Humans evolved outdoors, in the sunshine. Exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet radiation produces a hormone known as “vitamin D”. Vitamin D is critical for human health. The nucleus of all of our cells have vitamin D receptors. There is evidence that vitamin D influences the expression of about 10% of human genes.
With very rare exceptions, humans cannot achieve optimal levels of vitamin D through diet alone. Although some foods are fortified with vitamin D, consumption of large amounts of such foods will not achieve optimal levels. To achieve and maintain optimal levels of vitamin D, we must either use vitamin D supplements or use the sun.
The sun showers onto earth a large range of radiation, including ultraviolet radiation (UV). UV radiation has three wavelengths, as follows:
Ultraviolet A (UVA): 320-400 nm
UVA has the longest wavelength and therefore it penetrates deepest into the skin. The most superficial layer of skin cells is the squamous cells. Deeper to the squamous cells are the basal cells. Below the basal cells are the melanocytes. Because UVA penetrates deepest into the skin, it is the primary UV influence on the melanocytes. Melanocytes produce the dark colored skin pigment melanin. This means that it is UVA that is primarily responsible for skin tanning. Sadly, damage to these same melanocytes increases the risk of the deadly skin cancer melanoma. UVA radiation is also primarily responsible for skin wrinkles.
Ultraviolet B (UVB): 280-319 nm
UVB should be subcategorized: 280-289 nm and 290-319 nm
To add to the irony, it is UVB radiation in the 290-319 nm wavelength that starts the production of vitamin D, as detailed below.
Consequently, older sunscreens (UVB blockers only) reduced skin burning, reduce the skin production of vitamin D, increase skin wrinkles, and increase deadly melanomas.
Ultraviolet C (UVC): 200-280 nm
UVC has the shortest wavelength and therefore it does not penetrate well. In fact, it is unable to penetrate the earth’s atmosphere, where it is 100% absorbed.
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James Dowd, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Michigan State University. He is also the founder and director of both the Arthritis Institute of Michigan and the Michigan Arthritis Research Center. He is board certified in internal medicine, adult rheumatology and pediatric rheumatology.
In 2008, Dr. Dowd published a book titled The Vitamin D Cure: Five Steps to Heal Your Pain and Improve Your Mood.
Dr. Down states that the optimal level of vitamin D is between 50-70 ng/ml.
PAIN
In his book, Dr. Dowd states:
“Research tells us that a lack of vitamin D makes us ache. Symptoms that point to vitamin D deficiency are muscle spasms, bone pain, and joint pain.”
“Doctors often mistake vitamin D deficiencies for fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.”
“Because I’m a rheumatologist, people come to me because they want solutions for the pain they’re experiencing in their joints, tendons, ligaments, muscles, and bones. They typically have at least one disease involving muscles, ligaments, joints, and bones, but all of the aches and pains they have are actually connected to their vitamin D levels and what they eat.”
Dr. Dowd explains how joint cartilage integrity is dependent upon the quality of the bone the cartilage sits upon, stating:
“The bone that lies under the joint cartilage keeps the cartilage stable, functioning, and durable.” “You will speed up the rate of your cartilage breaking down when anything destabilizes the bone below the cartilage, such as poor bone development or increased bone turnover caused by vitamin D deficiency.”
Dr. Dowd notes that there is a 2-3 fold faster rate of osteoarthritis progression in those with the lowest 20% of vitamin D levels compared to those with the highest levels.
Dr. Dowd notes that adequate vitamin D supplementation can eliminate chronic back pain symptoms in nearly all patients, stating:
“Those who took vitamin D supplements saw dramatic resolution of pain, muscle fatigue and muscle cramps.”
MAGNESIUM
Dr. Dowd emphasizes that there is an important relationship between vitamin D and magnesium, stating:
1) Magnesium is critical for one’s body to produce the active form of vitamin D.
2) The receptor that vitamin D uses in the nuclear membrane is poorly expressed when one is magnesium deficient.
3) Magnesium is required for vitamin D to function properly.
Dr. Dowd further explains that magnesium is low when the body becomes acidic. He notes that the two main causes of an acidic body are the consumption of grains and dairy products, so he discourages both. He states that the most abundant and absorbable source for magnesium is the consumption of green leafy vegetables.
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The world’s leading authority on vitamin D is Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD. Dr. Holick is a professor at Boston University Medical Center and the director of the university’s General Clinical Research Unit, Bone Health Clinic, and the Heliotherapy, Light, and Skin Research Laboratory. A search of the National Library of Medicine using the PubMed search engine identified 345 articles using the key words “holick mf AND vitamin d”.
Dr. Holick is the discoverer of the active form of vitamin D (1,25, dihydroxy vitamin D). In his 2010 book titled The Vitamin D Solution; A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problems, Dr. Holick details these steps to the formation of the active form of vitamin D:
STEP #1
Our skin cells contain a molecule called
7-dehydrocholesterol = provitamin D3
which absorbs ultraviolet light B (UVB, wavelength 290-319 nm)
STEP #2
The absorption of UVB by provitamin D3
produces
pre-vitamin D3
within the skin cells
STEP #3
Our body heat
converts
pre-vitamin D3
into
vitamin D3
within the skin cell
(this is the same molecule as supplemental vitamin D3)
STEP #4
Vitamin D3
exits the skin cell into the blood stream
and
travels to the liver
where
25-hydroxy vitamin D (calcidrol) is produced
STEP #5
25-hydroxy vitamin D
leaves the liver
into the blood stream
to the kidney
STEP #6
The kidney makes the active form of vitamin D
1, 25 dihydroxy vitamin D
(this is the active form of vitamin D that was discovered by Dr. Holick)
STEP #7
This active form of vitamin D (1, 25 dihydroxy vitamin D)
circulates throughout the body
binding to receptors in the nucleus of the cell
influencing gene expression
Dr. Holick discusses the following FACTS pertaining to vitamin D:
1) Humans evolved in a manner as to be dependent upon sunshine for life and health.
2) There has been a 22% reduction of vitamin D levels in the US population in the last 10 years.
3) In the United States vitamin D insufficiency occurs in:
4) The activated form of vitamin D that is found in your blood is produced in the kidneys. However, some other tissues also make the activated form of vitamin D. These include the prostate, breast, lungs, colon and brain. The activated vitamin D formed in these tissues does not enter the blood stream, but remains in those specific tissues.
5) “You could easily consume 5,000 IU of vitamin D a day, probably forever,” without overdosing.
6) The assay for 25-vitamin D is the most ordered assay in the United States. This is the form of vitamin D that exists after the liver but before the kidney.
7) It is more difficult to synthesize the active form of vitamin D as one ages. A 70-year old person is 75% less efficient in synthesizing vitamin D as compared to a 20-year old person.
8) Neither calcium levels nor activated vitamin D levels (1, 25 dihydroxy vitamin D) levels are indicative of one being vitamin D deficient or not. The only acceptable measure for vitamin D deficiency is 25-vitamin D (made in the liver). Dr. Holick states:
“Do not accept any other marker no matter what your doctor tells you.”
Dr. Holick discusses the following MYTHS pertaining to vitamin D:
1) It is a myth that one can wash vitamin D off from the skin shortly after being in the sun. Dr. Holick says this is not true because vitamin D3 is actually produced inside the skin cell itself, and therefore cannot be washed off.
2) Vitamin D2 does not work or is inferior to vitamin D3. Dr. Holick says it is now proven and understood that vitamin D2 works just as well as vitamin D3.
3) One can obtain adequate activated vitamin D from eating a good diet. Dr. Holick disagrees with this. He is adamant that one can only achieve adequate levels of vitamin D by being exposed to sufficient sunshine or by supplementation. He further notes that one cannot obtain optimal levels of vitamin D by consuming vitamin D fortified foods or by taking a multiple vitamin supplement, as the levels of vitamin D are too low.
PAIN
In 2007, Dr. Sota Omoigui states:
“The origin of all pain is inflammation and the inflammatory response.”
“Irrespective of the type of pain, whether it is acute or chronic pain, peripheral or central pain, nociceptive or neuropathic pain, the underlying origin is inflammation and the inflammatory response.”
“Activation of pain receptors, transmission and modulation of pain signals, neuroplasticity and central sensitization are all one continuum of inflammation and the inflammatory response.”
“Irrespective of the characteristic of the pain, whether it is sharp, dull, aching, burning, stabbing, numbing or tingling, all pain arises from inflammation and the inflammatory response.”
Dr. Holick details how vitamin D has substantial anti-inflammatory properties.
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Dr. Holick notes that osteomalacia is a known widespread chronic pain syndrome that is caused by vitamin D deficiency. Dr. Holick states:
“Osteomalacia is characterized by vague but often intense bone and muscle aches and is frequently misdiagnosed as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, or arthritis.”
Dr. Holick estimates that 40 – 60% of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome are actually suffering from osteomalacia subsequent to a massive vitamin D deficiency.
Dr. Holick notes that when a patient has a deficiency of vitamin D, there also exists a deficiency of calcium mineralization in the bones. Poorly mineralized bones consist of a “Jell-O-like” collagen matrix that expands with pressure, abnormally stretching the highly innervated periosteal coverings. The result is a throbbing, aching bone pain. Dr. Holick states:
“When people are sitting with aches in their hips or lying in bed with throbbing aches in their bones, it can be very hard for physicians to immediately think of vitamin D deficiency. But often that’s exactly what’s causing the problem.”
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Dr. Holick notes that 93% of those suffering from nonspecific muscular and skeletal aches and pains are shown to be vitamin D deficient.
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