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Migraines May Be Linked To Vitamin Deficiencies

June 12, 2016 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

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A medicine bottle of miracle cure against migraines doesn't exist. There are a few against vitamin deficiencies though.

Migraines aren’t going anywhere yet, but vitamin deficiencies could be the cause for some.

STATES CHRONICLE – Although extensive efforts were performed in order to attempt to root out the source of migraines, advancements in combatting the nasty affliction have been minimal. The type of the migraine, the intensity, and the origin seem to differ greatly from person to person.

Medics cannot currently do anything to change this. There is no common natural element to find, and so doctors are left with treating conditions that usually cause migraines such as sleep problems, or food intolerances.

The medical world has been going back and forth on the idea that vitamin deficiencies could be one of the more common sources of migraines. Currently, most physicians do not check the patient’s vitamin deficiencies. Recent studies could change this, however,

Newly presented research shows that several vitamin supplements could help a majority of migraine sufferers.

The recent research was a study performed on young adults, on teens, and on children. The migraineurs were found, in an above average number, to have a number of lower vitamin levels – coenzyme Q10, riboflavin (B-2), and vitamin D.

One of the common grounds for all of these vitamins is that they are all needed for the mitochondria to function properly. The mitochondria handles how much energy is produced in our body’s cells. This means that one possible majority common cause for migraines is strongly related to the amount of energy our cells produce.

Either producing too little energy produced (and having a vitamin deficiency) or too much energy produced (taking too many supplements and vitamins) could ultimately be the source of a migraine.

The research did not give conclusive definite results. It just revealed that out of all the studied migraineurs, more than half (summed up) were missing one or more of the formerly mentioned vitamins. The researchers did state that the numbers were still too small to yield conclusive or definite results.

An older, similar study in regards to vitamin deficiencies had also linked the lack of Magnesium to migraines. The biochemical process through which our bodies absorb magnesium, however, is quite slow and also done at a minuscule scale. While Magnesium supplements could help migraineurs, the overall number of them would be too small.

If there is a conclusion to be drawn, it is that most migraines may be caused by any form of imbalance in our bodies, including vitamin deficiencies. Until medicine finds a definite cure-all cause and makes an answer for it, one of the best ways of attempting to prevent migraines is to try and live a balanced and healthy life.

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Osteoarthritis Not Cured with Fish Oil

March 10, 2016 By James Faulkner Leave a Comment

Fish oil and vitamin D are not helping treat osteoarthritis

STATES CHRONICLE – The positive effects fish oil and vitamin D can have on our health have been widely discussed, and it was believed that they can slow knee cartilage loss, reduce inflammation and have a generally positive effect on our bone structure.

However, a new study conducted by a team of Australian researchers suggests that vitamin D and fish oil have actually no impact on osteoarthritis. The problem is that this condition affects a lot of people, about 13 percent of women and 10 percent of men over 60 years old.

This is a chronic disease which cannot be simply cured. People need to have joint-replacement surgeries and take pain killers, but otherwise, there is nothing that can actually cure them. So far, it was believed that fish oil and vitamin D could help, but it turns out we were wrong.

In order to see whether or not vitamin D has any effect on the disease, the researcher split in half a group of 413 subjects and gave on group vitamin D and the other a placebo. The subjects took the treatment for two years. After that, researchers re-examined them, but found no difference between the two groups regarding knee degeneration.

This means that the vitamin has no kind of influence in treating osteoarthritis, and while it might be good for other things, it does not improve knee conditions in any way.

Another substance that we thought might work is fish oil. However, the same team of researchers conducted a previous study to discover if fish oil could be an effective treatment. It turned out that the people who had a low dose of fish oil showed some improvements compared to the ones who took higher doses of fish oil.

Now, despite vitamin D and fish oil do not work in treating knee osteoarthritis, making no difference in pain or knee function, they do however work on improving general bone health. This means that consumption of fish oil and vitamin D is recommended for people who don’t have yet any bone problems, so they can decrease their risk of developing any conditions.

Image source: www.bing.com

Vitamin D Screenings Probably Irrelevant for Most People

November 25, 2014 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

There is no clear evidence whether vitamin D screenings are beneficial or useless for healthy adults, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that you can get from food (fatty fish, egg yolks, cheese) or from exposure to UV light. It regulates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus and has an important role in maintaining the health of the bones. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with a wide range of illnesses, such as bones fractures, falls, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, depression moods and many more.

The problem is that a vitamin D deficiency is not clearly defined. The minimum levels should range between 20 and 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood, but it is difficult toproperly determine vitamin D insufficiency because of the different testing methods among labs. What is more, there are key populations, such as African-Americans, who normally have lower levels, but it is not known whether this is a sign of deficiency or not.

“Further research is needed to determine the cutpoint that defines vitamin D deficiency, the sensitivity and specificity of various assays using an internationally accepted reference standard, and whether total serum 25(OH)D is the best measure of vitamin D deficiency in all populations,”USPSTF wrote.

It is important to mention that the Task Force hasn’t yet determined whether the screening of asymptomatic people has a real merit. According to Task Force experts, there is still a lack of evidence that measuring vitamin D levels and then administering treatment will really help as long as there is not clear evidence of a disease caused by the deficiency.

Moreover, specialists are also worried about the potential harms the excess of vitamin D can do: kidney stones and toxicity, which may lead to hypercalcemia and suppressed parathyroid hormone.

On the other hand, the USPSTF recommends vitamin D supplementation for the elderly that are at a risk of falling and for those who present real signs of deficiency, such as broken bones, liver disease or multiple sclerosis.

“Unless you really are truly symptomatic, it might not be worthwhile to measure vitamin D, and tag you with the diagnosis of deficiency, when it’s not clear those levels make you deficient and you’re not at risk for disease.”

Dr. Clifford Rosen, one of the country’s foreman experts on the impact of vitamin D screening, concluded.

High Vitamin D Levels Could Increase Breast Cancer Survival

March 10, 2014 By Jack M. Robinson Leave a Comment

Recent studies have shown a strong link between animal protein and cancer, reinforcing the idea that protein that comes from animals is harmful to the human body, but a new study reveals something that will completely change the way we treat breast cancer – it appears that high level of vitamin D increase breast cancer survival.

Vitamin D reduces the occurrence of bone fractures, depression and heart disease and a new study performed by the scientists at the University of California and the San Diego School of Medicine reveals that patients with increased levels of vitamin D in their systems are twice more likely to survive breast cancer than patients with low levels of vitamin D.

This new find, published in the Anticancer Research Journal, is absolutely amazing and if further studies reinforce it, it will give the world new hope. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and it helps with the absorption of calcium and phosphorus. The main source of vitamin D is the sun but it is also available in small amounts in certain foods, such as fish, eggs and fortified margarine and butter. The best way to get your vitamin D is to lather on some sunscreen (not SPF 50 because you won’t absorb it at all) and sit in the sun. Or if you prefer, you can boost your vitamin D levels through supplements.

Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Survival

Past studies have shown an association between low vitamin D levels and occurrence of premenopausal breast cancer, which lead the team of scientist to research the matter further. The study included almost 4,500 patients with breast cancer and it was performed from 1966 until 2010 and all the patients were followed for about 9 years, each.

It appears that the breast cancer survival rate is 50% higher in patients with high vitamin D in their blood. Apparently the vitamin D increases communication between cells by stimulating the production of a protein that stops aggressive cell multiplication.

Further studies need to be performed before vitamin D is given as an adjuvant in breast cancer. What are your thoughts on this?

Lacking Vitamin D? Eat Button mushrooms

September 4, 2013 By Janet Vasquez Leave a Comment

We often end up taking insufficient Vitamin D in our daily diet. According to the scientists of Australia, three or four button mushrooms are able to make enough vitamin D for the average person’s estimated daily needs.

“Three or four button mushrooms provide about 10 micrograms of vitamin D – the estimated daily need for the average adult”, scientists said.

Button Mushrooms are good source of Vitamin D, claims scientist. But like humans, button mushrooms need exposure to sun to get the vitamin D boost, said Rebecca Mason, head of physiology at Sydney Medical School.

Vitamin D plays an essential role in bone health, but many people have vitamin D deficiencies, especially during winter.

The study found that placing the mushrooms a couple of extra hours in the shade will allow time for the full chemical reaction, Mason was quoted as saying by a news agency. This step doesn’t affect the mushroom or the taste either, she said.

It is noteworthy, the scientists have still not found that why mushrooms can manufacture so much vitamin D, but the idea is backed by good evidence, said Mason.

Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Survival

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