Don't let guard down about H1N1. As toll mounts more is known about H1N1 death spiral.

[snagglepuss]

Below is a very informative article from the Globe and Mail and a must read.

Several things I found particularly interesting have to do with the time line of complications. People who die within hours or days of contracting H1N1 die from a cytokine storm. Doctors describe the lungs of these victims as looking like livers because they are so dense. This change in the lung tissue makes it impossible for oxygen to enter, even ventilators are not able to force oxygen into the tissue. If a cytokine storm hits, its going to hit within the first 4 days. If that doesn't occur there is still the possibility of pneumonia which seems to kick in around day 4.


No fever in up to 30% of cases


However a critical piece of information that isn't mentioned in this Globe and Mail article is that up to 30% of H1N1 cases don't present with fever so I am including a transcript from an eye-opening Minnesota Public Radio interview which deals solely with the absence of fever. This is serious because 15% of cases that develop complications and end up in ICU never had a fever.


Vitamin D essential to lung health


The 3rd link is about the absolutely vital role Vitamin D in fighting bacterial and viral lung infection. Recent research reveals that Vitamin D is so important to lung health that the lungs actually manufacture their own supply of activated Vitamin D which stays in the lungs and does not circulate in the bloodstream.

It is essential to insure your Vitamin D levels are up because Vitamin D is also a critical component in modulating the immune system. People are focused on Vitamin D this flu season because of its role in limiting cytokine storms. People with dark skin and the elderly are particularly at risk of flu complications since their Vitamin D levels are consistently shown to be inadequate.




Globe and Mail article
As Toll Mounts, Researchers Peer into the H1N1 Death Spiral -
roughly one-third had no underlying health conditions

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/h1n1-swine-flu/as-toll-mounts-researchers-peer-into-the-h1n1-death-spiral/article1381119/




MPR transcript
Lack of fever in some H1N1 cases complicates prevention effort

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/27/h1n1-fever




Vitamin D research
Lung airway cells activate vitamin D and increase immune response

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-11/uoi-lac110308.php

[KT2000]

1. Canadian media has

provided better information that in the US. The US government and media keep the info so vague (probably trying to control panic) that the info is just about useless.
I have found the most detailed info in Canadian publications.

[snagglepuss]

6. I agree and the Globe has been particularly good at providing detail not found

elsewhere. What I don't understand is why they don't mention the immune modulating role of Vitamin D. Its puzzling because they have run alot of articles about D and because Health Canada is actually testing Vitamin D in all confirmed H1N1 cases as part of a study.

I am still getting over what was most likely H1N1 (I had all the symptoms but without the fever)and I credit Vitamin D with the fact that I didn't have complications. Ever since I heard in the Spring that a vaccine wouldn't be available till well after the start of flu season, I've been worried about H1N1 because for most of my adult life prior to my getting flu shots I have had complications with the flu, either bronchitis or pneumonia. Its this concern that got me reading about Vitamin D, getting tested and increasing my my D intake since my level was insufficient.

Even though I am up to 50 ng/l, I took 10,000 IUs of D daily as soon as I developed an innocuous cough last weekend. I'm glad I did because within hours my lungs became congested and I was hit with unbelievable fatigue, for the last week I've slept between 18 to 20 hours a day. Good news is that the flu seems to have passed without complications. I don't know whether I am completely out of the woods yet because I still have a productive cough.

This is simply anecdotal however I think there is enough solid evidence about Vitamin D for news outlets to at least mention its importance to the body's immune system.

[KT2000]

13. I believe it was the Globe

that had an article listing the unique symptoms of H1N1 - mainly that the virus goes deep into the lung. Have never had pneumonia before and it scared me though I was not feeling that ill. The cough continued for quite a while.

I take 5000 units of vitamin D daily - two MDs say that is a good thing. I also credit the D for not having a worse case. That is anecdotal but after taking it for quite a while I have already seen it has controlled some other issues.

[chill_wind]

2. K & R -

important & informative. thank you.

[laughingliberal]

3. I researched this when my husband's partner's child came down with H1N1 and we were exposed before

he was diagnosed. I was very worried as my husband is famous for going developing pneumonia with almost any respiratory virus. We have no insurance and I do what I can to try and keep us on natural substances which can help the immune system. The danger with this H1N1 is a lot of the usual immune system boosters stimulate cytokine production-a bad idea with this virus. Then read up on the benefits of vitamin D. As neither of us have any of the conditions which would preclude the use of vitamin D I got us both started on it. We got a very mild case of the virus and came through it in about 4 days. We were both born before 1957 so that also, I'm sure, accounted for the mild symptoms.

[snagglepuss]

8. You should read my response to KT2000.

Your story is very similiar to mine although I experienced a heavy cough and extreme exhaustion for about 7 days. I still crave alot of sleep though nothing close to the 18 hours I was sleeping per day earlier in the week and I still have a productive cough though much less severe than earlier in the week.

[dkf]

4. Thanks for the info.

Very important stuff. This is just one reason why I love DU.

[MichaelHarris]

5. here we go again

death spiral now! The common flu has killed far more that the Swine Flu and Vit D can kill you deader than the pig that swined you all up. By all means though, you keep selling that Vit D crap until someone dies.

[snagglepuss]

7. Instead of making wild assertions about Vitamin D, provide some valid research

Show me something comparable to what's in the US National Institutes of Health’s Medline online database.

If you search the US National Institutes of Health’s Medline online database for “cancer vitamin D,” you will find over five thousand papers. . . some dating back nearly 60 years.

It’s true: physician reports on vitamin D stopping cancer have been ignored for decades. In 1951, T. Desmonts reported that vitamin D treatment was effective against Hodgkin’s disease (a cancer of the lymphatic system). (7) That same year, 57 years ago, massive doses of vitamin D were also observed to improve epithelioma. (8) In 1955, skin cancer was again reported as cured with vitamin D treatment. (9) In 1963, there was a promising investigation done on vitamin D and breast cancer. (10) Then, in 1964, vitamin D was found to be effective against lymph nodal reticulosarcoma, a non-Hodgkin’s lymphatic cancer. (11)

The American Cancer Society has been obsessed with finding a drug cure for cancer. Pharmaceutical researchers are not looking for a vitamin cure. And when one is presented, as independent investigators and physicians have continuously been doing since 1951, it is ignored.

No longer. Michael Holick, MD, Boston University Professor of Medicine, has come right out and said it: “We can reduce cancer risk by 30 to 50% by increasing vitamin D. We gave mice colon cancer, and followed them for 20 days. Tumor growth was markedly reduced simply by having vitamin D in the diet. There was a 40% reduction in tumor size. And, casual sun exposure actually decreases your risk of melanoma. Everyone needs 1,000 IU of vitamin D3 each day.” (12)



As for safety



What about safety? Yes, it is possible to get too much vitamin D, but it is not easy. “One man took one million IU of vitamin D per day, orally, for six months, “says Dr Holick. “Of course, he had the symptoms of severe vitamin D intoxication. His treatment was hydration (lots of water), and no more vitamin D or sunshine for a while. He’s perfectly happy and healthy. This was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.(13) I have no experience of anyone dying from vitamin exposure. In thirty years, I’ve never seen it.”

There are, of course, some reasonable cautions with its use. Persons with hyperparathyroidism, lymphoma, lupus erythematosus, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, kidney disease, or those taking digitalis, calcium channel-blockers, or thiazide diuretics, should have physician supervision before and while taking extra vitamin D. And when employing large doses of vitamin D, periodic testing is advisable.



http://www.wellsphere.com/complementary-alternative-medicine-article/vitamin-d-therapy-halts-cancer-growth-and-supports-immune-nbsp-function/862827

edit spelling

[Why Syzygy]

15. His vitamin D hysteria has already been debunked.

He is oblivious to facts obviously.

Those with low vitamin D twice as likely to die
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25334302/ns/health-more_health_news/


Deaths by vitamin poisoning appear to be quite rare in the US, typically none in a given year. However before 1998, several deaths per year were typically associated with pharmaceutical iron-containing supplements, especially brightly-colored, sugar-coated, high-potency iron supplements, and most deaths were those of children.<2> Unit packaging restrictions on supplements with more than 30 mg iron have since reduced deaths to 0 or 1 per year.<2>

These statistics compare with 59 deaths due to aspirin poisoning in 2003,<3> 147 deaths associated with acetaminophen-containing products in 2003,<3> and an average of 54 deaths per year due to lightning.<4>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypervitaminosis_D

[MichaelHarris]

19. Already have

12 years of medical research, posted a month or so in this same forum. You guys are making dangerous, uninformed recommendations. Search my posts, to be honest I could care less if you do, I will however comment on everyone of these dumb-ass uneducated posts.

[snagglepuss]

20. You are full of baloney. You should be able to pull up peer reviewed research

supporting your view within seconds. You're not posting research supporting your view because it doesn't exist.

[MichaelHarris]

21. They do exist

I did 12 years of medical research in vitamin and nutrition with Dr E.B. Dawson and McGanity at the University of Medical Branch in Galveston. But hey, don't let science and people who've actually done the research get in the way of your dumb-ass pseudo-science.

[snagglepuss]

22. According to Google Scholar they haven't published anything about Vitamin D

and obviously you haven't either.

[MichaelHarris]

27. hahahahahahaha

look closer

[laughingliberal]

9. From what I've read it would take at least 40,000 IU to produce an overdose of vitamin D

and there have been no cases of toxicity reported in any adults at doses of 10,000 IU per day. There are people with certain conditions who should not take it but I would presume people with these conditions would have a doctor who advised them against supplements and foods high in vitamin D.

As I read it, if toxicity were to occur in the average person stopping the supplement would be sufficient to reverse the problem.

[hlthe2b]

10. What an uninformed response....

incredible....

[laughingliberal]

11. Mayo Clinic's Information (in case it was missed last time I posted it)

Vitamin D toxicity: What if you get too much?
What is vitamin D toxicity, and should I worry about it since I take supplements?

Answer
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
Vitamin D toxicity, also called hypervitaminosis D, is a potentially serious but treatable medical condition that occurs when you get too much vitamin D.

Vitamin D toxicity usually results from taking an excessive amount of vitamin D supplements — not from your diet or too much sun exposure. That's because your body produces only a limited amount of vitamin D from sun exposure, and even fortified foods don't contain large amounts of vitamin D. Although vitamin D toxicity is rare even among people who take supplements, you may be at greater risk if you have health problems, such as liver or kidney conditions, or if you take thiazide-type diuretics.<snip>

<snip> Vitamin D is an essential nutrient. The Institute of Medicine recommends that children and adults up to age 50 get 200 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily. The recommendation for adults over age 50 is 400 to 600 IU daily. However, many health experts consider these recommendations to be too low. The American Academy of Pediatrics, for instance, now recommends that children and adolescents get 400 IU of vitamin D daily. Many experts now "unofficially" recommend that adults get as much as 1,000 to 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily. In addition, it's likely that the vitamin D guidelines will be revised upward.

Supplements can be a reasonable way to meet recommended levels — as long as you pay attention to how much you take. And be sure to tell your doctor about any supplements you take.


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d-toxicity/AN0...

Guess they're going to be accused of "selling that Vit D crap until someone dies," too, huh?

[laughingliberal]

12. And, for good measure, Linus Pauling Institute Information on Vitamin D toxicity

Toxicity

Vitamin D toxicity (hypervitaminosis D) induces abnormally high serum calcium levels (hypercalcemia), which could result in bone loss, kidney stones, and calcification of organs like the heart and kidneys if untreated over a long period of time. Hypercalcemia has been observed following daily doses of greater than 50,000 IU of vitamin D (38). When the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for vitamin D, published studies that adequately documented the lowest intake levels of vitamin D that induced hypercalcemia were very limited. Because the consequences of hypercalcemia are severe, the Food and Nutrition Board established a very conservative UL of 2,000 IU/day (50 mcg/day) for children and adults (see table below) (30). Research published since 1997 suggests that the UL for adults is likely overly conservative and that vitamin D toxicity is very unlikely in healthy people at intake levels lower than 10,000 IU/day (39, 97, 98). Vitamin D toxicity has not been observed to result from sun exposure (38). Certain medical conditions can increase the risk of hypercalcemia in response to vitamin D, including primary hyperparathyroidism, sarcoidosis, tuberculosis, and lymphoma (39). People with these conditions may develop hypercalcemia in response to any increase in vitamin D nutrition and should thus consult a qualified health care provider regarding any increase in vitamin D intake.

http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/

I don't see a lot here to suggest people without the noted health conditions are at risk taking reasonable amounts of vitamin D supplements. They called 2000 IU/day 'very conservative' and noted toxicity is unlikely in adults at levels lower than 10,000 IU/day. Your response is unwarranted.

[LeftishBrit]

17. Anything can kill you if you take too much or have an unusual reaction to it

I don't think Vitamin D is the cure for all evils, but it has benefits. I have been taking it in prescribed doses for many years, and am not dead! Obviously, I wouldn't recommend taking a whole bottle at once.

[snagglepuss]

24. No one is suggesting anyone take a bottle but the official RDA is too low

and people aren't getting enough. Guesswork is not required, testing is available and relatively inexpensive.

[LeftishBrit]

30. Fully agree

My post was in response to another poster's implication that vitamin D is very dangerous. I was saying, only if you take a serious overdose!

[Techn0Girl]

14. Oh Noes! It's the Swine flu death Spiral !

Not to be confused with the Avian Flu Death Triangle or the Russian Flu Death Parallelogram.

The death spiral is much worse!

[snagglepuss]

16. In the words of MLK.

Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

[hlthe2b]

23. +1

;)

[mwb970]

18. This is worse than SARS and alar put together!

And killer bees!

:scared:

[Prometheuspan]

25. terror alert at what color code?

so, how afraid should we be?

and, since, theres little or nothing that can be done beyond basic hygiene and staying out of any crowded places...

what more can we do other than huddle at home, never go out, never visit the mall, never have a social life... and etc?

I mean, whats an appropriate level of panic here?

[snagglepuss]

26. You can get your Vitamin D level tested . Aim for a level of 50 ng/L.

Research shows Vitamin D is essential for immune function, keeping lungs free from infection and modulating the body's immune response so as to limit the risk of cytokine storms.

[Prometheuspan]

28. "the Russian Flu Death Parallelogram."

"Not to be confused with the Avian Flu Death Triangle or the Russian Flu Death Parallelogram."


:rofl:

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

29. And you accuse people of trolling. LOL. Pot meet kettle.

[yxa]

31. H1N1 and workers

Interesting point regarding the role of Vitamin D, skin color and H1N1 contraction. Had not heard that before. I wonder what kind of work has been done on rates of infection among low-income populations and ethnic minorities? I recently watched a film about Disney workers concerned about H1N1 here that might be of interest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbdQCHUH3IU