standard vitamin mixtures reflect the old Vit D paranoia, and
have quite low doses. (200-400IU)

You really have to read the link I gave above.

Within the last 5 years the Vit D research has exploded, and
Vit D deficiency has become a huge priority.

You would really have to take Vit D as a stand alone
supplement. D3 is very INexpensive.

This is the one I use:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....&pid=8229&at=0

How inexpensive is THAT? And with high quality too.

I'd really recommend getting a blood test first. If you don't, I would not go above 2000 IU until you really know where you are. Estimates now are that 1/2 of all Americans are deficient.

I just heard a report obout this on our local news this evening. Sound promising. mrds, you say you are taking 2000ui. Does it seem to have any effect for you? One thing that comes to mind with being in the sunshine is the sunshine naturally causes an endorfin release. As most know, endorfins go to the pleasure center of the brain. Amazingly, the same place our dopamine goes.

GregD

That had 1000 IU.But it had alot of A.

I get out in the sun alot in the summers, at our summer home
in the boonies, on the shore. I come home highly tanned, and feeling great. Then the great decline begins in earnest starting in October. Two winters ago I bought a light visor, and at least I don't have the depressive reactions now.

But last year I upped to 2000 IU in the winter. And combined with the light visor, I am SO MUCH better, mood wise!
I have some PN and arthritic chronic pain issues, so while I am not PD (yet) I am still in that neuro danger zone.
There are new studies even showing increasing Vit D along with light therapy helps too. But I didn't know that then.

Given the low price of quality D3, it is really not even a hardship in any way to provide it.

But what is frustrating is that doctors are testing now for it, and I guess they went to some CME courses that taught it.
But they are treating with the old antiquated D2 which is Rx and is 50,000 units ...and that seems like a huge dose, but in reality it is not, because D2 is not active, and not as useful as D3. But there is no RX version of D3, so they just don't get that part, yet. That RX D2 has been around as long as I have been alive-- older than dirt. Times have changed, but the therapeutic manuals are not up to date. This is also true for B12 therapy and magnesium (magnesium oxide is old as dirt too and not effective we know now).

I purchased D3 at CVS. Thanks for the article. I'll take it regularly in the future.

from Dr. Graveline's web site: http://www.spacedoc.net/statins_vitaminD.html

"...Our most important hormones depend upon adequate reserves of cholesterol for their production and nowhere is this more important than as the precursor substance for the synthesis of Vitamin D, known also as calcitrol.
"...A vitamin D precursor is synthesized in the skin from cholesterol in response to absorbing UVB rays. It then gets converted in the liver to an intermediate form. In the kidneys it joins with an important enzyme for conversion into its active hormonal form.
Many factors potentially interfere with the UVB conversion. People having darker skins are much more likely to have vitamin D deficiency. The aged skin of the elderly impairs cholesterol conversion as does the presence of obesity. Our present day emphasis on protecting our skin from the sun, using sun-screens and blockers, also cuts down on the ability of UVB to convert cholesterol to vitamin D. Last but not least, one needs UVB exposure.

Without any sun exposure you need about 4,000 units of vitamin D a day. In the absence of other supplements you would need 40 glasses of milk or ten multi-vitamins capsules daily to supply your vitamin D needs. Most of us make about 20,000 units of vitamin D after 20 minutes of summer sun due to UVB conversion of cholesterol. Numerous studies document that the majority of our society falls short of meeting either their dietary or UVB conversion needs for vitamin D..."

My understanding is that we make Vit D from sun hitting our skin, which uses cholesterol to make the D we need...so we NEED cholesterol! What about all those people (like my FIL) who take cholesterol reducers? This is impairing their already reduced (because they are elderly) ability to make vitamin D!

Another thing: if PDers have low cholesterol (as several studies I have read recently indicated) then they need Vit. D supplements even more, because even if they sit in the sun, they don't have as much cholesterol as non-PDers to make Vitamin D.

I've about decided that the cholesterol mania is a Big Pharma plot. For one thing, it makes up a big part of our neuron cell structures. For another, the bacterial toxin that nearly killed Ron from his bad tooth is an extreme case of something that is always around at a lower level keeping our immune system on edge. One way we control it is to bind it to cholesterol and transport it safely away for disposal.