Lack of Vitamin Can Cause Chronic Pain

I went back to the rheumatologist yesterday and apparently I’m severely Vitamin D deficient. He’s putting me on a mega dose of a supplement. It was a very quick visit, of course, so I didn’t get to ask any questions (what is with doctors avoiding the question and answer sessions?). So, I came home and did some research.

Apparently Vitamin D deficiency, the major cause of Rickets, wasn’t a problem for a long time. Now because so many people are warned about staying out of the sun and using massive amounts of sunscreen, they’re getting ill again. But many doctors don’t test for this particular deficiency because it was so rare before- and they don’t like to do new stuff (except for using their prescription pad for new meds, of course).

How do you become Vitamin D deficient?

People are using more and more sunscreen at a higher SPF and many are told to avoid direct sunlight all together. That means that valuable Vitamin D is blocked and avoided too, because the sun produces most of the Vitamin D that we need. And according to some, anyone above 30 degrees North latitude is at greater risk in the winter (of becoming Vitamin D deficient), because the angle of the sun prevents the vitamin from getting through to us. This could be why so many people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

During the winter at latitudes above 35 degrees North and South, very little, if any, vitamin D can be produced in the skin. For example, in Boston (42°N) no vitamin D is produced from November through February.[source]

Another reason for the deficiency is malabsorbtion due to intestinal issues (such as Crohn’s Disease, Celiac Disease, or Irritable Bowl Syndrome) or kidney problems. This can be especially true if you’re like me and avoid direct sunlight at all costs and can’t get the nutrients needed through food. Of course, I rarely eat liver and/or herring, but that’s another story.

What are the symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency?

Vitamin D deficiency causes muscle weakness and muscle aches and pains in both children and adults.[source]

That study states that every person involved with it had pain complaints and was Vitamin D deficient. Other symptoms include fatigue and bone pain. It also states that the problem is getting worse because of warnings and fears of skin cancer. Fair skinned people, such as those of Northern European descent, are better equipped to absorb Vitamin D from the sun, but because of the high use of sunscreen these people are just as susceptible to becoming deficient as those with darker skin.

Vitamin D malnutrition may also be linked to an increased susceptibility to several chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, tuberculosis, cancer, periodontal disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, depression, schizophrenia, seasonal affective disorder and several autoimmune diseases [source]

How do you know if you’re deficient?

Have you been tested for any vitamin deficiency? If not, ask your doctor to do a simple blood test. The normal range for Vitamin D is 16.0 to 74.0 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) [source]. My Vitamin D registered at 6 ng/mL, so I’m very low. A simple blood test was all it took to find out that I am deficient. None of my other doctors bothered to include this test in with their other blood tests, so it’s taken almost 2 years to find this out. If you are experiencing chronic bone and muscle pain, fatigue, and any other strange symptoms that your doctor can’t figure out, ask if he or she has done a test for this particular deficiency (or any other vitamin deficiency for that matter). If not, ask for it.

What now?

My doctor has prescribed what he calls a “mega dose” of Vitamin D supplement. I’m to take it only once a week. He’s also advised that I take a calcium supplement because the deficiency causes osteoporosis and calcium helps the body absorb the Vitamin D supplement better. You can safely take up from 300 IU (International Units) to 4,000 IU of Vitamin D a day. Dietary sources of the vitamin can provide up to 250 IU, so when sunlight isn’t available (or in the case of Lupus patients, ill-advised) it’s suggested that you supplement with a pill.

I’m not sure if my deficiency is because of malabsorbtion or because I’ve been actively avoiding sunlight. I’ll find out soon enough because of other tests (if you have gastrointestinal issues you should have a colonoscopy). I’ll also let you know if my symptoms improve with the vitamin supplement I’ve been prescribed.

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Network Solutions E-Commerce

Google got you looking for other ways to earn some money? How about opening your own shop? There are people all over the world willing to buy just about anything, so coming up with a product line is the easy part. The hard part is getting what you want to sell online and in the hands of customers worldwide.

MonsterCommerce is used online by thousands of well-known companies. It was launched to help everyday people run e-commerce stores, negating the need for an expensive web developer and manager. It’s an easy-to-use solution to running an online store, from customer service, to sales, to inventory. It’s all there.

Now, Network Solutions® has acquired MonsterCommerce and added their own flair to an already popular system. They’ve launced the Network Solutions E-Commerce Website, with everything you need to have your own homebased business, starting with their fully customizable Shopping Cart Software. For $49⁹⁵ a month, you get the shopping cart software, a pre-formatted storefront design template, payment options that include credit card processing, Google Checkout, and/or PayPal, $50 AdWord credit per month and 24 hour/7 days a week “real person” support. There’s a lot of other stuff offered for their basic package, which you can see (and compare against their Pro service) here.

This is the best time to start trying new ways to make money online. Google’s making that very clear. Why not try your hand at e-commerce?

Hit By the Big Handed Google?

Updated Below

Apparently Google’s out smacking the hell out of blogs again (warning: that link goes to a really long forum thread). Everyone in that thread got smacked down to a PR 0. So did I. Woot! I’ve looked around and noticed that not everyone was effected this time.  There’s a huge uproar in the PayPerPost forums. People are wondering what they should do, what will Google’s next move be, where’s the money going to come from now? Of course, those hurt the worst were those that needed that little bit of extra income the most. Ah, isn’t that nice?

I’ve only just started paid blogging. I don’t spend a whole lot of time at it and only do it when the opp seems too good to pass up. Back when I was a PR 2 (hahaha!!!) I did a couple of higher priced ones, but generally I was too slow to get to them simply because everyone who had been slapped down was grabbing at them too. I’ve been keeping my options open and continued to do my own thing. I’m by no means rich from those couple of opps, but it’s nice to have that extra little bit of money in my account. That little bit of money goes up and down, but overall I’m still not wealthy. So I’m still going to take paid opportunities if they suit my fancy as well as doing other things.

I’m definitely not going to start letting Google give me fits now, after all this time of not knowing or caring about PageRank. I’m not going to boycott Google or ban them or give a damned about them anymore.  I’ll change only so much as going back to 3 months ago when I had no idea what was so special about PR.

I do see some people taking action to ease their PR woes, like removing paid links or adding nofollow. Some are even removing links to their own sites from signatures. It’s sad to see Google have that kind of effect on honest people just trying to make an honest buck. Go after the scrapers and the real splogs. Lord knows enough of them have trackbacked to this site since I joined the Do Follow movement. Yet there they are, full of adsense ads and other people’s content. Gah! They don’t care about PR and they’re getting Google’s money. Go figure.

There’s one bright spot to all of this. Costa at Blog Gigs has a really funny post up called “If Your PR Hasn’t Been Demoted, You Are a Square“. It’ll make you smile even if you’re crying. Way to lighten the mood, Costa. Thanks.

Update:

Please visit this post for an up-to-date opinion on this whole flippin’ matter.