTH, a known effect, now resolved.
Excessive D and issues with calcium levels seem the issue. As near as I can tell the chemistry associated with calcium involves a dance among D, K2, PTH and kidney function. I suspect few really understand the entire chain. We humans obviously were designed to get our D via the sun but modern life tends to avoid sun exposure as nature intended. Clear to me that supplementation is necessary and stunning that officials have not made that recommendation.
Fauci talked about it once.
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/14/supplements-white-house-advisor-fauci-takes-every-day-to-help-keep-his-immune-system-healthy.html
I was hospitalized for covid almost exactly one year ago. I spent two months there, five weeks of which were on a ventilator. I'm admittedly overweight and was 49 years old at the time. By the grace of God I somehow survived, but have lasting to my lungs from the ventilator and still require oxygen. My D level was 106.
You are obviously a fighter! Keep it up.
Were you vaccinated prior to infection?
I've heard Dr. Mercola boast about reaching the D level of 100.
I was not and will never be vaccinated for covid (or anything else based on what I've witnessed over the past few years). It floored me when my discharging doctor said to me, "I hope you'll get vaccinated in the next couple months," disregarding my hard-earned natural immunity. I kept my mouth shut for fear they would vaccinate me right then and there before letting my husband take me home.
I got covid from my fully-vaccinated extended family...
This is stark evidence that the medical industry, and our governments, don't like us, and need us to be sick -- medics for profits, and governments for power. "Health care" is a pernicious misnomer. We're on our own, and everyone who hopes to survive needs to learn to manage their own health.
I eat canned cod livers.
As a child I can recall the teaspoon of cod liver oil. Much easier now.
Um, ew. LOL!
Ha! Acquired taste for sure... :-)
Nice. Thanks.
High quality stuff here. Many thanks! 🙏