Vitamin D: The Sunshine Vitamin [Paperback]

At under 100 pages, this is a very short book. It also contains only basic practical information for those wanting to supplement vitamin D, although the information given is well referenced. Most of the book is taken up with sections on different conditions and how vitamin D can be useful in treating them.

I don't think I'd have been totally convinced about the importance of vitamin D testing and supplementation if this had been the first book I read on the topic. It was just too brief for me... but then that may be just the kind of book some people want; brief and to the point. So each to their own I guess! I preferred the much more detailed 'The Vitamin D Cure.'

I read lots of books and websites on vitamin D some months ago, in order to write a paper about vitamin D and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis patients. This book to ages to arrive from the library I ordered it in from, so mostly I was just looking at what Rona had to say that was different to what other experts had said, and what his stance was on the basic issues such as the optimum levels of vitamin D on testing etc. These are my notes:

- Always test ionised calcium levels when vitamin D is taken

- Vitamin D supplementation helps pain form ALL causes

- Statin drugs can lower vitamin D levels significantly, and so testing is recommended for these patients

- Low vitamin D levels can cause insomnia

- Vitamin D supplementation will usually show positive effects in 3 - 4 months, but sometimes effects are seen much earlier or much later

- Most sunscreens contain carcinogenic chemicals and should be avoided

- 10 - 20 minutes of sun a day is adequate, never allow yourself to burn

- 10 000 IU of vitamin D daily through supplementation is recommended for everyone so long as they have 3 monthly calcium and vitamin D tests. Rona comments that none of his patients have had problems with this protocol for the 30 years he has been prescribing it.

- Rona recommends 4000 IU of vitamin D daily as the bare minimum dose.

- Rona talks about Shealy and his recommendation of doses of 50 000 IU of vitamin D for diseases such as cancer, MS, autoimmune conditions and allergies etc.), and claims that this dosage can control cancer, cure MS and improve allergies in some patients etc. It is noted that patients must weigh at least 140 pounds to follow this protocol, and take NO calcium supplements whatsoever.

- Rona does not recommend the flu shot and explains why it is only 20% effective (and that it contains ingredients which are carcinogenic), and why vitamin D is a far better option.

According to Rona, vitamin D from supplements is just as effective and as safe as vitamin D from the sun, and vitamin D2 is just as safe and effective as taking vitamin D3. This is different to what most experts say on these issues.

Rona's opinion on optimal vitamin D levels on testing is fairly standard. He recommends levels of 40 - 100 ng/ml.

Like almost every book on nutritional medicine, of course the author claims that his protocol can cure 'CFS' - yawn! Never mind that 'CFS' is a wastebasket diagnosis and those with the diagnosis do not have any one distinct disease, but instead any one of hundreds of different diseases - some of which may respond in some way to vitamin D treatment and some which will not. False hope and misinformation of this kind is NOT helpful!

The best part of this book, for me, was his two page section talking about the unscientific nature of the 'Marshall Protocol.' (This dangerous protocol is sometimes tried by desperate patients given a diagnosis...or rather MISdiagnosis... of 'CFS' - unfortunately.) Zoltan Rona M.D. writes, 'I have witnessed a lot of crazy treatments over the past 30 years, but none are as abusive as the Marshall Protocol. This protocol is not only illogical but also downright dangerous. At best, it can be labelled as a pretence of scientific thought.' Rona goes on to talk about the fact that 'Dr' Marshall is in fact NOT a medical doctor, but is an electrical engineer! He explains that the protocol, which promotes attaining very, very low vitamin D levels and taking antibiotic drugs long-term, is 'damaging to one's health and can lead to death.' He advises anyone that is currently following this dangerous and illogical protocol to 'get off it immediately.'

I was very happy to read this section on the Marshall Protocol scam. It has given so many very ill patients false hope and left them even sicker than when they began it, and also risked their lives. So three cheers to Rona for including some serious warnings about it in his book. I hope so much they will be heeded by those following the protocol and those aggressively promoting it to others. This scam has claimed ENOUGH innocent victims!

In short, this is a good first/brief book on vitamin D, and I recommend that patient's check to see if they can order it through their library. Vitamin D testing and making sure your levels are optimal is absolutely ESSENTIAL if you have M.E. (or any other serious disease).

(Patients with M.E. might like to read the HFME paper 'Vitamin D and M.E.' for more information.)

Jodi Bassett, The Hummingbirds' Foundation for M.E.

[2012 WARNING: None of the books on the benefits of Vitamin D3 warned about the need to also take vitamin K2! I have to wonder how all these self-claimed vitamin D3 experts, who also claimed so many successes, were ignorant that vitamin A (it seems most of us are deficient in this vitamin too), vitamin D3 and vitamin K (in the form of K2) must come together in balanced proportions. If you take calcium and vitamin D but are deficient in vitamin K, you may be increasing the risk of a heart attack.

Vitamin K is essential not only for preventing potentially deadly blood clots but also for bone building (including delaying tooth decay) and maintenance. Perhaps most important - K has powerful anti-cancer effects. It is known to be helpful for cardiovascular disease, varicose veins, brain health problems, including dementia and even prevents infectious diseases such as pneumonia. Some claim that most people need daily vitamin D3 of at least 2000 IU with 3000 IU of vitamin A and 100mcg of vitamin K2. The synergy between them is vital as there is evidence that the safety of vitamin D is dependent on vitamin K, and that vitamin D toxicity (although very rare with the D3 form) is actually caused by vitamin K2 deficiency.]

This book is slim but effectively covers a wide-range of problems that can be helped by vitamin D. Rona, a Canadian doctor specializing in complementary and alternative medicine, has found the vast majority of his patients low on vitamin D, even in the summer, and says 70% of adults and children in the US need supplementation. (The proportion must be higher in Canada, as it's further north.) Vitamin D is converted into a steroid hormone in the body and its importance for health can't be stressed enough: it can apparently cure cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, bone density issues, acne, asthma, autism, arthritis, muscle pain, chronic pain, fatigue, depression and various autoimmune disorders.

Like all the other books on vitamin D, this one confirms that the benefits of ultraviolet light have been underestimated while the dangers have been grossly exaggerated. It's worth noting that, over a decade ago, several books were already lauding the much-overlooked benefits of sunshine, the best way to get vitamin D, although the further away from the equator, the less effective. (Those who react badly to Vitamin D and/or sunshine may have a rare disease called sarcoidosis.) Rona comes straight out and explains that few sunscreens actually have any protection while most have cancer-causing ingredients and also that most skin cancers are not dangerous although sunburn (not suntanning) is harmful. Washing within 48 hours (but not rinsing) can remove sun benefits.

Rona explains the current controversy about Vitamin D2 (from plants) and says either D2 or D3 (from animals) is effective. All the more recent books cover high-dose vitamin D therapy but the most they recommend is about 50,000iu per week or 10,000iu per day. This book is the only one that refers to even higher doses, commenting that John Cannell, physician and head of the Vitamin D Council, recommends doses as high as 50,000iu daily for quickly getting rid of a cold or flu (but not otherwise) but that Norm Shealy, another physician and author, has been taking 50,000iu per day for 18 months although he does quarterly blood tests. (Immediately after reading this, I was delighted to find that 50,000iu DAILY of vitamin D3 for several days was quickly very helpful indeed for a highly inflamed, swollen and painful foot that a relative had been suffering with for over a week.) Rona points out that fear of vitamin D toxicity is unwarranted and such unwarranted fear, bordering on hysteria, is rampant in the medical profession.

Of the 8 books I've now read on this subject (and I'm wondering why there are so many!), "Power of Vitamin D" by Zaidi (2010) is, like this one, brief but good but "The Vitamin D Solution" (also 2010) by Michael Holick, who has researched vitamin D for over 30 years, is now my favorite pick. It's practical and at 300 pages I found it thorough. I also liked that it straightforwardly explained that sunshine, when it shines strongly enough, is always better than supplementing with Vitamin D.

"The Vitamin D Revolution" by Soram Khalsa is another one I like: easy to understand and eager to be helpful while "Vitamin D Prescription" by Eric Madrid is also good. "The Vitamin D Cure" by James Dowd is not basic, comprehensive or practical. Then there is "Vitamin D" by Michael Merrill which was too brief and simply inadequate. At the other extreme is the comprehensive but somewhat technical "Sunshine and Vitamin D" by Frank Murray - mainly brief compilations of hundreds of studies but no practical guidelines, so not really suitable for the layman who wants to experiment with high-dose vitamin D.

Only the Holick book told you that the elderly and those with poor health simply cannot produce enough activated vitamin D in their bodies even when taking high-doses of vitamin D. Based on my personal experience of taking 10,000iu daily of vitamin D3 for 6 months, I'm not convinced that vitamin D supplementation of the non-prescription kind is a panacea, as so many of the books are claiming - and I am not convinced that all these authors got the unanimously fantastic results they allege. White I believe that vitamin D supplementation at 5,000 ius daily is beneficial, too many single-strategy books have a way of sounding a little overzealous, attributing every malady to whatever deficiency they're tackling and proposing it as the magic solution across the board.

[Later notes: I feel it's important to mention the new mental/emotional healing process explained in "The Healing Code" by Loyd/Johnson/Eble - an amazing process for emotional healing. There are hundreds of personal successes, including physical healings, listed in the reviews here.

For those looking for general health improvements, I also suggest:
- "Outsmart Your Cancer" by Tanya Harter Pierce is a considered and thoughtful review of successful alternative remedies - and, anything that can HEAL cancer is also a general healer and should be able to help much else in the body;
- "Never Fear Cancer Again" by Raymond Francis, a brilliant distillation of what is truly needed for health;
- "Trick and Treat", which turns upside down everything governments have told us to eat for health;
- "Transdermal Magnesium Therapy" by Sircus on the amazing benefits of magnesium - a fundamental supplement for a healthy body - particularly magnesium chloride flakes (transdermally), available comparatively cheaply; and
- "The XXL Syndrome", basically a booklet, about the essential part potassium plays in health (food grade potassium bicarbonate powder is also available cheaply.]

Here is a book that explains all the uses for Vitamin D, how to test and how to treat the epidemic insufficiency that exists in North America. Written by my long-term friend, Dr.Zoltan Rona has provided plenty of references for everything he writes about. The most amazing part of the book for me was the exhaustive, long list of diseases that have research backing the impact of Vitamin D treatment,each referenced to the medical literature. I learned many more uses for Vitamin D for my office practice as a result. I highly recommend this book to you.

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