1000 IU per kg Vitamin D for autoimmune diseases – Coimbra Aug 2013

Video in Portuguese with English Captions – which are below

Highlights by VitaminDWiki
Transcript
Person making the English translation
- List of doctors who treat with Vitamin D list is as mscure - in Australia
Dr. Cicero Coimbra, neurologist
- Studies:
Comment on cofactors by VitaminDWiki
See also VitaminDWiki

Highlights by VitaminDWiki

1,000 IU/kg of body weight (more if obese)
Adjust the dose so as to have PTH below normal
Stop consuming Calcium while taking high dose vitamin D
Drink lots of fluids (to wash Calcium away)
He has treated 1130 patients (MS) – 95% virtually cured
He also has 1200 Parkinson’s patients
No other drugs were used
Appear to have to continue with vitamin D supplementation for life

Transcript

My experience has been mostly with higher doses of Vitamin D.
Specifically answering the Multiple Sclerosis question,
it was around 2002 when we started prescribing 10.000 units of Vitamin D daily to patients with multiple sclerosis
due to literature data that had already been available, showing that Vitamin D is an immune-regulator,
regulating the autoimmune system, and not suppressing it,
stimulating the autoimmune system and efficiently helping it fight against infections,
inhibiting incorrect autoimmune reactions, technically known as TH17.
So Vitamin D is theoretically an ideal pharma component or substance as it offers the strength of a hormone that fights infectious diseases, since we do not trigger any autoimmune suppression, and
actually the other way around, we increase the potentiality of the immune system.
We started treating with 10.000 units of vitamin D daily and observed improvements in our patients.
With 10.000 units the disease did not enter in remission.
Relapses became less frequent but the disorder was still active.
Each time our patients had emotional stress, there was still a risk, that this emotional stress triggered a new relapse.
As the years went by, we were monitoring these patients with a higher dose intake and observed that,
as we increased the doses, our patients had more positive effects.
Approximately 2-3 years ago, we reached the ideal dosage that would suppress autoimmune disorders activities,
and this is around 1.000 units per kg (body weight), daily. This dose is an average for patients,
as in the reality there is an individual calculation, which could be higher or lower according to each patient’s condition.
We adjust these individual doses according to the parathormone (PTH) level.
As the level of vitamin D increases, the PTH level gets lower, so we try to keep the PTH level around the lower limit of the normal range
and we noticed that by keeping the PTH level lower than normal (without suppressing it) we may keep the disorder in remission.
To reach such lower levels it was necessary to reach, in average, a dosage of 1.000 units per day, per Kg (body weight).
In order to prevent side effects that can occur with these higher doses, if a cautioned diet is not followed,
we excluded food products that are rich in calcium, basically milk and its sub products, and calcium fortified products, such as oat milk, rice milk and soy milk.
Once this precaution is taken, a higher dose along with plenty of hydration is considered quite safe.
In other words, we ask our patients to have a minimum daily liquid intake of 2.5 liters (water, juices, soft drinks, tea, soup…)
all together there must be a minimum of 2.5 liters daily
because then it is possible to have the diuresis of approximately 2 liters, which keeps calcium diluted and eliminated through the urine.
Once calcium is diluted, i.e. avoiding calcium concentration, we can prevent the most feared manifestation of vitamin D intoxication, which is the nephrocalcinosis,
The vitamin D doses (and serum levels) were progressively increased along the years
There was a time in the past when we did not have any particular diet, and we observed that the calcium levels were
above normal range, so we kept the vitamin D level, but asked our patient
to exclude dairy products and other products enriched with calcium.
With this measure in place, we noticed a calcium level reduction in the urine, even lower than before the patient had started the vitamin D treatment.
Based on that, we were able to increase vitamin D doses, and as I said, in average, a daily dose of 1.000 units per kg (body weight).
For obese patients, the dose can be even higher than this average.
So for example, it would not be absurd that we have a person that weights 130 kg taking a dose of 200.000 units per day.
ln order to compensate the subcutaneous fat absorption,
as explained by Dr. Holick, subcutaneous fat removes vitamin D from blood circulation, it is necessary to prescribe an extra amount
to stop it from robbing vitamin D from subcutaneous tissue, in relation to the vitamin D available in the body.
However such doses must to be prescribed under rigid clinical and laboratory control, and patients need to be seen periodically
in order to check if they are following the diet, because this is extremely important.
Higher vitamin D doses to these which we have been prescribing, can bring the opposite effect to the normal biological action.
A person with 70 Kg that daily takes doses higher than 150.000 units of vitamin D,
in any of its prescription forms, can contribute to calcium reduction from bones, causing hypercalcaemia through this mechanism.
This can be blocked by administering medicines known as bisphosphonates, such as alendronate, etidronate, and others
and effectively block this toxic effect.
But rarely we reach these doses, just in cases of patients whose weight are well above the norm, with body mass above normal.
I am not sure if I answered well about my experience with vitamin D,
but I just wanted to add that, since 2002/2003 when we started, until now, we have treated nearly 1,130 patients
and 70% of this number have been treated with higher doses of vitamin D.
Since when we started treating patients with 10.000 units, there have been nearly 1.130 patients and the result is simply fantastic.
We have some patients that are here in the audience,
and we have great satisfaction in giving them a normal life back. They no longer have relapses,
nor lesions in their MRI images. They no longer expect to be blind or paraplegic, or to become disabled, they simply can see a normal future in their lives.
The only thing that we don’t know yet is for how long they will have to keep these higher doses of vitamin D. This is a question still to be answered.
Is it associated with any other drugs?
No, absolutely nothing! Just high doses of vitamin D.
About the dosage form, as I said, Professor Michael Holick has given a good explanation,
that there are many dosage forms that are equally effective.
Whenever we use higher doses, such as these ones that I mentioned,
we have observed that administering vitamin D under the tongue is a bad and ineffective form.
We did not achieve the same results, and we have the impression that the lipid-based vehicle mixed in oil, produce a better effect.
This is not something that has been completely documented, but the impression is that mixing it with oil brings better effects,
than mixing vitamin D with any other form, even when oil is mixed with those made in dry capsules.
About the use of vitamin D for patients with Parkinson:
Vitamin D brings trophic effects in the nervous system, so that is very important, it also has antioxidant effects,
stimulating nerve cells to produce and synthetize glutathione, which is an important antioxidant.
It also produces neurotrophic factors, which are substances that keep nerve cells alive.
These neurotrophic factors or neurotrophins, are produced from the glial cells, such as astrocytes, under vitamin D stimulation.
Vitamin D is captured from the circulation and transformed into its active form, within the hemato-encephalic barrier,
acting on all cells from the nervous system, acting on the glial cells,
stimulating glial cells to produce neurotrophic factors that keep, as it is own name says, vitality of nerve cells - keeping them alive.
So for any type of neurodegenerative disorder, it is highly advisable that normal levels of vitamin D are prescribed,
and I think it is no use to prescribe patients with doses any lower than 10.000 units,
Normally for us that depends on the patient’s weight, but for people with 50-55 Kg we prescribe 10.000 units
What we do for these patients with Parkinson disorder however is only to normalize their levels, reducing the PTH that is above normal, leaving the PTH at its lower normal range.
This can vary from 10.000 to 25.000 units per day for patients with Parkinson disorder,
Changing a bit the theme about vitamin D and MS, for Parkison disorder it is important to note that
I have seen and monitored over 1.200 patients with Parkinson disorder,
The biggest problem with these patients is that the cause of the disorder seems to be a state of chronic suffering.
Parkinson patients were always anxious, worried individuals that were chronically suffering.
Before their diagnosis, or before the beginning of the Parkinson disorder, these individuals went through an exceptional period of emotional stress,
Individuals that look at a small problem reach suffering levels beyond normal it is incredible.
And this cannot be perceived if you do not interview the patient and ask these individuals specifically about this problem.
Apparently, this emotional stress triggers the formation of a neurotoxic substance called salsolinol in these patients.
Or the most complete name, N-Methyl(R)-Salsolinol, which is a powerful neurotoxin,
that destroys neurons responsible for the production of dopamine as it is formed inside the cells that produce dopamine.
This substance is found in a large amount at the cerebrospinal fluid in these individuals.
Patient’s deficiency of vitamin D can be corrected and it is a factor that can help these individuals,
but their biggest challenge is to reach a lower level of suffering. Thank you!

Person making the English translation

http://mscure.aussieblogs.com.au/Doctors that administer vitamin D Australia

This translation is in no way intended in any way to encourage or push patients to begin high dose Vitamin D therapy without the opinion and consent of a medical doctor. Health risks can be serious and may involve toxicity, other drug interactions, or organ damage. Doses over 10.000 IU if not managed properly may cause irreversible damage of renal function or cause other medical complications.
It is important to understand that doses of vitamin D are specifically calculated by Dr. Coimbra based on individual patient parameters during the medical examination. Therefore, it is necessary for treatment with high dose Vitamin D to be supervised by an experienced medical doctor!!!

Causes of intoxication include poor compliance with advised preventive measures, preparation of cholecalciferol by unskilled personnel, incidental uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, pyelonephritis (to which patients with neurogenic urinary retention are particularly prone), concomitant ingestion of high doses of vitamin C, and treatment carried out without medical supervision at the patient's own risk without recommended diet, hydration and/or laboratory tests. SO IT'S OBLIGATORY TO STAY UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION!! It is advised to have Medical follow-ups!

List of doctors who treat with Vitamin D list is as mscure - in Australia

Dr. Cicero Coimbra, neurologist

"Vitamin D is actually a hormone that has 4,500 binding sites in the cells of the immune system (each of which have a specific biological function ). Therefore, it is the most important immuno- regulator which we have available. It is not an immuno – suppressant: rather, the immune system gains strength and effectiveness under the effect of vitamin D, but becomes unable to attack the body itself. Patients with autoimmune diseases (including multiple sclerosis), while being vitamin d deficient and partially resistant to the effects of vitamin d, may benefit from physiological doses as 10.000 IU per day. There are now thousands of scientific publications on the subject “multiple sclerosis” and “vitamin D” (around 2009 there were less than 300):

The use of mega doses of vitamin D induces complete remission of the disease in approximately 95% of patients, and the remaining 5% get partial benefit.
Emotional stress, smoking and urinary or respiratory infections seem to be major limiting factors to a greater benefit in those 5% of the treated patients. However these doses can only be used under medical and laboratory follow up, taking precautions to avoid complications such as nephrocalcinosis.

In our clinic, patients from abroad are expected to have 3 medical appointments within two years, being discharged in the third visit. The initial benefits are already apparent usually after one month of treatment, with the progressive remission of the fatigue that characterizes the disease activity in most cases. If you are interested in a medical appointment in our clinic, please contact cgc.secretaria@gmail.com. We are working with a team that includes five other doctors"

Studies:

Comment on cofactors by VitaminDWiki

Cofactors should be adjusted when increasing Vitamin D levels
Dr. Coimbra does adjust Calcium, but not the other cofactors
Wonder if the 5% of MSers who did not get a great benefit would be helped by adjustments of other cofactors
Wonder if there would be better success with PD by adjusting cofactors and Omega-3
such as Omega-3, Magnesium, and Vitamin K2