Photo by Reina Lovefull on Unsplash
Hello dear Readers,
It’s been a while…if you are here because you followed the link from my Instagram – welcome and thank you! If you are here because you are subscriber to Kwok Eats – thank you for your continued support! If anyone is wondering why I took a break…you can read more about it here. And now, without further ado, let’s do this!
March was national multiple sclerosis (MS) awareness month, and I would like to take the opportunity to share with you why I chose the following topic for my capstone paper that I completed for my masters degree:
The impact of vitamin D on the progression of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) to multiple sclerosis (MS) and disease severity .
To help you better understand the backstory, check out my health journey here. Long story short – I haven’t felt well for YEARS. The way I was feeling did not match my age. I was not vibrant and full of life. I was tired and achy all the time. The amount and intensity of my nonspecific symptoms increased over time and none of my medical providers could figure out why I was struggling. All my lab work was essentially “normal”. There was nothing normal about how I felt. I was so frustrated with not being able to find answers. I had to do something.
***disclaimer. I will be sharing parts of my health journey here. This information is by no means meant to be used for self-diagnosis. I do not favor one type of medical practice over another (conventional vs. functional medicine). I do not advocate for the denial of conventional medicine – it saves lives! My perspective is that conventional and functional medicine can be used together to support the body for optimal well-being and function.
I enlisted the help of an integrative provider. These providers are different from conventional medical providers in that they assess the patient for clinical imbalances that may contribute to chronic illnesses. They try to help patients restore balance and function with nutrition and supplementation. (Read more about functional medicine here.) As a clinical pharmacist who is conventionally trained, I was skeptical in what my integrative provider had to bring to the table. No one has been able to tell me what was wrong with me so far. I was prepared for disappointment. But by this time, I felt that I had nothing to lose.
On the contrary, I was not disappointed. I had severe vitamin D deficiency. I remember my integrative provider saying, “oh my goodness! Mary, this is bad. Your vitamin D is very, very low. Like rickets low!”. To put things into perspective, per conventional assessment, vitamin D levels are considered “ok” if it’s 30 ng/ml and above. However, per functional assessment, levels of at least 40 ng/ml are considered good for optimal function. Well, my level was 8 ng/ml. No, that’s not a typo. EIGHT.
Guess what symptoms may be associated with vitamin D deficiency? Vertigo (that’s me). Tinnitus (got that). Feeling depressed (that’s me most days). Fatigue (all the time). Hair loss (been there, done that). Other imbalances were identified, but this was the most severe. We decided to refill my vitamin D tank first and then work on other items on the list. I brought the results and recommendations to my conventional provider and was started on very high dose weekly supplementation immediately.
Meanwhile, I was subjected to another barrage of lab tests and scans because of the vertigo. And this is where things got REAL. My brain MRI showed smoky patches. Repeat scans (now with contrast) showed areas of demyelination.
Our nerves are all sheathed with a protective fatty later called myelin. It insulates the nerve so that it can properly send and receive electrical signals. Demyelination is the stripping away of this layer and this is usually an autoimmune process. This means that your own immune system is attacking the fatty protective layer. <graphic>
Because of these diagnostic findings, I was referred to a neurologist who then referred me to another neurologist who specialized in….
Multiple sclerosis.
I felt as if time stopped. The floor opened beneath me and threatened to swallow me. To say that I was devastated was an understatement. This was where I learned that one of the major risk factors for MS was vitamin D deficiency. The specialist told me that it was good that it was being corrected, but there was still a chance that my condition would progress. I was offered the option of starting a medication regimen, which may or may not change the course of my condition. I decided to hold off and take the “wait and see” approach after having a very detailed discussion with my specialist. I continued to have close monitoring with my specialist and the plan is to start medications as soon as the lab work shows signs of change. However, I wasn’t satisfied with waiting for something to happen before acting.
A month after having started high dose vitamin D supplementation, my level increased to acceptable conventional measures, and I started to notice that the vertigo and tinnitus was less intense. My integrative provider and I decided that I was able continue with a daily vitamin D supplement. As for those other clinical imbalances? It is going to be a lifelong work in progress – and stories for future posts.
Fueled by the fact that my integrative provider was able to help point me in the right direction, I wanted to learn more about functional medicine. I wanted to learn about why my body manifested certain imbalances and be an active participant in making decisions about my health. So, I enrolled in the masters program for human nutrition and functional medicine at the University of Western States. I wasn’t going to sit and wait. I needed to learn how to support my body with functional medicine while also using conventional measures. My hope is that one day I wouldn’t have to rely on conventional medicine as much.
Pursuing the masters degree allowed me to be an active participant in my health journey. I did it to find answers for myself. But what it really gave me was a new perspective. No one practice, conventional or functional, can provide all the answers. Finding ways to merge between these practices really helps increase the number of potential possibilities.
Vitamin D holds a special place in my heart because it provided another path for me to explore. My biggest “what if” question was, “what if we caught the vitamin D deficiency earlier? Could we have prevented MS from manifesting? Even if I corrected the deficiency, what impact would it have on disease progression, if at all?” Therefore, I chose the topic that I did.
That’s it for now dear Readers. Stay tuned for the next post where I’ll be discussing and breaking down the findings in my paper.
In the meantime, check here to learn more about vitamin D and COVID-19 infection.
As always, thank you for stopping by!
Mary