For Informed People Using Alternative Treatments

http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/ItemLC081950/Vitamin-D-25-Hydroxy-Blood-Test.html

you can get a Vit. D. test through life extension - for $47-62 (member and non-member pricing). You don't need a doctor's order - they tell you where to get your blood drawn near you and send you the results.

Musical - check your vitamin D. The 50,000 iu by prescription in the States is usually Vitamin D2, not Vitamin D3.

I asked my oncologist about testing my iodine and he did not think it was necessary. After meeting with him I did order some iodine supplements based on all of your posts because I figured it couldn't hurt. When I asked about Vit. D my oncologist did point out that even though the medical community is aware that there is a correlation between lower Vit. D levels and breast cancer rates they are still not sure whether increasing your Vit D level will have any impact because it is still in the clinical trial phase. But again, if my Vit D level is low when I get my testing done I see no harm in taking a supplement to raise it.

Thanks for your responses.

Hi sunfllowers, Yes my VIT D is definitely D3. Its called CalDForte, and only available on prescription. It is cholercalciferol. Im pretty sure when I was researching this, the 50,000IU D3 is only available here in NZ and maybe Oz. Might be wrong but I don't remember it ever being available in US but only the D2 which is no where near as good as D3. Its great because its funded and cheap, but to buy it as a supplement isnt an option for me as its in a miserly amount and costs an "arm and a leg"

Scand, your onc sounds like my doc, who is great. I guess they have to "cover their butts". Mine was prepared to check things out further when I asked if I could continue at a 2 week regime. I was quite severely deficient when 1st tested, though not by mainstream standards which some of the mainstream medical fraternity were and are prepared to admit are woefully underestimated. Recently he expressed a little concern coming into summer that I may be already getting it more naturally, but I explained I cant go out in the sun much anyway because of other issues, one of them LE. I told him I will do the math which Ive just done now and is simply 50,000 div by 14 = 1219.5 IU per day. That is still much lower than what some people are taking as a maintenance dose.

I did a lot of research on vit D3 on the link below, which is a very popular and respected site, but I havent been there for a while. I remember somewhere on this site they said it is VERY hard do overdose on D3, but of course we need to be careful taking all things into account.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Somewhere I also remember reading that docs were ordering the wrong tests, and that we had to make sure it was specifically the D3 test.

My pleasure School Counsellor. .

Theres also a great VitD thread, and I guess it will be somewhere in these alternative forums, but possibly buried. Theres a lot of good info in it, but as with any long thread, its a bit hard to find exact info youre looking for.

Here is an old post of mine about vitamins. I had gone to a talk by a doctor who is nutrition specialist, and an eleven year breast cancer survivor. Here were some of her tips for staying healthy:

1. We all know we should eat more fruits & veggies, whole grains, less red meat, processed food etc. so I am not going to go into any of that.

2. EVERYONE should be taking a multi-vitamin. Make sure it says ‘Complete' on the label. Make sure it contains iodine, Vitamin K, selenium and folic acid along with all the other good stuff. Interesting facts about why multi-vitamins are important:

* older women with the lowest levels of vitamin B-12 were at the greatest risk for breast cancer

* taking acid-blocking medications make you less able to absorb B-12

* she recommends 400 mcg of folic acid a day. It works with the B-12 (studies have found that folates may help to make chemo more effective and decrease side effects)

* B 6 is important in lowering the risk of breast and colon cancer

* she recommends 90 mg of vitamin C

* 30 iu of E

3. Omega 3.....either eat oily fish twice a week or use fish-oil supplements (make sure it says EPA and DHA approved) 1000 mg a day. It's associated with decreased risk of cancer, heart disease, inflammatory disease, depression and more.

4. Vitamin D....a big deal.....she recommends getting it tested (should be between 40-50 ng/dL). She recommends 2000 iu a day to maintain a good level. Many, many conditions are associated with low vitamin D; heart attack, cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle weakness, asthma, diabetics, multiple sclerosis etc. etc. etc. There are over 200 different body tissues that have been identified so far that have receptors for the vitamin D hormone and they need it to work properly.

* adequate Vitamin D levels has been shown to reduce the side effects of taxol based chemotherapy

* Adequate Vitamin D has shown to reduce the side effects of aromatase inhibitors

* start with a multi-vitamin, drink milk, eat yogurt (check and make sure it has vitamin D added), and most people will also need a supplement to keep that high of levels

5. Vitamin K, should get 100 mcg a day. Check your multi-vitamin, not all of them have it added.  Inadequacy leads to an increased risk of various cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis and kidney problems.

Jojo, in what way are whole grains bad for you?

http://chriskresser.com/folate-vs-folic-acid

http://mthfr.net/l-methylfolate-not-needed-come-on/2011/09/26/

This is a basic article about whole grains....there is tons of studies out there.  Whole grains destroy your gut and cause leaky gut that destroys your health.  Plus, whole grains are very inflammatory.  Again...just offering my research..please do your own research if you are interested or concerned?

http://bodyecology.com/articles/top-5-foods-that-damage-your-digestion

Agree, Leggo!

here is another article about whole grains.  I know some of you may not like the author, but he provides a great outline to bridge to other research.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/21/grains-causing-gut-leaks.aspx

Momine, I disagree....just my opinion and what I have found in my research.  Again, not here to argue, just share the info we each have.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gluten-free-whole-grains/MY02383

Kay, have you ever eaten Ethiopian food? Teff is what the injera bread is made with. I can't describe it very well. Injera is like a mildly sourdough spongy crepe. I don't notice a very pronounced "grainy" taste to it.

There is soooooo much incorrect information on gluten out there. My family is rife with celiac disease so i know a few things about it. If you have a real issue with gluten.. trust me on t his.. you will get very sick, loose weight, get extremely anemic etc.. a biospy of the duodenum is the gold standard. Yes they check antibody levels but these can be falsely raised. While some people may have a sensitivity to wheat.. this is not the same thing as being sensitive to gluten or having celiac disease.

I gotta pipe in about the alkaline - acid theory. I gotta say that from personal observation, it has some merit.

When I first started testing myself back in August this year, I was pretty consistently scoring about 5.8 - 6.2. Now, after being on a much more alkalized diet, I am consistently scoring in the 7.2 - 7.4. It took a little while for the numbers to shift, but they have interestingly enough.

Its anecdotal, sure, but it has me thinking there is something to it all.