CHEMOTHERAPY CAN'T HOLD A CANDLE TO VITAMIN D3

from Chris Beat Cancer.

BIG TAKEAWAYS

Sunshine is the best source of vitamin D, but most people don’t get enough sun, especially in the winter. That’s where supplementation comes in.

The ideal vitamin D blood level for viral infection prevention is above 50 ng/ml.

The target vitamin D blood level for cancer prevention and healing is over 40 ng/ml, but higher, between 60-100 ng/ml might be better.

Magnesium, K2, exercise, zinc, resveratrol, curcumin and omega-3’s all help vitamin D3 work better.

I take 5,000 to 10,000 IU of D3 per day depending on the season.

Children can safely take 1,000 IU of D3 per 25lbs of body weight per day.

Vitamin D3 is healthy for humans and rats at appropriate doses.

AN OPTIMAL BLOOD LEVEL OF VITAMIN D IS ESSENTIAL FOR A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM 

We have an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency. It’s estimated that nearly half of Americans have “insufficient” vitamin D levels (under 29 ng/ml) and 14 percent are deficient (under 19.6 ng/ml).

Vitamin D blood levels of 50 ng/ml or higher have been found to protect against respiratory infections like influenza or corona-type viruses. D3

Vitamin D increases the production of cathelicidins, anti-microbial peptides that destroy viruses, bacteria, parasites, and pathogens.

Adequate sunshine and/or supplementing with Vitamin D3 appears to be one of the cheapest and best ways to support your innate immune system against flu and corona-type viruses.

A review of 25 trials published in the British Medical Journal in 2017 concluded that vitamin D supplementation clearly protects against acute respiratory tract infections, especially for those deficient in D3.

Researchers found that daily or weekly dosing was more effective than a large one-time dose.

The review indicated that for every four people given vitamin D one case of respiratory infection was prevented. Vaccination typically must be given to 44 people to prevent one case of respiratory infection. Based on this, it appears that Vitamin D supplementation might be 10 times more effective at preventing the flu than a flu shot.

A randomized trial that gave vitamin D3 to Japanese schoolchildren found that those who were given 1200 IU of vitamin D per day from December through March had nearly half as many cases (10% vs 18%) of influenza A than those in the placebo group. The children taking D3 also had fewer asthma attacks (2 vs 12).

Supplementing with 5,000–10,000 IU per day of D3 may be necessary to reach protective blood levels, depending on multiple factors, which I discuss below.

VITAMIN D for CANCER PREVENTION AND HEALING 

In 2016, a landmark study published in PLOS ONE found that women over 55 with blood concentrations of vitamin D higher than 40ng/ml, had a 67% lower risk of cancer compared to women with levels lower than 20ng/ml.

“We have quantitated the ability of adequate amounts of vitamin D to prevent all types of invasive cancer combined, which had been terra incognita until the publication of this paper,” said Cedric Garland, researcher, and adjunct professor at the UC San Diego School of Medicine Department of Family Medicine and Public Health. (Note: they excluded skin cancer)

The RESEARCHERS THAT OPTIMAL LEVELS FOR CANCER PREVENTION ARE BETWEEN 40 and 60ng/ml, (100-150 nmol/L) AND THAT MOST CANCERS OCCUR IN PEOPLE WITH VITAMIN D BLOOD LEVELS BETWEEN 10 and 40ng/ml.

The study did not reveal whether supplementation or sun exposure was the best way to obtain vitamin D. However, the researchers concluded that vitamin D only starts protecting against cancer once you get your blood level up to 40 ng/ml. They noted that more health benefits were observed at even higher levels.

Another study from 2015 showed a 55% lower risk of colorectal cancer in women with vitamin D concentrations of 30ng/ml or higher compared to those lower than 18ng/ml.

A 2018 pooled analysis of 17 studies found that D levels between 40-50 ng/ml (75-100 nmol/L) are related to a statistically significant, substantially lower colorectal cancer risk in women.

HIGHER THAN 60ng/ml COULD BE EVEN BETTER . . .  A 2005 study found that women with blood concentrations of vitamin D higher than 60ng/ml had an 83% reduction in breast cancer compared with those lower than 20ng/ml.

I’ve observed many doctors and experts recommend that cancer patients shoot for the 60-80 ng/ml range. And even though most of these studies involved women, I think we can safely assume that men will also drive the same anti-cancer benefits from vitamin D.

D3 SUPPLEMENTATION INCREASES SURVIVAL IN P53-POSITIVE DIGESTIVE CANCERS 

A 2023 study of 2000 IU D3 supplementation per day for patients with digestive tract cancers (esophageal, gastric, small bowel, and colorectal), found that 5-year relapse-free survival was almost three times higher in the vitamin D group (80.9%) than the placebo group (30.6%) specifically for patients that were “p53-immunoreactive,” which means they had anti-p53 antibodies in serum and p53 protein in more than 99% of cancer cells tested.

THE SUNSHINE VITAMIN (If you can get it)
The best source of vitamin D is sunshine, and sunshine produces a cascade of health benefits beyond vitamin D production. For this reason, aim for 10-20 minutes of sunshine per day on as much of your body as possible.

But unfortunately, it’s not that simple, the amount of D3 you can get from the sun is determined by multiple factors: your age, your BMI, your skin tone, your distance from the equator, the season of the year, and the weather.

If you live above 37 degrees north of the equator – in the U.S., that’s north of Washington, D.C., and north of the Utah/Arizona border – you probably aren’t getting enough UVB exposure to naturally produce adequate amounts of vitamin D year-round.

For example, a fair-skinned person living in New York gets about 1,000 IU of D3 in about 4 minutes on a sunny day in July. That’s really good! But in January however, it would take them ten times longer, about 40 minutes of sunshine. If it’s cloudy or smoggy, that can block as much as 60% of D3-producing UV rays from the sun.

A person with dark skin needs about four times more sunshine to produce the same amount of D3 as a fair-skinned person. Obese people have been found to have 50% less D3 in their blood than non-obese people. And a 70-year-old makes about 75% less D3 than a 20-year-old.

Basically, you need an advanced degree in calculus to figure out how much vitamin D3 you can actually get from sunshine. I try to get a few minutes of sunshine every day, and I take a D3 supplement year-round.

DOES SUNSCREEN BLOCK D3 PRODUCTION?

Some sources claim that sunscreen with SPF 8 blocks vitamin D3 production by 95% and that SPF 15 or more blocks vitamin D3 by 99%. There is debate about this. I suggest, if you’re going to be in the sun all day, like at the beach, give your skin a few minutes of sunshine before applying sunblock. This is what I do.

Pro Tip: There is a smartphone app called D Minder Pro, which tells you how much vitamin D you will absorb on any given day based on your time in the sun, your location, the weather, your age, skin type, etc.

SOME PEOPLE CAN'T GET D FROM SUNSHINE 
Intracellular bacteria can block Vitamin D Receptors preventing absorption of vitamin D. Inflammatory and autoimmune diseases accompanied by low 25 (OH)D and high 1,25 (OH)2D is indicative of this phenomenon. EBV, HIV, TB, aspergillus fumigatus, and Mycobacterium leprae are known to lower or block Vitamin D Receptor activity. Vitamin D possesses antimicrobial properties against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial species and was even used to treat tuberculosis before antibiotics came along. Vitamin D supplementation could help increase the activity of Vitamin D Receptors by killing intracellular bacteria.

ACTION STEPS
Check your vitamin D3 level. You can order a test kit from home at Grassroots Health. 

Your doctor can also order a vitamin D panel with your next set of blood work, or you can get it done at a walk-in testing clinic in your area. Order through www.yourlabwork.com. 

Depending on your current D3 level and your target level, you could take 1,000-10,000 IU per day, then retest in 30-90 days and adjust accordingly. It may take a few months to get your blood levels up.

VITAMIN D CO-FACTORS 
You need magnesium to absorb vitamin D. Magnesium deficiency shuts down the vitamin D synthesis and metabolism pathway. Plant foods with high levels of magnesium are dark leafy greens, beans, nuts, avocados, and whole grains. Megafood also makes a great whole-food magnesium supplement.

Exercise, resveratrol, zinc, omega-3s, quercetin, and curcumin also help increase vitamin D absorption.

WHAT ABOUT K2?
K2 is not necessary for D3 absorption, but vitamin D increases calcium absorption and K2 helps your body incorporate calcium into your teeth and bones and prevents it from building up in the wrong places, like your arteries.

K2 is present in animal foods and fermented plant foods like natto and sauerkraut. Vegetables are rich in K1 which is converted to K2 by bacteria in your gut. If you are taking high doses of D3 you may need to supplement with K2.

Generally speaking, it is recommended that for every 5,000-10,000 IU of D3 you take, also take 100 mcg of K2 mk7. Some research indicates that it may be better to take D3 and K2 separately instead of together. The jury is still out on that…

WHAT FORM TO TAKE?
I recommend vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol. That is the form that has been widely tested on humans for decades. One brand I don’t recommend is Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw D3, which does not contain cholecalciferol. I took that supplement for over a year and it did not raise my D3 levels.

I take vitamin D3 5000 IU gelcaps from Better Way Health.  I like their products, and as an affiliate partner, I negotiated a discount for my readers. You can use the coupon code “chris” to get 10% off your order. If you sign up for auto-ship, you’ll save another 15%, for a total of 25% off your order every month. I also take their Curcumin Extra Strength (C3 Complex with Bioperine) for its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits and their Beta Glucans for additional immune support.

There are several other brands of D3 I like in my Amazon store (www.chrisbeatcancer.com/amazon) like Pure Therapro Vegan 3 and Thorne liquid D3 with K2. Liquid D3 drops are easier to give to kids.

D3 MEGADOSING STRATEGY 
If your D3 level is in the danger zone (under 19.6 ng/ml) and you want to get it up quickly, you may benefit from megadosing with 50,000-100,000 IU per day for 7 days then continuing with 50,000 IU once per week or 5,000-10,000 IU per day. Biotech Pharmacal D-50 is a 50,000 IU D3 capsule designed for megadosing and/or once-per-week supplementation.

IS D3 RAT POISON?
Yes, cholecalciferol is used as rat poison. But don’t panic. As you know, with all things, the dose determines the poison. For example, drinking three gallons of water in an hour is likely to kill you. The D3 dose given to poison rats is the equivalent of over 4 million IU for a human. That would be like taking 2000 capsules of 2000 IU D3. The reason D3 is used to kill rats is because, unlike many other poisonous compounds, it’s essentially tasteless. It can be mixed into rat bait and they will actually eat it. But guess what happens when rats are given appropriate doses of D3 for their body weight.  Their health improves! Like increases in bone mass and strength, improved insulin resistance, and even preventing fatty liver and high blood pressure caused by eating a Western diet.

Sources
NIH
Science Daily
Eureka Alert
New Hope
Riordan Clinic
How Stuff Works

"the group that had the biopsy first had a 50% increase in malignancy, that means the cancer spreading after surgery. So just that little tiny needle biopsy caused what they call "seeding," which is where you poke a tumor and cancer cells spill out and they spread around in the surrounding tissues"

 

2:34. Surgery can be beneficial because it can remove a large mass of cancerous tumors.  We know that 50% of cancers are cured by surgery, but that figure is actually misleading because that figure includes skin cancer, right, includes moles and stuff like that.  So you can't really compare a mole, a tiny mole that's cancerous, to a golf ball sized tumor in your large intestine, which is what he had. So, if you actually look at more serious stage 2, 3, and 4 tumors, those are not cured by surgery.  Again that's why they recommend chemotherapy and radiation because they know that the surgery is just removing a large Mass of cancer cells but the remaining cancer cells in your body will continue to reproduce and form new tumors unless you fix the underlying cause of your disease which is a body that is nutrient deficient and overloaded with toxins.

3:38. Now here's something interesting that they found in 2004 at the John Wayne Cancer Center.  They did a study on women with aggressive breast tumors and the women whose tumors were biopsied before surgery compared to the women who did not have a needle biopsy okay so one group had need a biopsy and then surgery a few weeks later and the other group did not have a biopsy they just had the surgery to remove the lung the group that had the biopsy first had a 50% increase in malignancy, that means the cancer spreading after surgery.  So just that little tiny needle biopsy caused what they call "seeding," which is where you poke a tumor and cancer cells spill out and they spread around in the surrounding tissues and that can cause the tumor to spread, okay?  Because when they come to take the tumor out, well, they're taking the tumor, but they're not taking out those cells that had spread after the biopsy.  Now the same thing can happen with surgery.  With a major surgery, your body's response to heal that surgery is actually like cancer fuel because your body creates . . . secretes all these growth hormones to heal itself after a major surgery and those growth hormones are cancer cell fuel.  So, on one hand, surgery can be beneficial because you're removing a tumor and getting a big bulk of cancer cells out of your body, but, on the other hand, it can also cause the cancer to spread what's left.  So, the thing is if you want to have surgery, if it makes you feel better psychologically and emotionally to get a big lump out of your body, then go ahead and do it.  But do not make any mistake or don't kid yourself and think that it's not going to come back that's just going to . . . that may just give you a jump start.  [5:27]  You have to radically change your diet and lifestyle in order to give your body all of the fuel and firepower that it needs to heal cancer and stay cancer free.  So again, surgery can be helpful but you can't rely on it.  Now knowing what I know now, would I have had surgery again?  Probably not.  What I would have done, I imagine, well, let's just say a cancer came back, what I would do is I would take 30 to 90 days, you know, radically change my diet and lifestyle and monitor the progress, monitor my blood work, and have a few scans along the way and see if what I was doing is working.  And the amazing thing is that people who actually do that, don't panic, they don't get rushed into surgery and chemo and radiation, and actually step back and look at their life and make radical changes.  They change their diet to a vegan diet; they start exercising; they forgive people, and they remove all stress and negativity and negative emotions from their life.  That's when amazing healing starts happening.  And I mean, I can't even begin to tell you how many stories and people have meant that that's exactly what they did they didn't have surgery didn't remove a tumor they just radically changed their diet and lifestyle and their body healed

MELATONIN: NOT JUST A SLEEP AID BUT ". . . THE MOST POWERFUL ANTIOXIDANT TOOL IN THE WORLD"?

I love her claim that melatonin is a more powerful antioxidant than glutathione, which is considered the master antioxidant.  Imagine the healing that could take place if you took both glutathione AND melatonin.  Be sure to open up that thread by clicking on Natural Immunity's Twitter link.  Melatonin benefits go beyond anticancer.  It keeps our skin healthy and youthful [through] two major mechanisms. It has antioxidant effects that neutralize oxidative damage from the sun, and by stimulating growth receptors in the skin.  NaturalImmunity goes on to say that 

Melatonin may have a profound effect on stroke & heart attack! Take w/in 1st 2 hrs. Based on studies, if were me, I'd take ~2000mg, since oral bioavail is low (& that amt has been shown 2b safe). Then 100mg+ every hour or so for 24/48 hrs. (Not medical advice)!

MELATONIN - more potent than glutathione #NotForSleep pic.twitter.com/cKLiNhzUdr

— Natural Immunity FTW (@NaturallyFTW) May 21, 2022

Christopher Wark of Chris Beat Cancer interviews Dr. Russell J. Reiter.  A powerful interview here on how necessary darkness is for our circadian rhythms and our health.  Modern life with night lighting is fairly new in our evolution, disruptive of natural processes, and disease generating.  So embrace the darkness.  Be sure to check out the show notes in the link, "Chris Beats Cancer" above.  Here is a sampling from those notes:

Melatonin acts as an antiviral [37:24]
-How sunlight helps with the production of melatonin [44:35]
-Melatonin can reduce the likelihood of metastasis [50:45]

Clearly, the antioxidant action of melatonin is quite powerful as an anti-cancer compound. Bill Sardi included it in his nutritional compound regimen for cancer, in fact, 15-30mg of melatonin per night.  So there is credible consensus on the anti-cancer benefits of melatonin.

I have to say that any time I hear or read about the anti-aging benefits of melatonin, or any product, my ears perk up.  Antiaging means that you only slow down the aging process.  In some cases, it may be possible to reverse aging processes, like alopecia, or hair loss, this can be reversed with Rutin, Pumpkin Seed Oils, and B5.  This video, which I didn't have the time to watch all the way through, highlights that 1) Melatonin is an ancient molecule.  That's interesting, but what is the relevance of that?  What benefits are derived from its ancient characteristics?  2) It's found in bacteria and every organism between bacteria and mammalians.  Its structure has never changed throughout its evolution, what that means is that the structure of melatonin in bacteria is identical to the structure of melatonin in humans.  Whoa.  Now that is something, but what does that tell us?  That melatonin means life itself?  3) it is not toxic at any dose. 4) it exists in every species that is currently living or that has ever existed.  I mean what is not to like?  For optimal cellular physiology.  Melatonin exhibits in the blood circadian rhythm.  [7:38] "Melatonin is a very strong anti-cancer agent."  It influences the immune system, metabolism, gastro-intestinal function.   

Check out Melatonin by Russell J. Reiter; Jo Robinson https://t.co/dJ1CO1lM No #eBay via @eBay

— Mike Walgenbach (@mwalgen44) May 21, 2022

Show Notes from Chris Beat Cancer

-How Dr. Reiter got into melatonin research [1:23]
-What melatonin does in the body [3:28]
-How blue light inhibits melatonin production [7:05]
-How melatonin is passed to the fetus and newborn [12:00]
-The anticancer benefits of melatonin [15:25]
-How pharmaceutical drugs suppress melatonin production [18:40]
-When should melatonin be taken during the day? [22:47]
-Does taking melatonin affect natural production? [24:36]
-Older people need more melatonin [29:20]
-How melatonin can reduce the impact of Covid-19 [31:15]
-The impact of alcohol and caffeine on melatonin production [34:45]
-Melatonin acts as an antiviral [37:24]
-How sunlight helps with the production of melatonin [44:35]
-Melatonin can reduce the likelihood of metastasis [50:45]