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Hey Snowflake, The Micro D3 is available from amazon as is the Bio-Tech D3-50. Some countries will not allow amazon to sell these items as their dose exceeds a stupid limit made by Big Pharma. There's 2000 IU per drop and 20 drops in 0.5 mL. Were do you live? Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Snowflake, Thanks for the update. Off hand your 25(OH)D3 response is still low. This can be due to poor absorption in the GI tract. One way of finding out if this is the problem is to order some Micro D3. This is a nano emulsion of vitamin D3 that's taken sublingual (under the tongue) without swallowing for at least two minutes. The dose I use is 0.5 mL (40,000 IU/day). When taken sublingual, the vitamin D3 bypasses the GI tract and passes directly into the bloodstream under your tongue. Doing this sublingual dose for a week should jack your serum 25(OH)D3 up by at least 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L). Can you shoot me a photo of the label on your Rx vitamin D3? Take care and please keep us updated. V/R, Batch

Hey Abyss, My bird dog alerts me when posts or PMs are made to me or about vitamin D3 here at Clusterbusters so I've read your post and assays for 25(OH)D3. Off hand I'd say you're headed in the right direction given you were clearly vitamin D3 deficient. The following chart from the study of CHers taking vitamin D3 and cofactors to control and prevent their CH tells the story. I've been running this study continuously since December of 2011. As you can see, you were clearly under the black baseline normal distribution curve on the left. Just be careful with the loading dose of 100,000 IU/day of Bio-Tech D3-50 and 0.5 mL (40,000 IU/day) of the micro D3 taken sublingual (under the tongue) for 5 days. My dear friend Henry Lahore who runs the VitaminDWiki.com web site calls this a "Cluster Balm" as it totals 700,000 IU of vitamin D3. In military parlance, this is a MOAB (Mother Of All Bombs) when taken as total loading dose. Accordingly, you need to use the Shoot - Look - Shoot -Look doctrine when loading with the Cluster Balm as it is very important to assess the effects of a loading dose like this before loading any further. In short you load for five days using the Cluster Balm then drop back to a maintenance dose of 50,000 IU to 100,000 IU per week, while waiting for a week to 10 days for your 25(OH)D3 to equalize, then see your PCP for lab assays of your serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH to assess the situation and its effects on your calcium homeostasis. If your 25(OH)D3 is still low < 80 ng/mL and serum calcium is still within its normal reference range, load again then test. See your PCP for these assays and have her specify the following from Quest Diagnostics in her lab orders: 25(OH)D3 - She should order the Quest Diagnostic assay method called the QuestAssureD™ 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (D2, D3). Test Code 92888, CPT Code: 82306. This LC-MS/MS assay method can measure serum 25(OH)D2 and 25(OH)D3 up to 512 ng/mL https://testdirectory.questdiagnostics.com/test/test-detail/92888/questassured-25-hydroxyvitamin-d-d2-d3?cc=MASTER The lab order must specify this assay by Name and Test Code as Quest has other assays for 25(OH)D3. She should also specify the Quest Diagnostics serum calcium and PTH (Parathyroid Hormone) assays as: Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) Intact and Total Calcium, Test Code: 8837, CPT Codes: 83970, 82310. https://testdirectory.questdiagnostics.com/test/test-detail/8837/pth-intact-and-calcium?cc=MASTER These three assays taken in concert, provide a very good assessment of your calcium homeostasis in action. Regarding the warning on your lab results that reads: "Values > 80 ng/mL may be associated with toxicity" Don't believe it. This is BS and a clear case of Big Pharma propaganda to discourage people from taking higher doses of vitamin D3. I'm a 1944 model and I've run my 25(OH)D3 more than three times this high up to 273 ng/mL yet I'm still here in good working order and good health with no hypercalcemia, a.k.a., Vitamin D Intoxication/Toxicity as indicated in the following 5-year chart of my assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. Regarding your doctors scoffing at vitamin D3 therapy. This is understandable and not her fault. She was short sheeted in medical school with a curiculum devoid of nutritional medicine. As Big Pharma and their paid political hacks in Big Government fund most medical schools with lavish grants (using our tax dollars), they're taught there's a pill for every ill. In general, 9 out of 10 pharmaceutical treatments address only the symptoms, not the cause of a disorder. And when these treatments have side effects, Big Pharma has another pharmaceutical to treat the side effects. It's no wonder that most people over 50 are actually suffering from polypharmacy - Simultaneous use of too many pharmaceuticals. That said, I'm not a doctor. I don't diagnose, prescribe or treat people. I'm just are retired old Navy fighter pilot. What I do is provide information outreach with the best available information on the benefits of good health and a strong immune system made possible by taking optimum doses of vitamin D3 and its cofactors. What CHers and Migraineurs do with this information is up to them and their PCP. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Snowflake, You should be drinking 2.5 liters of water a day. You should also double the magnesium dose while loading from 400 mg/day to 800 mg/day split 400 mg with breakfast and 400 mg with the evening meal. This provides 12 hours and 12 feet of GI tract separation between doses and this helps prevent osmotic diarrhea. Are you taking all the other cofactors daily? Do you have all the supplements for the Antihistamine Full Monty on hand: (Turmeric (Curcumin), Quercetin, Resveratrol, Omega-3, Vitamin C and Melatonin)? Still need some answers. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Snowflake, You're having a wild ride so I suspect you're also battling inflammation likely from your immune system's response to allergens. That said, I have more questions than answers at this point. A drop in serum 25(OH)D3 from 71 ng/mL to 61 ng/mL in a month is about right if no vitamin D3 was taken. How many days between these two lab tests for 25(OH)D3? How much vitamin D3 did you take in loading doses during that period? Have you been taking the Bio-Tech D3-50 and if so, what was the dose? Was it 50,000 IU/week or higher? I need some answers before we can work out a plan of action. A little help please. Take care, V/R, Batch

Shaun, Max vibes and prayers heading your way. Hugs, Pete

Hey TTF, Sorry about the delay in responding. I'm on my annual fishing trip to Pelican, AK. Our house has no phone, TV or Internet access so I hike a quarter mile to the town library for WiFi access. Thi big Chinooks (King Salmon) are hitting as are the Halibut so I'm enjoying my vacation. There's nothing wrong with a vitamin D3 dose of 10,000 IU/day and the fastest way of building serum 25(OH)D3 is with a 50,000 IU/day loading dose for at least 12 days. That totals to 600,000 IU of vitamin D3 and that should elevate your serum 25(OH)D3 by 60 ng/mL on top of your baseline serum concentration. I'd shoot for a target 25(OH)D3 serum concentration range of 80 to 100 ng/mL We have also had a number of CHers respond to a collection of supplements with antihistamine properties I call the Antihistamine Full Monty. It includes 3 grams/day each of Turmeric (Curcumin), Quercetin, Resveratrol and Omega-3. It also includes 250 mcg/day Selenium, 5 mg/day Melatonin (taken at bedtime) and 8 grams/day vitamin C. You can also add 500 mg.day NAC. I buy the bulk powdered vitamin C in 1Kg bags and stir two level teaspoons in 8 oz of water then take sips all day until it's gone by bedtime. It tastes like unsweetened lemonade. You can taper the first four supplements to 2 grams/day after a week to 10 days fully CH pain free. I'd stay at 2 grams/day on the first four supplements for at least a month. Dealer's choice on tapering further. Tale care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Justin, I just sent you a PM on loading. Check your PM InBox. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

https://vitamindwiki.com/High-Dose+and+Bolus+Dose+vitamin+D+safe+for+children+–+meta-analysis+April+2022 Safety of High-Dose Vitamin D Supplementation Among Children Aged 0 to 6 Years: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Summary "Thus, our findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation in the high-dose range of 1200 to 10 000 IU/d and bolus doses to 600 000 IU to infants and preschool children to 6 years of age may be safe in both healthy children and in children with various diseases." Note: My daughter and Niece both followed the anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol taking 10,000 IU/day throughout their pregnancies. Their pregnancies and deliveries were flawless with three full term babies. These grand babies were bathed in maternal vitamin D3 from conception through breast feeding. They have T-Rex immune systems - They don't get sick. They're also budding Einsteins and Mensa candidates with exceptional neuromotor development. They've been taking vitamin D3 at 50 IU per pound of body weight per day since they stopped breastfeeding. Fred a.k.a., Winefred on the left was speaking fluent Hochdeutch (German) at age 3, attended pre-kindergarten at age 4 in Heidelberg, Germany where only German was spoken while my daughter was there on sabbatical. She came home from her first day of class and said the German kids don't speak German very well. Her bother Orrin in the middle is also bilingual. Emory Autumn on the right has become a charming and talented dancer. The 25(OH)D3 concentration in her cord blood at birth was 43 ng/mL. Take care, V/R, Batch

For reference, the Coimbra Protocol (CP) was developed by Dr. Cicero Coimbra, MD, PhD, a neurologist in São Paulo, Brazil. He uses this protocol to treat his patients with MS and other autoimmune disorders and has a 95% MS remission rate. The following link will take you to a world map of CP trained doctors. There are five CP trained doctors here in the US. https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1fATZJUEhOsYYJdBY41h48FBkLaQ&ll=35.75118934523871%2C-97.08285860000004&z=4 The CP is very similar to the anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol for CH and Migraines with the following exceptions. The starting vitamin D3 maintenance dose in the CP is 1000 IU per Kg body weight per day. After that, the vitamin D3 dose is adjusted (up or down) to keep the parathyroid hormone (PTH) serum concentration in the low normal range. For a sleek rascal like me weighing in at 80 Kg, I would be starting the CP at a vitamin D3 maintenance dose of 80,000 IU/day. That’s 8 times the vitamin D3 dose taken by the average CHer following the anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol to control and prevent CH. Patients following thie CP must avoid calcium rich foods like dairy products and drink 2.5 liters of water a day to keep the serum calcium level within its normal reference range. This article is long and detailed so here’s the bottom line. Taking high-dose vitamin D3 (10,000 IU/day and much higher) is very safe as long as the protocols are followed with lab assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH.. Conclusions In summary, to our knowledge, our work provides the first long-term documentation of selected critical laboratory parameters during the application of the CP using a high-dose oral vitamin D3 in a broad spectrum of different autoimmune diseases, demonstrating that this procedure is well tolerated with respect to renal function and calcium metabolism. In terms of individualized treatment, we suggest to further use serum levels of PTH as biomarker for an individual response to vitamin D3, the individual ability to convert vitamin D to the active metabolite, the 1,25(OH)2D’s interaction with its receptor and the response elements and finally the differential supplementation with vitamin D3. In further studies, possible differences of the clinical outcome of CP treatment should be investigated. Take care, V/R, Batch

The following study found no problems with high dose vitamin D3 in patients following the Coimbra Protocol. (CP) Safety Data in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases during Treatment with High Doses of Vitamin D3 According to the “Coimbra Protocol” Ulrich Amon, Raul Yaguboglu, Madeleine Ennis, Michael F. Holick and Julian Amon Nutrients 2022-04-10 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/8/1575

Why are doctors reluctant to accept vitamin D

An excellent State of the Art Review of the Cluster Headache syndrome. For members who didn't attend the Clusterbusters 14th Annual Cluster Headache Conference - Dallas, Texas in 2019, neurologists Emmanuelle Schindler and Mark Burish, the authors of this review, were among the featured speakers. Both are dedicated to finding effective treatments for CH. Emmanuelle is the PI for an RCT using psilocybin as the intervention for CH. Mark was impressed enough with the results from my study of CHers following the anti-inflammatory regimen and treatment protocol with 10,000 IU/day of vitamin D3 plus the cofactors, to initiate an RCT of his own using a similar treatment protocol. That RCT started recruiting earlier this year. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Billyx, Thank you for the reply. The 14-day loading schedule should have elevated your 25(OH)D3 up by 170 nmol/L bringing your total 25(OH)D3 serum concentration up around 300 nmol/L (121 ng/mL). That's good and it should be more than sufficient to bring about a therapeutic response with a significant reduction in CH frequency or better yet, a complete cessation of CH. Accordingly, as you're still getting hit with CH, it's more than likely you're also experiencing an immune system response to allergens. These can be subclinical with no obvious or outward observable symptoms. Allergic reactions kick off a lot of histamine and histamine to a CHer is like Kryptonite to Superman, bad news. None of the prevents work during an allergic reaction and that includes vitamin D3. The best course of action I take when an allergic reaction is present, is to start what I call the "Full Monty" clutch of supplements with antihistamine properties on top of the basic anti-inflammatory regimen supplements. I take 3 grams/day each of Turmeric (Curcumin), Resveratrol, Quercetin and Omega-3 fish oil. I also take 8 grams/day vitamin C in divided doses. I buy the powdered bulk vitamin C in 1 Kg bags ( 3 cents/gram USD) and mix two level teaspoons (8 grams) in 8 oz of water and take sips throughout the day until it's all gone by bedtime. I also take 10 mg/day melatonin at bedtime. I stay on this concoction for at least a week after cessation of CH then taper the doses. It never hurts to keep taking at least 4 grams/day vitamin C all the time. Our bodies need vitamin C to synthesize collagen. We need collagen to help prevent brittle bones, maintain healthy cartilage and elastic skin. Besides being an antihistamine, vitamin C is also an excellent antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial agent. Watch the following video of Linus Pauling giving a presentation on the use of vitamin C to prevent illness and disease. Pauling was 92 when he filmed this video. He had many critics of his suggested use of vitamin C in large quantities to prevent illnesses. Most of these critics came from the Big Pharmas. When he died at 93, he still had two more individual Nobel Prizes than any of his critics and he had outlived most of them. His first individual Nobel Prize was for Chemistry involving quantum mechanics, electron orbits and molecular shapes. (My degree was in Chemistry so quantum mechanics was a central theme throughout my studies.) Pauling's second individual Nobel Prize was for Peace. He stopped above ground nuclear warhead testing. He took 18 grams/day vitamin C. He also took 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Billyx, Roughly 2% of CHers experience an up-tic in CH frequency after starting this treatment protocol. It appears this phenomenon is due to an enzyme imbalance. It usually clears all by itself in a few weeks if you continue the maintenance dose of 10,000 IU/day and all the cofactors. The Solgar supplements look great, but I don't see the Kirkland Adult 50+ Mature Multi. As you can see, it picks up all the micronutrient cofactors we need. Did you start this treatment protocol with the vitamin D3 loading schedule of 600,000 IU/day spread over 12 days at 50,000 IU/day? If not, I suspect your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is still a bit low. At 10,000 IU/day for 20 days, your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is likely around 135 nmol/L and it needs to be up to a minimum of 200 nmol/L for a therapeutic response with a reduction in CH frequency or a complete cessation of CH. I suggest you order the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3 and the Nutrasal Micro D3 nano emulsion from Amazon if possible or iHerb.com. We've found taking two of the D3-50 capsules/day and 0.5 mL/day of the Micro D3 taken sublingual works great as a loading dose. It totals 140,000 IU/day. You'll need 3 to 4 days at this loading dose to elevate your 25(OH)D3 above 200 nmol/L before dropping back to a maintenance dose of 10,000 IU/day. Be sure to double the magnesium dose taking half of with with breakfast and the other half with the evening meal. This provides 12 hours and 12 feet of GI tract separation so both doses don't arrive in the colon at the same time. That causes osmotic diarrhea. If you order from iHerb.com the best alternatives to the Micro D3 are illustrated in the following photo. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Emgality (Galcanezumab) Study - Trigeminal sensory modulatory effects of galcanezumab and clinical response prediction Arne May et al. Feb 2022 ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/publication/358667291_Trigeminal_sensory_modulatory_effects_of_galcanezumab_and_clinical_response_prediction Abstract. Galcanezumab, a monoclonal antibody against calcitonin gene-related peptide, is an emerging migraine preventative. We hypothesized that the preventive effects are conveyed via modulation of somatosensory processing and that certain sensory profiles may hence be associated with different clinical responses. We recruited migraine patients (n=26), who underwent quantitative sensory tests (QST) over the right V1 dermatome and forearm at baseline (T0), 2-3 weeks (T1), and one year (T12) after monthly galcanezumab treatment. The clinical response was defined as a reduction of ≥30% in headache frequency based on the headache diary. Predictors for clinical response were calculated using binary logistical regression models. After galcanezumab (T1 vs. T0), the heat pain threshold (HPT) (°C, 44.9 ± 3.4 vs. 43.0 ± 3.3, p=0.013) and mechanical pain threshold (MPT) (log mN, 1.60 ± 0.31 vs. 1.45 ± 0.26, p=0.042) were increased exclusively in the V1 dermatome, but not the forearm. These changes were immediate, did not differ between responders and non-responders, and did not last in one year of follow-up (T12 vs. T0). However, baseline HPT (OR: 2.13, 95% CI: 1.08-4.19, p = 0.029) on the forearm was a robust predictor for a clinical response three months later. In summary, our data demonstrated that galcanezumab modulates pain thresholds specifically in the V1 dermatome, but this modulation is short-lasting and irrelevant to clinical response. Instead, the clinical response may be determined by individual sensibility even before the administration of medication. Dr. Arne May, MD, PhD. has been a member of the ICHD-3 Working Group on Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias for many years. Take Care, V/R, Batch

Hey Juss, The anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol includes the Kirkland Adult 50 + Mature Multi. As you can see from the Mature Multi Supplement Facts label above, it contains only 220 mg calcium. Regarding inflammation and oxidative stress, Vitamin D3 and Omega-3 PUFAs reduce both. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Sue, You really need to thank Craig Stewart. He did all the work to make this video possible. Regarding Vitamin A, the Kirkland Adult 50 Plus Mature Multi contains Vitamin A as Beta Carotene. Our bodies convert Beta Carotene to the active form of Vitamin A. Accordingly, if you're taking the Kirkland Mature Multi, you are getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin A. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

All, Making this Youtube video with Craig was a hoot! Without his dedication, determination and professionalism, it would not have been possible. We both hope it attracts more CHers and Migraineurs to start this treatment protocol. As you can see as a 77 year old retired Navy fighter pilot, I'm also mastering the art of full time geezer. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey ibh, Good plan and don't be afraid to try other salts of magnesium. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey LBH, The magnesium and all the other cofactors in this treatment protocol are essential for proper and effective vitamin D3 pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamis. Without supplemental magnesium at 400 mg/day, what little magnesium in your body will be consumed by the enzymatic processes that hydroxylate vitamin D3 to 25(OH)D3 and on to 1,25(OH)2D3, the genetically active vitamin D3 metabolite that helps control and prevent your CH. This could take a few days to a few weeks and when the magnesium deficiency does occur, you'll have a poor magnesium - calcium ratio and this will lead to muscle cramps and other problems. Take care and take all the cofactors, including magnesium. V/R, Batch

Hey Sue, Red wine has resveratrol, but you'll get hammered drinking enough red wine to equal 3 grams of resveratrol. A couple handfuls of dark grapes will help a little. As far as Quercetin goes, see the following link. Most are super foods.. https://www.healwithfood.org/foods-that-contain/best-quercetin-sources.phphttps://www.healwithfood.org/foods-that-contain/best-quercetin-sources.php Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Sue, Roughly 3% of CHers experience a spike in CH frequency and intensity shortly after starting vitamin D3 therapy. What appears to be happening is a shortage of vitamin D3 cofactors at the cellular level is causing this problem. These cofactors are needed to support the enzymatic processes that metabolize or more correctly Hydroxylate vitamin D3 to its genetically active metablolite 1,25(OH)2D3. There are a lot of moving parts to the hydroxylation process and other supporting enzymatic processes along the vitamin D3 metabolic pathway that are needed to support vitamin D3 enabled genetic expression. The following chart illustrates all the enzymes involved. A lack of vitamin D3 cofactors at any part of this process can cause problems. The best course of action should a spike in CH frequency and intensity occur after starting this treatment protocol is to stop taking vitamin D3 for a few days, but continue taking ALL the cofactors. This problem usually cures itself anyway, but following the above suggested process makes it happen much faster. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

We've known all along virus mutate so here's more on Omicron-2 https://vitamindwiki.com/Omicron-2%3A+in+40+countries%2C+some+with+Omicron-1+can+get+it+-+Jan+25%2C+2022 So far Omicron-2 looks to be more transmissible than Omicron-1 and people who have had Omicron 1 are catching Omicron-2 The question now is the mortality rate. A 25(OH)D3 serum concentration between 80 and 100 ng/mL appears to lessen the infection rate and symptoms. More to follow. So much for God's greatest gift to people afraid of COVID-19 alpha variant, which is almost gone from circulation. Take care, V/R, Batch

Here's some interesting info on Omicron and its infections. It gets a bit technical, but if you wade through the following link, the basic message is Omicron has the most mild infection symptoms that usually last 2 to 3 days, and as yet no mortality substantiated. Of course, lots of vitamin D3 helps recovery (at least 10,000 IU/day maintenance dose) after a few days at a loading dose of at least 50,000 IU/day plus all the cofactors. https://nutritionmatters.substack.com/p/omicrons-generally-less-harmful-mechanisms My cut at a home treatment for Omicron is illustrated in the following photo of supplements I take as a prevent. Not shown is Ivermectin at 12 mg/day for at least 5 days then 12 mg/week. This is essentially the basic anti-inflammatory regimen for CH with the addition of 50 mg zinc picolinate, 800 mg Quercetin as the zinc inonophor, and lots of liposomal tamin C (at least 3 grams/day) in divided doses throughout the day. Take care, V/R, Batch