Vitamin D and Chronic Pain/Metabolic Brain Disease/Medicinal Mushrooms Can Save the World

A new study, published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases, looked at the relationship between vitamin D levels and symptoms of “Chronic Widespread Pain” (CWP). Fifty-eight participants with CWP, all of whom had vitamin D levels less than 25 ng/ml, were given doses of vitamin D3 weekly, for three months. Thereafter, 85% of the patients reported significant improvements in pain levels, weakness, depression, and energy levels.

“A 3-month replacement treatment has provided reductions in musculoskeletal symptoms, level of depression and an increase in quality of life of patients with nonspecific CWP and vitamin D deficiency,” the researchers said. “Patients with [fibromyalgia] or CWP should be investigated in regard to deficiency of vitamin D.”

“Efficacy of Vitamin D Replacement Therapy on Patients With Chronic Nonspecific Widespread Musculoskeletal Pain With Vitamin D Deficiency.” R Yilmaz et al.  Int J Rheum Dis. 2016 Nov 11.  (Study)

North American media has done a good job of acting like the link between mercury and autism has been disproven (mostly by destroying the career of Andrew Wakefield, the first scientist to publicize the link, in the Lancet Medical Journal.) For a truly biased look at this story, and to see how Wikipedia has been co-opted by pharmaceutical interests, have a read of their version of events.

Then check out my link to a PubMed overview of autism mercury studies at the bottom of this section and see how scientific you consider the Wikipedia article to be.

A new study, published in the journal Metabolic Brain Disease, has a team of nine scientists confirming the role of mercury in causing the onset of autism. These scientists studied 100 children; 40 with autism spectrum disorder, 40 who were healthy, and 20 healthy siblings of children with autism. The children with autism had significantly higher mercury levels than healthy children and healthy siblings, and those with the highest mercury levels had the most severe autism symptoms.

While many of the mothers of these children with high mercury levels had multiple dental mercury-amalgams, the study did not examine the potential link between autism and the vaccine preservative, thimerosal, which contains 50 % ethyl mercury. However, it is known that the ethyl mercury in thimerosal is 50 times more toxic to human tissue as the methylmercury in amalgams and fish (Guzzi et al. 2012, Interdiscipl Toxicol 5:159), and at least twice as likely to migrate into the brain. This makes it very likely that vaccines are the primary source of mercury that causes autism in children.

Metabolic Brain Disease, December 2016, Volume 31, Issue 6, pp 1419–1426; “Altered urinary porphyrins and mercury exposure as biomarkers for autism severity in Egyptian children with autism spectrum disorder.” Eman M. Khaled, et al.  (Study)

And this is not the only study that confirms this link. Many more scientific studies that have confirmed this link between mercury and autism can be found on PubMed. Simply enter “autism mercury” into the search bar.

For example, this overview done in September of 2016 found 91 studies that examine the potential relationship between mercury and ASD from 1999 to February 2016. “Of these studies, the vast majority (74%) suggest that mercury is a risk factor for Autism Spectrum Disorder, revealing both direct and indirect effects. The preponderance of the evidence indicates that mercury exposure is causal and/or contributory in ASD.”

J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2016 Sep;37:8-24. “The relationship between mercury and autism: A comprehensive review and discussion.” Kern JK, et al.  (Study)

Medicinal mushrooms have moved to the forefront of the natural healing field, and with good reason: there seems to be a mushroom suitable for just about any ailment. But mushrooms also can help to heal the earth as well as its occupants. Check out this TED talk by mycologist Paul Stamets, in which he lists 6 ways that mushrooms can help save the world.

6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World | Paul Stamets