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Multiple Myeloma- Vitamin D3

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“Vitamin D deficiency is associated with reduced overall survival for patients with multiple myeloma (MM)…Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognized in association with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases…

A deficiency vitamin D3 in your blood stream can indicate possible health challenges.

You or a loved on has been diagnosed with an incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. Not only have you never heard of this (rare) cancer but you know nothing about basic therapies for managing it.  You may be feeling multiple myeloma symptoms such as fatigue or bone pain but you could not know that the multiple myeloma side effects that you will develop from the standard MM therapies may actually make your symptoms worse.

That’s correct. Your chemotherapy will probably make you feel even more tired. Your dexamethasone (the D in RVD) may weaken your bones.

The most common multiple myeloma symptoms are also the most common multiple myeloma side effects which are also the most common MM causes of death.

I don’t believe that all that commonality between MM symptoms, MM side effects and MM COD is a coincidence. I think conventional oncology has MM treatment backwards. 

Vitamin D3 is an excellent example of an evidence-based therapy that is easy to administer, has few if any side effects and is downright cheap.

According to the research linked and excerpted below:

  • Low blood levels of vitamin D3 increases your risk of a MM diagnosis-
  • Low blood levels of vitamin D3 reduce a MM patient’s overall survival, on average-
  • Low blood levels of vitamin D3 are associated with ASCT complications-
  • Low blood levels of vitamin D3 are associated with kidney disease-
  • Low blood levels of vitamin D3 can weaken your bones-
  • Low blood levels of vitamin D3 can lead to heart failure-
  • Low blood levels of vitamin D3 increased your risk of infection-

I talk about blood levels because we need to have a blood test in order to determine our blood levels of vitamin D3. You may get plenty of sunshine which means your body may already be making enough vitamin D3.

When I say that conventional oncology has MM therapy backwards, I’m saying that your oncologist will push chemotherapy before he/she knows your blood levels of vitamin D3. I think it would be quick, easy and cheap for your oncologist to test your blood and prescribe a vitamin D3 supplement if needed.

But oncology doesn’t do this. That’s backwards treatment in my opinion.

I supplement with Life Extension Vitamin D3– 1000 iu x 2 daily. I have my vitamin D3 blood levels checked through LabCorp.

To Learn More About Kidney Failure in Multiple Myeloma click now

Click now to Learn More About those key supplements for the Multiple Myeloma Survivor

Have you been diagnosed with multiple myeloma? What symptoms are you experiencing? What stage were you at diagnosis? To learn more about evidence-based, non-toxic, non-conventional MM therapies scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.

Thank you,

David Emerson

  • MM Survivor
  • MM Cancer Coach
  • Director Galen Foundation

Multiple Myeloma Symptom, Side Effect, Cause of Death- Renal Insufficiency 


Recommended Reading:


Low Vitamin D May Reduce Survival for Some With Multiple Myeloma

“Vitamin D deficiency is associated with reduced overall survival for patients with multiple myeloma (MM)…

The researchers found that 46.3 and 23.6% of African-American and white patients, respectively, had vitamin D deficiency. Patients with vitamin D deficiency had significantly worse overall survival compared with those with normal levels (median, 3.10 vs 3.91 years)…”

Vitamin D: Is It Important in Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation? A Review

” Increasing evidence supports an immunomodulatory effect including inhibition of the pro-inflammatory lymphocyte subsets while enhancing their anti-inflammatory counterpart…

Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognized in association with autoimmune and inflammatory diseases...

In the HSCT setting, vitamin D deficiency has been variably associated with increased complications, including graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), with a potential impact on survival outcomes.

In this review we provide an overview and critical appraisal of the current literature of the role of vitamin D (and its deficiency) in relation to immunity in both allogeneic and autologous HSCT settings.

Vitamin D and Chronic Kidney Disease

“Emerging evidence suggests that the progression of CKD and many of the cardiovascular complications may be linked to hypovitaminosis D. Patients with CKD have an exceptionally high rate of severe vitamin D deficiency that is further exacerbated by the reduced ability to convert 25-(OH)vitamin D into the active form, 1,25 dihydroxy-vitamin D.

As new evidence has improved our understanding of classical, as well as the non-classical, functions for vitamin D, it has become apparent that the autocrine role of vitamin D is an important modulator of several systems including the immune, renal and cardiovascular systems…”

Vitamin D and Bone Health

” Once formed, vitamin D3 is metabolized sequentially in the liver and kidney to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. The major biological function of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D is to keep the serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations within the normal range to maintain essential cellular functions and to promote mineralization of the skeleton…

Aging, sunscreen use and the change in the zenith angle of the sun can dramatically affect the cutaneous production of vitamin D3. Vitamin D insufficiency and vitamin D deficiency is now being recognized as a major cause of metabolic bone disease in the elderly. Vitamin D deficiency not only causes osteomalacia but can exacerbate osteoporosis…”

Vitamin D and Heart Failure

“Vitamin D is principally known for its role in calcium homeostasis, but preclinical studies implicate multiple pathways through which vitamin D may affect cardiovascular function and influence risk for heart failure.

Many adults with cardiovascular disease have low vitamin D status, making it a potential therapeutic target. We review the rationale and potential role of vitamin D supplementation in the prevention and treatment of chronic heart failure…”

The relationship between vitamin D status and idiopathic lower-extremity deep vein thrombosis

“Vitamin D has been shown to have an anticoagulant effect. A decrease in 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration has also been associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism…

Conclusion- Low levels of 25(OH)D are associated with idiopathic lower-extremity DVT.”

Vitamin D and the Immune System

“It is now clear that vitamin D has important roles in addition to its classic effects on calcium and bone homeostasis. As the vitamin D receptor is expressed on immune cells (B cells, T cells and antigen presenting cells) and these immunologic cells are all are capable of synthesizing the active vitamin D metabolite, vitamin D has the capability of acting in an autocrine manner in a local immunologic milieu.

Vitamin D can modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses. Deficiency in vitamin D is associated with increased autoimmunity as well as an increased susceptibility to infection.

As immune cells in autoimmune diseases are responsive to the ameliorative effects of vitamin D, the beneficial effects of supplementing vitamin D deficient individuals with autoimmune disease may extend beyond the effects on bone and calcium homeostasis…”

 

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