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Special lights for vitamin d3 synthesis

T

twentysix

Bluelighter
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Jun 5, 2008
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Do to hypersensitivities to most everything, I can no longer tolerate most supplements. Perhaps at some point the industry might catch up with ultra pure products, but right now I only use a very pure vitamin C/calcium product. I'm allergic to corn, and corn is in most supplements, and dry vitamin D3 usually has corn in some form. Liquid or in a base of oil D3 supplements are with coconut oil, which I react to even a drop of. There is one that comes in olive oil but I believe I react to olive oil as well. I may try this route, but I'm beginning to think outside the box. I have been.

I'm wondering about taking supplements through my skin. I've been doing so with iodine because I don't want to develop an allergy to kelp, if I wasn't already allergic to it, and if I become allergic to Iodine from it being on my skin, I'll just deal with switching locations. I rarely if ever react by skin, just by inhalation or ingestion, which takes very little.

Anyway, I have a question and I wonder if anyone knows anything about this... I'm about to attempt to get my vitamin d3 in the winter by installing lights that might emit light in the correct spectrum for this synthesis to occur in my skin. I've located some individual bulbs that go into regular systems, on the net, but have found no testimonials as of yet or research about their use for this purpose, just claims by the companies. One system that seems believable (at 450 bucks it should be) I found but can't afford, and am looking for something under or around 100 bucks total that would do the job, preferably much under. Basically, I just don't know the science well enough, off hand. I .. uhh.. actually could probably research enough to figure it out for myself, but I'm wondering if anyone has any input they share.

I know there are mood lights as well that are supposed to do what I'm talking about, but I am unaware if they actually work. I guess there's more to look into.
 
Not sure why you posted this twice--If there's something different in the other thread, I didn't see it. :P (Also, it's "due". Due to hypersensitivities.) ;)

Have you tried D2? Studies say it's not as absorbable but they also say that about non-heme iron: I was so anemic even while eating meat that my doctor had me on numerous different iron supplements to try and find one that worked. I went vegetarian and quit taking the supplements without telling him... He had me go for blood work, and my iron levels were just fine and have been fine ever since.

Anyways, there are threads that touch on light boxes and sun lamps kicking around. There's one for acne and one dealing with seasonal affective disorder.
 
due... true. heh. uhh.

not sure how post-twice happened. i will delete the other.


i haven't tried vitamin d2 though, no. they don't work the same either, i don't believe. d3 is what we want, and that comes naturally only through sun exposure. also, at this point i've sort of given up on supplements that i have to take orally.

i've found some lights for reptiles that are said to work. Lots of information on http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Vitamin+D+bulb+for+use+in+the+home+-+or+perhaps+office <-- here.
 
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twentysix said:
i haven't tried vitamin d2 though, no. they don't work the same either, i don't believe. d3 is what we want, and that comes naturally only through sun exposure.
Click to expand...
Where'd you hear they don't work the same? They're derived from different sources yes (D3 is from animals, D2 is from plants), but once ingested by humans they act the same, as far as I have been told (by four different professors, three with "R.D." after their name).

Will check your link later. :)

Also, have you been tested for a deficiency? If so, what was your number? Just out of curiosity. I've been tested twice--Once while working the night shift and rarely if ever seeing the light of day (got an 11) and once after a few months spent mostly outside (got a 23). I've been meaning to start taking supplements since I am quite deficient (most people are somewhere in the 50s, with normal being between 30 and 74), but the cost of the supplements are outrageous.
 
you could be right. seems you've spoke to more knowledgeable people about it.

actually re-researching it for myself shows that they do both basically accomplish the same things, but vitamin d3 is preferred over d2 because of how it binds to the d-receptors, and how long it stays in the body, and other things.

i've never been tested. don't have a doctor that i regularly go to/no insurance. as far as actually taking a supplement for d2, i will look into it. if i find something with no yeast or corn (or soy or dairy etc) i'll try one out, probably... but i'm tending to justify the more natural way... letting my body make it from light.

up until about a month ago, i was taking about 5000 IU-10000 IU per day in a base of coconut oil (which I found out I am allergic to after stopping it and re-challenging), and considering that it's not readily excreted from the body (D3 form), I feel I should have some still. Still, the day I did re-challenge, despite the allergic reaction from it's base oil, I did feel quite a bit more energized than I had been. My voice was stronger that day... had more confidence.
 
^ You're right in that they do basically the same thing, and that D3 is preferred because it stays in your body longer and binds to the d-receptors, etc, BUT: As I said about the heme- versus non-heme iron up above in post #2, you really have to do what works for you and you cannot blindly accept what others say, even if it is backed by scientific research. You have to remember who is ultimately funding those studies, and it typically is the people with big bucks in this country, the ones who have a backing in animal products... Look back at what they're saying about heme-iron and D3. Of course they're going to back their own pocket books.

Also, if I were you, I would consider forking up the cash to get tested for a D deficiency as an overload / running on the higher end of normal can be just as detrimental to your bones/body (though I've forgotten how/why and would have to look it up *rolls eyes*).
 
I've heard that too, but a guy at a health food store- the owner, recommends at times i think 30,000 IUs a day, in times of illness for three days tops. I'm really not sure about that number. He goes on data from a guy who says 10,000 IUS a day are optimal.

There's just conflicting evidence.

I am still going to try to just get it from light, I think. It seems much of the D2 is made from yeast, which I have an allergy to. But, I might find something and decide to change my mind. Still, forking out 20 bucks for supplement that will be gone in 60 days or 20 or so for a light bulb that if I built reflectors for I could stand in it for 10 minutes a day for so many more days, and not have to take supplements... I'd rather do the light.

Yea, too much Vitamin D can cause a variety of issues.

As for companies pushing D3 and having it more expensive... I find it's not much more expensive. I can find good quality d3 for about 8-9 bucks for 60-90 capsules.
 
Well, gotta go with what the health store owner recommends--Not like he's trying to make money off ya or anything. 8)

When I mentioned cost, I meant that D2 is going to be more expensive than D3 because there is a surplus of animals for making D3, therefore causing them to promote it, making the price drop because more people want the "highly absorbable" supplement versus the "poorly absorbed" one.

Yeah, light is the way to go, IMO. Did you happen to look for those threads? Might point you in the right direction.
 
I spoke with health food shop guy and apparently the ones for SAD don't emit UVB which is what's needed for vitamin d synthesis. I've decided on one called "Fluker"... 160 watts. I have a free wall in my box that I'll mount it on and turn it on in the morning when I get up... maybe make some reflective surfaces to amplify it.

And yea I know they try to sell it to me. I do check my sources though, sometimes. He's not he only place I've been met with this information. I've also read the contrary. That's another reason I'd rather just get some light :). Not too much of this, though. Something this powerful I plan on using sparingly.
 
Friend in med school told me that the bioavailability of vitamin supplements tends to be quite poor and low in dosage compared to the endogenous synthesis via sunlight. dunno if he was accounting for type of supplement though.

ebola
 
yea, a lot of supplements don't absorb so well going the oral route.. perhaps because they aren't in a natural form, and perhaps because our bodies weren't "designed" to incorporate most substances into themselves in the massive doses that we give ourselves. multivitamins are about 90% waste.

i purchased a bulb from a brand called "Flukers" but it went to the wrong address, so I'm having it refunded.went ahead and got another called a "ReptiGlo", which has a UVB rating of 10 (the highest), and is effective up to 20 inches, which is more than the bigger 160 W Flukers light (this one is 25 but is a more efficient model, and not designed to throw a lot of light specifically (though it is bright) or heat, it's just specialized for UVB. I'm going to "sun" myself with it at least 10 minutes a day, mainly on my chest/core section and face. It's made for desert reptiles. I just did it for about 10 minutes and feel a difference already.
 
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