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http://ms-support.blogspot.com/

"D" New Lease on Life

I’ve taken one 50,000 IU capsule of Vitamin D3 a day since mid-March '07. I had already, for more than year, taken one fish oil capsule in the morning and one in the evening. The D3 is the only addition I’ve made and is definitely the reason that I am now able to:

- walk more than 1.8 miles in 40 minutes
- read books and newspapers again
- speak more clearly
- see things in focus instead of blurry
- have a conversation with a group of people at a table instead of being able to handle only one person at a time
- be in the sun without very rapidly "wilting" and going back inside (thereby further reducing my Vitamin D because I don't get sun-shine)


In any case, Vitamin D has given me another lease on life.

Another M.S.'r seeing benefit

I had started a National M.S Society support group that's meeting twice a month. After doing much research into the safety of taking so much Vitamin D3, one of the members from that group started taking one Vitamin D3 50,000 I.U. capsule per day on May 16, 2007. He told me on June 19 2007 that he had no more tingling in his feet, that he was starting to get feeling back in his feet and that he was beginning to be able to tolerate heat/direct sunshine better. I’m so psyched to hear that someone else is also doing better due to Vitamin D3, I just did not want to be the only one, you know, the “freak”.
I was told at the beginning of March ‘07 that I’d have to wait until I see my Neurologist again in October ‘07 before he’d prescribes the Tysabri to me. I was really dreading having to wait that long, but I just didn’t want the Rituxin anymore, because it seemed rather harsh on my immune system (I could only get it IV'd once every 10 to 12 months). So rather take nothing instead of continuing to take Rituximab. I decided to try Vitamin D3 which seemed to be doing well for my friend, the type 1 diabetic. More on that later…

I have been taking one Vitamin D3 50,000 I.U. (International Units) capsule per day. I’ve done that since mid March and it’s made an incredible difference for me >> I’ve put away my wheelchair because I don’t need it anymore and I can now walk without using a cane. In terms of medications: I haven’t taken any Provigil or Baclofen in more than two months. I’m down to taking 150mg of Wellbutryn per day (from 450mg of Wellbutryn/day). I continue to take 30mg of Mirtazapine (Remeron) at night to help me sleep through the night. Oh, and I;m not taking (injecting) any of the A,B,C,R M.S. drugs.

D3 50,000 I.U. Source

The Vitamin D3 50,000 I.U. capsule I take is made by made by Bio Tech Pharmaceutical. www.bio-tech-pharm.com

Theirs is the only one I’d take at this point. And no, I don’t get paid by them. 100 Vitamin D3 50,000 I.U. capsules cost $30, so that’s less than $10/month.
I started the 50,000IU because my friend, the diabetic, had been taking it and it hadn’t hurt him, but I went to see Dr. Joe Prendergast (Dr. Joe) the week after I started taking the 50,000IU Vitamin D3. It just seemed such a crazy thing to do that I wanted to see this Dr. Joe that told my friend to do it. The man from my support group who had started the 50,000IU Vitamin D3 and who’s now also seeing a benefit went to see Dr. Joe before he started taking it.

I believe Dr. Joe will also help people by “seeing them” via the web. His office’s email is: office@endocrinemetabolic.com.
His office’s phone number is: 650-566-9810

His physical office is located in Palo Alto, CA at 350 Cambridge Avenue, Suite 250.

Note: His focus is on helping Diabetics. I asked him if he’d be willing to see M.S. patients since the D3 did so well for me and he told me that would see M.S. patients.
I have secondary progressive M.S. and I previously had to use my wheelchair to cover a distance more than 150 feet. I was certain that I’d have to be in a wheelchair full-time by the end of this year (2007). I can now walk 1.8 miles, without cane, in 45 minutes time and I’m working on increasing that distance.

The only reason for my being able to learn how to walk again is the once per day Vitamin D3, 50,000 IU which I’ve been taking since mid-March and which I will be taking once per day until I see Dr. Prendergast again in September.

I saw him after having taken it for two months and he extended my taking it at 50,000 IU until September then, and he may well reduce the dosage to 5,000 or 10,000 IU per day it at that time. I had to see a physical therapist to learn how to walk again, and I’m very glad for her help.

I met with my M.S. support group yesterday (mid-July2007), and a woman with relapsing-remitting M.S. reported that she no longer has the feeling that her her feet are “burning” or “freezing” when she goest to bed at night. So that makes it three M.S.ers who’ve taken the 50,000 IU Vitamin D3 per day for more than two months and who have been helped. Also, you can do a search for Dr. Prendergast on www.youtube.com and you'll get youtube.com/watch?v=_PYsXQ16Ztg you can see him talk about Vitamin D3 there.