Vitamin D and Thyroid Function/We All Need Boron/A New Solution for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Aside from bone and muscle development, it is well known that vitamin D is also involved in a variety of immune functions. Thus a deficiency in vitamin D has been linked to a variety of autoimmune diseases, including lupus, IBS, MS, and rheumatoid arthritis. And, it has been confirmed that people with Hashimoto’s disease (an autoimmune thyroid disease) have low vitamin D levels.

A study in 2013 showed a distinct correlation between hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and low vitamin D, finding that those participants with the lowest levels of vitamin D were the most likely to have either hypothyroidism or an autoimmune thyroid ailment. Therefore, we can assume the body requires adequate levels of vitamin D for the production, modulation, and utilization of thyroid hormones.

In this study, “patients with hypothyroidism suffered from hypovitaminosis D with hypocalcaemia (low calcium levels in the blood). Moreover, the positive significant correlation between each of serum vit D and calcium with thyroid hormones and that negative significant correlation with TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) levels, suggested that deficiency of serum vit D and calcium levels were significantly associated with degree and severity of the hypothyroidism which encourage the advisability of vit D supplementation. Screening for Vitamin D deficiency and serum calcium levels recommended for all hypothyroid patients.”

Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2013 Nov; 7(3): 267–275. “Vitamin D Deficiency and Its Association with Thyroid Disease.” Dr. Amal Mohammed Husein Mackawy, et al.

In the realm of folk medicine you will find those who are taking Seven Mules borax, the laundry additive, diluting it in water, and taking a couple tablespoons of the solution daily, in order to treat arthritic conditions. This is simply a way of getting the trace mineral boron into the body, which has long had a reputation for reversing many arthritic conditions. But wait! There’s more! A recent overview of this mineral published on PubMed shows a plethora of health benefits to be gained from including it in our nutritional regimen.

Here is their summary of the scientifically proven benefits of boron:

“It (1) is essential for the growth and maintenance of bone; (2) greatly improves wound healing; (3) beneficially impacts the body’s use of estrogen, testosterone, and vitamin D; (4) boosts magnesium absorption; (5) reduces levels of inflammatory biomarkers, such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α); (6) raises levels of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and glutathione peroxidase; (7) protects against pesticide-induced oxidative stress and heavy-metal toxicity; (8) improves the brain’s electrical activity, cognitive performance, and short-term memory for elders; (9) influences the formation and activity of key biomolecules, such as S-adenosyl methionine (SAM-e) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD(+)); (10) has demonstrated preventive and therapeutic effects in a number of cancers, such as prostate, cervical, and lung cancers, and multiple and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; and (11) may help ameliorate the adverse effects of traditional chemotherapeutic agents.”

Integr Med (Encinitas). 2015 Aug;14(4):35-48. Nothing Boring About Boron. Pizzorno L1.

Benefits begin at a dose of 3 mg daily, and though it appears that it can be safe to take up to 20mg per day (given an adult body weight), that seems to me to be somewhat high for a “trace” minerals. As well, most of the anecdotal feedback, for arthritis at least, is based on people taking only 3 mg daily. If you do choose to take more, remember to always skip a couple of days each week, to allow the body to use up any excess of this mineral.

If you would rather not consume borax you can pick up our “Mineral Mix” product, which has one milligram of boron (along with a full range of minerals and vitamin K2) in each capsule, and which is safe to take at 3 or 4 caps per day.

A New Solution for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a form of arthritis that is currently considered to be an autoimmune condition. It can affect the whole body but is most commonly found in the joints. Whereas osteoarthritis is caused by a degeneration of cartilage, and often can be reversed by rebuilding that cartilage (with glucosamine, chondroitin, silica, and/or collagen), rheumatoid arthritis is more difficult to treat.

A study from 2015 sought to test the therapeutic benefits of Vitamin K2 (as MK-7) in the management of patients with RA. In this study, 84 patients with RA (24 male, 60 female) (average age, 47 years) were divided into two groups, one receiving MK-7, and the other group getting a placebo, without changing any medications that they were receiving. The trial ran for 3 months, and the group receiving MK-7 were given a dose of 100 mcg per day.

The results showed a statistically significant decrease in a variety of markers of inflammation in the body, in those who received the MK-7, including a reduction in C-reactive protein levels, which is also a benchmark of heart disease. The study concluded that: “MK-7 represents a new promising agent for RA in combination therapy with other disease modifying antirheumatic drugs.”

The takeaway here is Vitamin K2 as MK-7 can be useful when treating symptoms of RA, though I would suggest that one forgo the “other antirheumatic drugs” and use our JointStart Premium product, which was designed for treating RA. On top of this product I will usually recommend that the person so afflicted also read my blog called “How 3 Nutrients Can Heal Most Ailments”, and follow this protocol, along with the diet suitable for their blood type.

Abdel-Rahman MS, Alkady EA, Ahmed S. Menaquinone-7 as a novel pharmacological therapy in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: A clinical study. Eur J Pharmacol. 2015 Jun 11;761:273-278.

And I would be remiss to not mention that we at Nutristart make a fine MK-7 version of Vitamin K2 in an easy to use liquid medium, providing more than the dose mentioned above (100 mcg) in 20 drops (120 mcg). (Quick K2)

Prostate Health (Suggestion from newsletter subscriber)

Since we don’t have a forum to go with our newsletter I thought I would include this response from a reader with regards to last month’s article on the benefits of Pumpkin Seed Oil for hair loss and prostate problems.

She writes: “I was reading quite a bit about enlarged Prostate and wanted to add my 2 Cents, since the real reason was never mentioned. Prostate enlargement can be prevented early on, by taking some Progesterone which keeps the Testosterone from turning into DI-Hydro Testosterone.”  Bonnie C.

Progesterone is often thought of as a female hormone, but just as women need some testosterone, so men need some estrogen and progesterone, for optimal health. In fact, progesterone is a building block for both estrogen and testosterone, so women can use it as a safe way of increasing estrogen levels, during menopause, and in men, progesterone can increase levels of testosterone and reduce excess estrogen levels (which can lead to a variety of andropause symptoms, including “man boobs”.)

And, since progesterone is also an inhibitor of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase, which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and since DHT is linked to both male pattern baldness and prostate swelling, we can see the mechanism by which it could be of benefit to men in preventing these conditions.

For more on the benefits of natural progesterone for men (which can be obtained by prescription from a doctor or certified naturopath), follow this link.