BEFORE YOU START

Before you dive into Vitamin D3, let's make sure everything else is ready. First, we need enough stomach acid to help your body absorb magnesium and other important nutrients. Magnesium is like the key that unlocks the door for Vitamin D3 to do its magic. If you don't have enough magnesium, or if you have a condition called Primary Hyperparathyroidism, Vitamin D3 might actually cause more problems. So, let's get these things sorted out first!

WELCOME VITAMIN D

Now, let's introduce Vitamin D3, but not all by itself. It works best with a team of friends like Magnesium and other helpers. This team makes Vitamin D3 even more powerful and increases your chances of feeling great. Some people rush into taking Vitamin D3 and K2 without magnesium, and that's like trying to bake a cake without flour - it just doesn't work. And remember, we want to avoid big doses all at once and ensure we're checking to see if everything is going well.

AFTER VITAMIN D

After you've started on Vitamin D3, it's time to focus on some other nutrients that are super important for your body and for helping Vitamin D3 and magnesium do their jobs. We're talking about things like Zinc, which is great for fighting off viruses, and Vitamins A and K2, which help manage calcium in your body. Don't forget about the B Vitamins - they're like a band that plays better together, and they're key for good sleep and a happy gut. Each one has a special role, so let's make sure we're not leaving anyone out!

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Did you know there are tiny glands in your neck called the parathyroid glands? They are like the managers of calcium and phosphorus in your body, keeping them in balance. This is super important for your bones, heart, and overall health.

In these modules, we'll explore some simple tests to ensure that your parathyroid glands are working well. If they're not, they might not properly handle vitamin D, leading to problems with calcium in your blood and bones. This can be especially important for women over 50, but it's something everyone should be aware of.

Taking care of your parathyroids is a key step before starting vitamin D supplements or using calcium supplements. Let's make sure your body is ready and avoid any issues!

Magnesium is by far the most essential nutrient to consider if you want to be successful with Vitamin D3. Besides being necessary for D3, it’s essential in its own right. However, despite being a Star Player, magnesium can’t play successfully without the support of the other electrolytes and proper hydration. So it’s essential that you also consider water, potassium and sodium when you start magnesium.

Similarly, although it’s a trace mineral and not an electrolyte, boron fits here. It’s a vital mineral for the parathyroids, which is why it helps with both magnesium and calcium. It especially helps raise magnesium and vitamin D.

Neglecting any of these Team Players will also cause significant problems when you try to start D3.

Humans are one of the very few animals that no longer make their own Vitamin C. ALL animals that make Vitamin C only make ascorbic acid! None make “whole food vitamin C”, which only exists as a fanciful idea!

Vitamin C helps increase the absorption of many nutrients and increases the accumulation rate of Vitamin D as 25hydroxyD. It’s also a powerful tool for your body to reduce inflammation and is vital for the body during any time of stress, including infections and repairing physical body damage.

Vitamin D, along with vitamins A, E, and K, are crucial for our well-being. They work best when dissolved in oil, so consider opting for oil-based capsules or drops instead of dry pills. Consuming them alongside a meal rich in healthy fats, such as fish or avocado, enhances absorption. Water-soluble versions of these vitamins are available for those without a gallbladder, eliminating the need for a fatty meal. Let's prioritize our health with these simple yet effective practices.

Low stomach acid is a common problem, and often leads to severe deficiencies in minerals like magnesium, iron and also vitamins like B12.

Contrary to popular belief, most acid reflux stems from low, not high, stomach acid levels. Low acid is a disaster. It allows undigested food to move into the gut, causing a Leaky Gut. It also allows unsterilised food, containing pathogenic bacteria, to move down the gut, causing infections. It prompts food to rot or ferment rather than digest and produces gasses that cause extended stomachs, and burps, which blow stomach contents back up the esophagus triggering GERD and LPR. Low acid facilitates the pathogenic bacterium H. pylori to grow out of control in the stomach initiating further loss of acid and causing inflammation of the stomach lining, ulcers and ultimately cancer.

Acid reflux medications, typically intended for short-term use, are often overprescribed or can be purchased over the counter, leading to prolonged stomach acid suppression. These include H-blockers, antacids, certain antihistamines, magnesium oxide and especially proton pump inhibitors, which can destroy stomach acid.

The Important Minerals are divided into:

Four Basic Organic Elements: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen.

The Seven Primary Electrolytes will be covered in Step One. There are the four positively charged, ie. calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium and the three negatively charged, ie. chloride, biphosphate, and bicarbonate.

Boron, which is really a Trace Mineral, will also be covered here because it’s really important to some of the electrolytes, the parathyroids, and the kidneys, so it needs to be optimised early.

In Step 3, I will cover the Trace Elements, some of whose identities are still being debated because of disagreements about their necessity for life ie. Chromium, fluorine, bromine etc. Initially, Zinc and copper will be covered as a pair, then Selenium and iodine. Later, I will also include, but to a lesser degree, cobalt, iron, manganese, molybdenum, sulphur, silicon, vanadium, nickel, arsenic, and chromium. The others, which are either toxic or inert will get a brief mention later still.

Like Vitamin D, the other fat-soluble vitamins should be taken in oil caps or as drops dissolved in oil or an emulsion, not dry pills (with one exception). Similarly, they should be taken with a fatty or oily meal.

Vitamin A is an essential teammate with Vitamin D. However, they can override each other if they are unbalanced! Beta carotene is NOT Vitamin A, nor is it present in vegetables.

Vitamin K2 doesn't significantly lower Serum Calcium, but it does significantly reduce solid calcium deposits in soft tissues. Vitamin K2 does NOT help Vitamin D3 absorb, even though many groups that don’t understand D3 promote both these falsehoods.

Patients prescribed warfarin (Coumadin®) have long been told to avoid Vitamin K. However, when done correctly, low-dose vitamin K1 can help stabilise the beneficial effects of warfarin. Vitamin K2 does not affect clotting, but it helps remove calcium deposits caused by warfarin.

Vitamin E should never be taken as just alpha-tocopherol (especially the synthetic dL version), as is found in most supplements that include it. It contains four different Tocopherols and four matched Tocotrienols, which play as a team.

B’s must be allowed to play together. Never use single Bs, even though you might use a larger dose of one (Like B1 or B12) for a specific purpose. Some people need methylated Bs, and others hate them. The one that’s best for you can be determined by gene testing or trial and error. However, some people experience strongly negative reactions if they take the wrong one

Synthetic Bs like Folic Acid, Pyridoxine HCl and Cyanocobalamin are a curse and yet almost all multis contain them, as do their individual counterparts. Synthetic B6 is especially nasty, as it blocks the B6 receptor so that even the natural B6 can then cause problems.

Most B’s need magnesium and potassium, just like Vitamin D. The same for the other Bs which need to play as a team.

BigPharma B12 groups claim B12 should only be taken as an injection. This is a complete falsehood from the days when the only choice was an injection or oral B12. Oral B12 mostly don’t work. However, there is a newer class of B12 pills that completely overcomes the tag placed on them by oral pills. Sublingual B12s are the way to go, and there is no longer any need for B12 injections.