xxx

Lots of good comments on when to dose. The basic rule is take these supplements with the largest meal of the day. This is particularly important for the mineral supplements as large meals trigger the release of more stomach acid and this helps dissolve the mineral supplements. The oil based supplements can be taken at any time. That said, taking everything with the largest meal is the best way to go. As far as the labs go, obtaining them before start of treatment with the supplements establishes a baseline to help measure progress. In simple terms, your assay for 25(OH)D3 should increase by at least 60 ng/mL (150 nmol/L) by day 30. Don't be concerned if your serum 25(OH)D3 concentration goes over 100 ng/mL (250 nmol/L). I've run my serum 25(OH)D3 concentration up as high as 272 ng/mL. I'm still here at 79, CH pain free and doing just fine. My PCP did go into fibrillation the first time he saw it that high, but calmed down when he saw my serum calcium was within its normal reference range and all my other annual physical labs were in the green. The calcium assay may rise to the top if its normal reference range but not over.. PTH should start dropping towards its minimum level within the normal reference range. A drop in PTH is the second best indication vitamin D3 is doing its thing properly. Stopping the CH is the best indication. For CHers new to this treatment protocol, I and many other CHers who use the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble capsules have found loading vitamin D3 at 100,000 IU/day for six days gets us CH pain free a lot faster. There's a lot more info in the Quick Start Guide. Take care and please keep us posted if you've just started this treatment protocol. V/R, Batch, a.k.a. XXX

Thank you gegibsonjr, this is very helpful information. Glad to hear the Methyl Folate + is still in production and will soon be available again on Amazon. Take care and Merry Christmas. V/R, Batch

Many of you have contacted me regarding the Methyl Folate +. It appears One Elevated is no longer offering this supplement. I've done some checking for Methylated B-Complex with similar strength to the One Elevated product and came up with three options from Amazon. All three have a serving size of two capsules. However, one capsule a day comes very close to the One Elevated strength for a single capsule. Please let me know if any of you have any problems with any of these three Methylated B-Complex products. I intend to try all three. Tale care, V/R, Batch

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8573865/ It's been my experience that treating CH with vitamin D3 and the cofactors also boosts the immune system. I haven't had a cold since starting this vitamin D3 treatment protocol in 2010. I also skated through the COVID-19 pandemic with little more than a two day bought with a slightly elevated temp. Ivermectin worked great!. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Frenchie, Vitamin D3 is a MUST when treating Crohn's and Cluster Headaches. Follow the new "Quick Start Guide with lots of vitamin D3 and the cofactors. Short URL = https://is.gd/cluster2023 You'll need to elevate your serum 25(OH)D3 to a range between 80 and 100 ng/mL. One Vitamin D3 loading cycle (600,000 IU over 12 days at 50,000 IU/day) followed up with a vitamin D3 maintenance dose 100,000 IU/week should do the trick. This will take care of both your cluster headaches AND Crohn's. Take care and please Keep us posted. V/R, Batch

I take the Methyl Folate full time. The original 90 treatment recommended by Dr. Stasha Gominak proved insufficient so she now recommends the B complex full time. That was good enough for me.

Yes, there are problems with some of the links. Not sure why. The short URL link is working. Short URL = https://is.gd/cluster2023 You can find the rest of the links there. Try this download link http://vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=20148&page=Cluster and Migraine headache treatment protocol - Sept 2023&download=y Take care, V/R, Batch

I've finally completed the update to the Anti-Inflammatory Regimen - Cluster and Migraine Headache Treatment Protocol. I've titled the update "Quick Start Guide" as it streamlines the process of starting this treatment protocol. Henry Lahore, founder of VitaminDWiki.com, was kind enough to publish the Quick Start Guide on VitaminDWiki. This VitaminDWiki web page is titled: Cluster and Migraine headache treatment protocol - Sept 2023 Short URL = https://is.gd/cluster2023 The download link for CHers and Migraineurs who want a pdf copy they can send to others = http://vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=20148&page=Cluster and Migraine headache treatment protocol - Sept 2023&download=y You can also download a copy by going to the Attached Files section of this web page and click on the following link: Quick Start Guide - Sept 2023.pdf The goals of this update include an improved response rate among CHers, Migraineurs and a surprising number of CHers who also suffer from migraine headaches. To meet these goals, this update now includes provisions for two or more vitamin D3 loading schedules with higher vitamin D3 maintenance doses and higher 25(OH)D3 serum concentrations. (Note, multiple loading schedules should be done under a physician's supervision with assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH following each loading schedule to ensure calcium and PTH remain within their normal reference ranges). The following chart illustrates this can be accomplished safely without driving serum calcium or PTH out of their respective normal reference ranges. As you can see from this graphic, serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations are a very poor indication of vitamin D3 toxicity. This update also includes a collection of supplements I call the Antihistamine Full Monty as there are a lot of them and these supplements have antihistamine properties. Many of these supplements are also frequently found in migraine treatments. Once you've followed the Quick Start Guide for at least 30 days, please feel free to comment in this thread and do take the listed survey. Take care, V/R, Batch, a.k.a. XXX

To All, I'm in the loop with Daisy and there's nothing wrong with a vitamin D3 maintenance dose of 40,000 IU/day as long as you drink 2.5 liters of water/day, avoid calcium rich foods like al dairy products and see your PCP lab tests regularly to ensure serum calcium and PTH remain within their respective normal reference rang limits. Take care V/R, Batch or XXX.

I agree with Spiny. The symptoms you listed are not seen among people on this treatment protocol. I suspect you've another pathology present. Seeing your doctor is a great idea. Take care, V/R, Batch, a.k.a. XXX

Hey Muffin_Man, It's been nearly a month. Howz the head? Take care, V/R, Batch, a.k.a. XXX

Hey Muffin_Man, Your labs look fine. You should be able to load for another 5 days and not push your serum calcium too high. My 25(OH)D3 was up around 273 ng/mL with normal calcium and PTH a little low. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Frilling, As BoscoPico indicated, your husband needs to start this treatment protocol now. The supplements you'll need are illustrated in the photo below of what I take and suggest to fellow CHers. Anti-Inflammatory Regimen Supplements: VITAMIN D3 A. Nutrasal Micro D3 Nano Emulsion – 0.5 mL/day used when loading B. Bio-Tech D3-50 – 1 or 2 capsules a week as Maintenance dose COFACTORS C. Kirkland Adult 50+ Mature Multi - 1 capsule a day D. Nature Made Extra Strength 400 mg Magnesium softgel - 1 capsule a day E. Nature Made Omega-3 Fish Oil – 2 capsules a day F. Methyl Folate + Vitamin B Complex - 1 capsule a day G. LifeExtension Super K with Advanced K2 Complex - 1 capsule a day Take care and please keep us posted, V/R, Batch

@ZBM My wife weighs 120 lbs and has been taking the anti-inflammatory regimen since November of 2010. She takes 12,000 IU/day vitamin D3 and all the cofactors. That maintains her 25(OH)D3 response around 120 ng/mL. She's 86 now and like me, takes no Rx medications or vaccines. She passes her annual physicals and labs with flying colors. Bottom line, there's nothing to worry about while following this vitamin D3 treatment protocol. All the side effects are beneficial as ≥ 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 and the cofactors boost the innate and adaptive immune systems to maximum efficacy to beat back infections before they become a problem. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch, a.k.a., XXX

Dawn, It's good to hear the prednisone taper is helping. It is also a good diagnostic indicating inflammation. Take care and have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy CH pain free New Year. V/R, Batch

Dawn, Thank you for the post. I was on travel all day yesterday and have had problems getting my laptop back on line until a few minutes ago.. You've done nothing wrong and have followed the protocol correctly. You've loaded vitamin D3 aggressively, experienced a favorable drop in CH frequency, (just not the complete cessation of your CH that you and I wanted), you've seem your GP, obtained the assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH and stopped taking vitamin D3. These were all correct actions. It's the followup course of action that's important now. Stay off the vitamin D3 for 10 days to two weeks then see your GP for another set of assays for your serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. Be sure to ask your GP for the high sensitive C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) assay. It's likely you've inflammation and/or an immune system response to allergens cooking away. Either of these conditions make it difficult for vitamin D3 to do its thing preventing your CH. If your hs-CRP is elevated, you and your GP need to look for the cause. Be sure to drink 2.5 liters of water in the 24 hours prior to the blood draw for these labs. In the meantime, you need to drink 2.5 liters of water a day and avoid calcium rich foods like all dairy products and any calcium supplements. I would take as many of the Antihistamine Full Monty supplements you can get. They're listed in the email I sent you. If you can't find all of them, ask your GP for an Rx for a first-generation antihistamine like Diphenhydramine HCL and take as directed. I would also ask for an Rx for oxygen as a CH abortive at 15 liters/minute if you've not already done so. As an immune system response to allergens in your environment or diet is likely, starting the Atkins-Ketogenic diet is a good idea. Start it with a 24-hr fast drinking 2.5 liters of water a day and taking all the supplements less the vitamin D3 daily. The fast will burn through the glycogen (blood starch) stored in the liver and this will help push you into mild ketosis. Our bodies metabolize ketones just fine. Exercise is also important. I'm 78 and have found 10 minutes fast walking makes a big difference. CH attacks during airline travel is an interesting phenomenon experienced by most CHers. Airliner cabins are pressurized to an altitude of 7,000 to 8,000 feet while the jet is flying at 30,000 to 37,000 feet. This results in a drop in alveolar oxygen of up to 7%. As the CH syndrome is sensitive to variations in oxygen, a drop of 5% to 7% is sufficient to trigger CH. Bottom line, you're on the right track. Following the course of action above will bring your serum calcium back into its normal reference range and when that happens, your parathyroids will respond with more PTH and that will bring it back into its normal reference range. The hard part is getting inflammation and allergic reactions under control. Once you've done that, you've sufficient vitamin D3 and 25(OH)D3 in your system to help prevent your CH. Once your serum calcium and PTH are back in their respective normal reference ranges, you can resume vitamin D3 at a maintenance dose of 50,000 to 100,000 IU/week. Take care, hang in there and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Quick Note to All. Disclaimer: The following is for information and educational purposes only. See your PCP before starting vitamin D3 therapy and obtain lab assays of your serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. If your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is below 30 ng/mL (70 nmol/L) you really need to start vitamin D3 therapy The anti-Inflammatory Regimen is very beneficial to all of us even if we don't have CH or migraines. Rationale: Vitamin D3 at the suggested doses boosts the innate and adaptive immune system and that is HUGE as our immune systems keep us healthy by fighting off disease, inflammation associated with trauma from injuries and surgery as well as other autoimmune disorders. For example, the surgery required for knee or hip replacement will cause serum 25(OH)D3 to drop by 70% in less than a week following surgery. That opens the door to longer more painful recovery times. The really impressive thing about taking vitamin D3 a few weeks before planned surgery is the surgical wounds heal very rapidly with minimal risk of infection. Moreover, sufficient vitamin D3 lowers the need for opiates to control the pain from surgical wounds. If it's an acute injury, start vitamin D3 therapy ASAP at a minimum of 50,000 IU/day then taper to 10,000 IU/day with the liquid softgel vitamin D3 formulation or 50,000 IU/week with the Bio-Tech D3-50. Vitamin D3 is also a fantastic treatment for Shingles (Varicella-Zoster virus (VCV) infection - a.k.a., Zoster). 50,000 IU also stopped a progressing VCV infection (I was asymptomatic) in a matter of hours and 100,000 IU of vitamin D3 cleared the infection completely in less than two days. The standard vitamin D3 dose with the liquid softgel vitamin D3 formulation is 10,000 IU/day or your can compute it at 125 IU/Kg (57 IU/lb) body weight/day or multiply this amount by seven and take that once a week. This dosing schema is good for 6 lb infants up to the Big & Tall adults. If you're burning the Bio-Tech D3-50 illustrated in the photo above like me, one 50,000 IU capsule a week is a great dose. This is because the Bio-Tech D3-50 has a much higher bioequivalence than the same dose of the liquid softgel vitamin D3 formulations. Here's the real biggie... This vitamin D3 regimen and treatment protocol is also effective in preventing and treating COVID-19. Watch the following Youtube video of Dr. Campbell as he explains results from the largest study of its kind treating COVID-19 with vitamin D3. It was found to be safe and effective. A little evolutionary perspective... Our need for vitamin D3 is the direct result of over a billion years of DNA evolution, 420 million years of vertebrate evolution and 200 million years of mammalian evolution where genetic instructions in the human genome evolved to codify our need for vitamin D3 and how to produce it when the 7-dehydrocholesterol in our skin is exposed to the UV-B in direct sunlight… Got that? We need cholesterol in order to produce cutaneous vitamin D3… Taking statins screws the pooch… but that’s another story. Vitamin D3 is so important to good health and human physiology, our skin can generate as much as 15,000 IU of cutaneous vitamin D3 in as little as 10 minutes if exposed to the UV-B in direct summer sunlight at mid day clad in a bathing suit without sunblock. These figures are for people with fair skin color. If our skin is darker, we need to double the UV-B exposure time. Unfortunately most of us haven’t been out in the sun that since we were kids… Working for a living, air conditioning and the skin cancer mafia have seen to that… Living in a sun belt does not guaranty adequate cutaneous vitamin D3 as exposed face, arms and legs are not sufficient to produce the amount of vitamin D3 needed for a healthy life. On top of that, the amount of vitamin D added to milk and orange juice is grossly insufficient to elevate serum 25(OH)D. Accordingly… unless we’re already supplementing with at least 5,000 IU/day vitamin D3… most of us are vitamin D3 deficient for non-skeletal pathologies… a 25(OH)D serum concentration less than 50 ng/mL, (125 nmol/L). You can read all about the supplements and suggested doses, drug interactions and contraindications for this regimen with an Internet search on “anti-inflammatory vitamin D3 regimen.” Take care, I welcome comments... V/R, Batch

CCF_000050.pdf

Hey Sparklegirl, I remember getting hit 8 times/day. It was bad. See your PCP for assays of your serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH (Parathyroid Hormone). It's a safe bet your serum 25(OH)D3 concentration is low < 30 ng/mL (75 nmol/L). If I'm correct, starting the anti-inflammatory regimen CH and MH preventative treatment protocol is prudent and the best way to get your CH under control. The following photo illustrates the supplements by brand and doses I take and suggest to other CHers. It helps to start this protocol by loading vitamin D3 to elevate serum 25(OH)D3 more rapidly. The loading dose I've used is two of the 50,000 IU Bio-Tech D3-50 capsules/day plus 0.5 mL/day of the Nutrasal Micro D3 nano emulsion taken sublingual (under the tongue for two minutes without swallowing). This brings the loading dose to 140,000 IU/day and It's taken for five (5) days for a total of 700,000 IU of vitamin 'D3 then drop back to an initial maintenance dose of 100,000 IU/week of the Bio-Tech D3-50. It's also helpful to double the magnesium dose by taking 400 mg with breakfast and 400 mg with the evening meal. This provides 12 hours and 12 feet GI tract separation between doses and that helps avoid osmotic diarrhea. See your PCP in 30 days for another round of assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. Your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration should be up around 80 to 100 ng/mL (200 to 250 nmol/L). If the CH beast is still jumping ugly after completing the above loading schedule, I would start the antihistamine Full Monty. This is a clutch of supplements with antihistamine properties that includes 2 to 3 grams/day Turmeric (Curcumin), Quercetin, Resveratrol, Omega-3 (EPA and DHA) fish oil. It also includes 8 grams/day viramin C, 5 mg/day Melatonin (taken at bedtime), 250 mcg Selenium and 1000 mg/day NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine). Stay at this dose for 5 days then drop the dose of the first four supplements to one gram/day. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Snafu, I'm just a 78 year old retired Navy fighter pilot so I need to keep the concept of detoxing from the COVID-19 mRNA biologics simple enough to get my head around it. There's more than enough medical evidence from several studies linking the mRNA biologics to injuries of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Accordingly, it appears taking nutritional supplements that boost immune system (white blood cell) functions is a prudent course of action. If you look at the available COVID-19 mRNA vaccine detox protocols, you'll see most include vitamin C, vitamin D3 and its cofactors. To my way of thinking, that makes the anti-inflammatory regimen and treatment protocol a good choice as an mRNA biologic detox. The really exciting data from Dr. Michael Holick's study is the vitamin D3 dose dependency in gene expression among the immune system's white blood cells. Basically, more is better when it comes to the vitamin D3 dose as higher doses increase the number of genes activated. The only caveat is we need to keep the serum calcium concentration within its normal reference range and not depress the PTH concentration below its low normal level. This requires 2.5 liters of water a day, avoidance of high calcium foods like all dairy products and frequent assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. The next question is how much vitamin D3 is enough? The answer, based on my experience over the last three years, is the dose that elevates serum 25(OH)D3 up to around 150 ng/mL. There's no single answer so the basic approach is load and test. After that, the best indication of efficacy is an absence of viral infections. That can take months or longer. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Snafu, Great question. For starters, the Wuhan Corona virus is now endemic in the population like influenza. As coronavirus mutate rapidly, it's very likely healthy innate and adaptive immune systems will neutralize one mutant variant and develop the specific antibodies for that strain. However, the next mutant variant may be sufficiently different in its genetic makeup to avoid detection by the antibodies developed for the previous variant and this results in yet another infection. This is likely what you're experiencing. There's an excellent 2019 gene activation study by Dr Holick and colleagues. This a landmark study as it shows a significant dose response in gene activation in 3 groups of healthy volunteers who took varying amounts of vitamin D daily for 6 months. The doses used in the 3 groups were 600, 4000, and 10,000 units a day. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-53864-1. "There was a dose-dependent 25(OH)D alteration in broad gene expression with 162, 320 and 1289 genes up- or down-regulated in their white blood cells (our immune systems), respectively.” This is great science. It makes me wonder how many genes would have been activated with 20,000, 30,000 units or more a day of vitamin D3 for 6 months. I don't have the gene activation counts for vitamin D3 doses of 20,000 to 30,000 IU/day or higher, but I do have first hand end results. Over the last 30 months, I've averaged a vitamin D3 dose around 30,000 IU/day with a few weeks as high as 80,000 IU/day to remain CH pain free during periods of high pollen and mold spore counts. This much vitamin D3 elevated my serum 25(OH)D3 concentration up to around 150 ng/mL (375 nmol/L) and at a couple points, as high as 270 ng/mL (675 nmol/L). The net results were clear. I remained CH pain free and I also remained asymptomatic to Wuhan Coronavirus infections by the alpha through omicron 2 and 3 mutant variant exposures. This doesn't mean I wasn't infected. What was likely happening was my innate immune system's killer T-Cells were activated beating back the coronavirus infection and stopping viral replication before it reached the point of emerging symptoms (sore throat, temperature, malaise, etc.). There's a great chart by Dr. Paul Marik, MD, Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, illustrating the time line from inoculation by the Wuhan Coronavirus. As you can see, viral incubation and replication can be in progress with an innate immune system, naive to a new viral strain and not boosted by vitamin D3, for up to five days before symptoms present/become evident. In my case, its likely my T-Cell activation has been occurring within a couple days of inoculation by a new Wuhan Coronavirus variant. Since the Wuhan Coronavirus landed in the US, I've also taken larger doses of vitamin C (8 grams/day in divided doses) as an antiviral supplement. Zinc has been part of the anti-inflammatory regimen and treatment protocol since I developed it in 2010. I added Quercetin in April of 2020. Quercetin is a zinc ionophore that enables water soluble zinc ions to pass through the fatty acids that make up cell membranes to stop viral replication. Had Ivermectin been available, I would have taken it as a prophylaxis. Accordingly, the message here should be clear. Higher vitamin D3 doses resulting in an elevated 25(OH)D3 serum concentration around 150 ng/mL, coupled with vitamin C, zinc and Quercetin have enabled my innate and adaptive immune systems to keep me asymptomatic to Wuhan Coronavirus infections. The bottom line, see your PCP for assays of my serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. As long as your calcium serum concentration is within its normal reference range, I would load vitamin D3 for 6 days at 100,000 IU/day (2.5 mg/day) then drop back to a maintenance dose at least 5000 IU/day higher than usual. Test again in two weeks with assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. You're looking for an initial target 25(OH)D3 serum concentration around 150 ng/mL (375 nmol/L) without going bust on serum calcium concentration too high or PTH serum concentration too low. In my opinion, for what it's worth, this is a prudent course of action for CHers who have had one or more COVID-19 mRNA vaccinations. There is sufficient evidence from properly structured, peer reviewed RCTs that each mRNA vaccination results in progressively weaker immune systems as evidenced by significant increases in diseases and medical conditions normally kept in check by healthy immune systems. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Fauci Resigns https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fauci-step-down-president-bidens-chief-medical-adviser-2022-08-22/ It's going to take some time to prove, but the COVID-19 Coronavirus and mRNA biologic jabs are contributors to CH. Take care and make it a good day. V/R, Batch

Just to make sure. Ergocalciferol is vitamin D2 and Cholecalciferol is vitamin D3. If you can confirm you have Cholecalciferol, you're good to go. That said, Ergocalciferol is usually only available by prescription.

Hey Snowflake, Thanks for the reply and photos. Yes, I remember our WhatsApp call. Please see your PM InBox for more details. Getting off the antidepressants is important. They do more harm than good. The calciferol you're taking is actually vitamin D2 not D3. Calciferol is the generic name for vitamin D2. The Rx for calciferol was the hint this was the case and the photo you sent of the pill bottle confirmed my suspicion. We've found that vitamin D2 is less effective in preventing CH, but don't let this stop you from loading with calciferol as it is far better than no vitamin D at all. As vitamin D3 is chemically very similar to vitamin D3, it also occupies the VDR (Vitamin D Receptor) preventing cutaneous vitamin D3 your skin produces from being helpful. You should be able to buy the Bio-Tech D3-50 through iherb.com. If not, you can go directly to Bio-Tech Pharmacal at the following link. https://www.pureformulas.com/brand/bio-tech-pharmacal.html?cawelaid=530005240004320953&catrk=spfid-70&caagid=2399212863&catci=kwd-20815491185%3Aloc-190&capcid=79783491151498&cadevice=c&accountid=53000524 The sooner you switch to the Bio-Tech D3-50 the better as the 25(OH)D2 will stay in blood serum for several months before it's finally replaced by 25(OH)D3. I would also switch to magnesium oxide or magnesium glycinate as many people find the magnesium citrate you're taking acts as a potent laxative. The rest of your supplements look good. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Abyss. Howz the head? Are you CH pain free? We don't know your actual 25(OH)D3 serum concentration as the assay method used by your present lab tops out at a maximum measurement of 140 ng/mL. Even it it's 150 to 160 ng/mL it is just fine and no worry. Have your PCP write the next set of lab orders for Quest Diagnostics nearest your home and the QuestAssurD (D2, D3) assay method that measures combined D2, D3 up to 512 ng/mL. That said, your PTH looks about right, but we still need your serum calcium assay to make sure it is still within its normal reference range. One more day loading at 140, 000 should be okay then drop back to 100,000 IU/week with the Bio-Tech D3-50 (Save the Micro D3 for loading) and wait 10 days for another round of assays for your serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. We need all three of these assays to get a better understanding of your situation. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch