--
Sudden cardiac death accounts for more than half of all heart disease deaths. And roughly 55% of men and 68% of women who die of sudden cardiac death have never been diagnosed with heart disease.
In animal studies, magnesium keeps heartbeats regular, leading scientists to speculate that it could protect the heart. So researchers tracked roughly 88,000 women for 26 years to see if their magnesium intake was linked to sudden death. It was.
Those who reported consuming the most magnesium ( more than 345 mg a day) had a 34% lower risk of sudden cardiac death than those who consumed the least (260 mg or less a day).( The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 320 mg a day for women and420 mg a day for men). And women with highest concentrations of magnesium in their blood had a 77% lower risk than those with the lowest concentrations.
What to do: This study doesn't prove magnesium can prevent sudden cardiac death. But it can't hurt to eat more leafy greens, beans, whole grains, nuts, and other magnesium-rich foods.
Am. j. Clin. Nutr. doi:10.3945/ajcn.110.002253

Signs of magnesium deficiency

• Constipation
• Hypertension or high blood pressure
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Insomnia
• Fatigue
• And restless leg syndrome
  

 If you start taking extra magnesium your vitamin D level will go and you need to take another vitamin D test in three months. Aim for 70 to 100 ng/ml for maximum protection and pain relief.

(To you out there reading this a point or two. You can do just about anything to your body when you are young and get away with it, unless you are very very unlucky. But when you get a little older, 40's 50's etc., you had better think about doing it right. Vitamin D, magnesium is a big part of that regime.
We are exposed to plenty of Calcium in our diet in most cases, we just don't absorb it well. Vitamin D and magnesium make that possible. Now for the report you are looking for below from the vitamin D council. bbb)

Vitamin D Toxicity Can too much vitamin D be harmful? Yes, it certainly can - though anything can be toxic in excess, even water. As one of the safest substances known to man, vitamin D toxicity is very rare. In fact, people are at far greater risk of vitamin D deficiency than they are of vitamin D toxicity.

What is vitamin D toxicity? Vitamin D toxicity is a condition where blood serum concentrations of vitamin D’s storage form, 25(OH)D or calcidiol, become too high, causing adverse systemic effects.

How it happens There is no risk of vitamin D toxicity due to sun exposure. Because the body has a built in mechanism for preventing toxicity with vitamin D produced in the skin, there is no risk of vitamin D toxicity due to ultraviolet-B (UVB) exposure - whether from the Sun or a tanning bed.

Supplemental vitamin D bypasses this built-in protection and, if excessive amounts are consumed over a period of time, 25(OH)D blood levels can reach a point where toxicity is possible.

Toxic doses What exactly constitutes a toxic dose of vitamin D has yet to be determined, though it is possible this amount may vary with the individual.

Published cases of toxicity, for which serum levels and dose are known, all involve intake of > or = 40000 IU (1000 mcg) per day. 1 Two different cases involved intake of over 2,000,000 IU per day - both men survived. 2 3

Serum levels: upper limit and toxicity threshold Upper limit for a substance is the amount up to which is considered safe and without risk of adverse effects in the majority of the population.

Toxicity threshold for a substance is the amount beyond which over-saturation occurs and symptoms of toxicity manifest.

These values for 25(OH)D are as follows:

• Toxicity threshold level - 200-250 ng/mL (500-750 nmol/L) 4 5 6 7 8
• Upper limit - 100 ng/mL (250 nmol/L)

The large range between 25(OH)D’s upper limit and its threshold value implies a degree of safety at serum levels up to 100 ng/mL (250 nmol/L), since concentrations twice this amount have yet to ever be associated with toxicity. 4

In animal models, serum concentrations have reached as high as 400-700 ng/mL (1,000-1750 nmol/L) before toxic effects (severe hypercalcemia) were observed. 8 9

Symptoms: toxicity and overdose Signs of vitamin D toxicity are high urine and blood calcium. The first sign of vitamin D toxicity is hypercalcuria (excess calcium in the urine) followed by hypercalcemia (high blood calcium). The following symptoms may present:

• nausea
• vomiting
• poor appetite
• constipation (possibly alternating with diarrhea)
• weakness
• weight loss
• tingling sensations in the mouth
• confusion
• heart rhythm abnormalities

The immediate symptoms of vitamin D overdose are:

• abdominal cramps
• nausea
• vomiting

What to do if you think you are vitamin D toxic Vitamin D is not toxic when used in the amounts Nature intended. It is fairly difficult to become toxic using vitamin D3. If you think you may be toxic because you are having an adverse reaction to vitamin D but you have not been using excessive amounts like those described above, your symptoms could be due to reasons other than toxicity.

Test serum levels First thing is to stop supplementation, then have your physician help you determine if you are toxic by testing your 25(OH)D levels. This is the same test used to determine vitamin D deficiency.

Rule out other possibilities If results indicate levels lower than 200-250 ng/mL (500-750 nmol/L), you are most likely not toxic. In this case, the reaction you experienced may be a result of:

1. An underlying magnesium deficiency. This is the most common reason for symptoms brought on by using vitamin D.
2. Vitamin D hypersensitivity due to pre-existing high blood calcium (hypercalcemia). Often mistaken for vitamin D toxicity, hypercalcemia is a rare condition usually caused by one of the following:
   • primary hyperparathyroidism (most common cause)
   • sarcoidosis
   • granulomatous TB
   • some cancers

If toxic, reduce serum levels If the results show a serum 25(OH)D level of 200-250 ng/mL (500-750 nmol/L) or more, you could be toxic. The following measures should be taken until vitamin D levels return to normal:

1. avoidance of direct sunlight exposure
2. avoidance of foods and supplements containing vitamin D
3. restriction of calcium intake
   
4. drinking 8 glasses of water daily

Once 25(OH)D levels have normalized, sunlight exposure and/or vitamin D supplementation can be resumed, taking care not to overdo it.

In most cases, vitamin D toxicity can be corrected without lasting problems, provided the body has not remained in a hypercalcemic state for too long. Hypercalcemia has the potential to cause soft tissue calcification, resulting in deposits of calcium crystals in the heart, lungs, and/or kidneys. With prolonged hypercalcemia, permanent damage is possible if calcification is severe enough.

Page last edited: 11 June 2011

All this from the vitamin D council @ http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/what-is-vitamin-d/vitamin-d-toxicity/

Vitamin D news Magnesium Deficiency Reduces Effectiveness of Vitamin D in the Prevention of Disease, According to Magnesium Expert Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND 15 June 2011

Press Release from the Nutritional Magnesium Association as published by Reuters


ORANGE, Calif., June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Magnesium deficiency is an important factor in the results obtained from vitamin D. According to Dr. Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, magnesium expert and Medical Director of the nonprofit Nutritional Magnesium Association (http://www.nutritionalmagnesium.org), the effectiveness and benefits of vitamin D are greatly undermined in the absence of adequate levels of magnesium in the body. Magnesium acts with and is essential to the activity of vitamin D, and yet most Americans do not get their recommended daily allowance (RDA) of this important mineral.

Extensive research has shown that vitamin D deficiencies play a major role in the development of dozens of diseases, including a variety of cancers, such as breast cancer,  prostate cancer and colon cancer, as well as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, psoriasis and mental illness.

"While many people are beginning to realize the amazing health benefits that vitamin D has to offer in the prevention of disease, they may not be getting the full benefits from vitamin D without also supplementing their diets with magnesium, which is a vital nutrient that works synergistically with vitamin D," says Dr. Dean...

Read rest of press release at reuters.com.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/news/vitamin-d-news/


Page last edited: 15 June 2011

In the last few days I have seen statements by various groups suggesting lathering up a newborn with sunscreen  to "protect" them from the sun. Has anybody over there at American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) read what is on a bottle of sunscreen? If they have do they really want that stuff in a baby's blood stream. Look it up your self. Google the contents on the bottle.
Are they ( AAP) aware of what happens to a baby with extremely low vitamin D levels? Namely cardiomyopathies (enlarged heart), rickets, easily broken bones that look like child abuse and a lot more subtle things like increase infections and  a weekend immune system! All these can be minimized or prevented by vitamin D. Of course I must say again vitamin D is NOT vitamin but a pro hormone and is a substance that travels to 2000 genes in the body. In other words every major and minor system the body has.
Just a little common sense here folks. Cover the baby up with clothes if he or she is going to be in the sun for over ten minutes. Create shade. Don't take chances. I nor you want a child with a sunburn, especially at this early age. Adult parents have to act responsibly with children. Something I worry about in the younger adults in this society.
Use vitamin D supplements every day and get your child tested by a pediatrician at age three months and dose accordingly. The formula for dosing is 1,000 iu per 25 lbs or 40 iu per lb. So a ten pound child would get 400 iu, a 15 lb child 600 iu and etc. Find a Doctor that reads because a lot of them do not stay current. There are vitamin D drops available so that might make finding the proper dose a little easier.

Vitamin D news Yes! A dose of sun CAN protect you against skin cancer 24 May 2011

By Professor Angus Dalgleish
Writing for the Daily Mail - United Kingdom


As a fair-haired Scot with freckles and pale skin I’m a classic case to be more at risk from melanoma. Getting quite badly sunburned on my nose years ago in Spain has pushed my risk up further.


To say I’ve been wary about the sun is an understatement - I specialise in treating patients with advanced melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer.


I was also in Australia 30 years ago at the start of the Slip-Slop-Slap campaign to warn people to keep out of the sun, and for seven years I never went swimming without being covered in sun lotion and wearing a T-shirt.

But now I believe that rather than reducing the risk of skin cancer, following these sun-avoidance guidelines could actually raise it. That’s because we need sun on our skin to make vitamin D - ironically these campaigns may have made millions chronically short of it and put them at risk...

Read rest of article at dailymail.co.uk.


Page last edited: 08 June 2011

After reading a little this morning about the treatment of renal disease and dialysis, I recalled a little tidbit that I have been making use of for years. Cinnamon reduces LDL by about 20%. Start today and your LDL cholesterol will be 20% lower in six weeks. My LDL is 104. Your mileage may vary. Two caps only as more does not help.
Will it substitute completely for statins. Don't know. Is it safer. Yes, no side effects at all and if you want you can pour the capsules on your cereal in the am. As long as it is half a teaspoon a day you are all set. You will save a bunch of money too and your drug company will NOT recommend it.

Vitamin d over the counter is not regulated by the FDA. Please consider sticking with a brand that works for you. Switching brands may mean a different dose, because of lack of regulation, and I strongly recommend retesting in three months to see where you are with the 25(oh)D test. A study last year showed that of ten different brands one had only a third the amount stated on the label. This article is a example of the another extreme and my readings state 40,000 iu a day WILL put you on the road to vitamin D toxicity!
BB


BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. — Now Foods is recalling its Calcium & Magnesium Softgels supplements due to excessive amounts of vitamin D3 and is asking customers to immediately stop using the product.

The company said on its website that the supplement contains 30-40,000 international units per serving versus the 600 IU indicated on its label. Now Foods said it has received reports of nausea and elevated blood vitamin D levels tied to use of the product. Symptoms of high vitamin D dietary intake also can include fatigue, headaches and loss of appetite, among other side effects.

Now Foods said customers can return the product to the store where they purchased it for a full refund or replacement, and no receipt will be required. The product was sold throughout the United States and in other countries. The affected U.S. product codes are 1251, 1252.

No other Now Foods products are involved or affected by the recall.

They are assuming a much lower value for adequate vitamin d sufficiency. I believe we should mimic what our ancestors received for a vitamin D dose, in the sun, without clothes.
Copy and paste below

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13628402