xxx

Hey Dagobah, You've got the supplements and basic lab test schedule spot on. Kat is spot on about doubling the magnesium dose while loading to at least 800 mg/day. We're finding faster responses and a higher level of efficacy if CHers load vitamin D3 with 100,000 IU/day (two of the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3 capsules) plus 0.5 cc/day of the Micro D3 for a total loading dose of 140,000 IU/day. We've also found that staying at this loading dose until CH pain free for at least two full days before starting a taper down to an initial maintenance dose of 100,000 IU/week ± 50,000 IU tends to result in a lasting and complete cessation of CH. Most CHers achieve success when the total loading dose reaches 700,000 IU of vitamin D3 (5 days loading) but some CHers and migraineurs need a total loading dose as high as 1,400,000 IU of vitamin D3 (10 days loading). The difference appears to be related to BMI and/or an immune system response to something like allergens. If you're CH pain free after tapering to the initial maintenance dose, the labs at 30 days is fine. If you're still getting whacked after two weeks loading, drop the vitamin D3 dose to 50,000 IU/day and see your PCP/GP for labs of your 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. If your serum calcium is within its normal reference range and your PTH has not reached the low normal limits of its reference range, continue loading. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Nugget, Thank you for the update. Your 25(OH)D3 response to dose of vitamin D3 is spot on and looking great! Before I go any further, I need to ask a couple pregnant questions, What was your serum calcium? If it was within its normal reference range, there is no hypercalcemia (too much serum calcium), a.k.a., vitamin D3 intoxication/toxicity so your actual 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is no worry no matter how high it goes. Moreover and more importantly, what was the frequency of your CH with a 25(OH)D3 serum concentration of 124 ng/mL? If you experienced a decrease in the frequency, severity and duration of your CH at this 25(OH)D3 serum concentration, what's not to like about that? If there was no change in the frequency, severity and duration of your CH, it's very likely your 25(OH)D3 is still too low as illustrated in the 4-year chart of my labs posted earlier in this thread. Accordingly, as most CHers have found, increasing their 25(OH)D3 serum concentration with a vitamin D3 loading dose of 100,000 IU/day vitamin D3 until they've experienced a CH pain free response for at least two full days, then taper the vitamin D3 dose back down to a maintenance dose (50,000 IU to 100,000 IU/week, a average vitamin D3 dose of 7100 t0 14200 IU/day is very effective. It's unfortunate that too many doctors are unfamiliar with vitamin D3 therapy so parrot the school book comment to maintain an optimum 25(OH)D3 serum concentration of 40 to 80 ng/mL. It's not their fault. The medical school curriculum contains only a few hours on nutritional medicine and then it's to remain within the RDA for vitamins and minerals. This is fine for "normal" people with no active pathology. Guess what - we CHers are not "Normal." The study I've been running with over 313 CHer participants since December of 2011, clearly indicates there's an inverse relationship between CH frequency and the 25(OH)D3 serum concentration. In short, for CHers, a low 25(OH)D3 serum concentration results in a high frequency of CH, and CHers who elevate their 25(OH)D3 serum concentration up between 80 and 160 ng/mL experience a CH pain free response. This is clearly illustrated in the following graphic from this study. CHers have always been their own best advocate. They know when an intervention works to lower the frequency of their CH and when it doesn't. They also know about the side effects of these interventions. How you proceed is up to you and your decision. You can join thousands of CHers who have followed the anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol and control your CH effectively, or you can listen to your doctor and suffer. The choice is yours. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Gail, My wife is 84, loving life and kicks my backside if I don't keep up with her. She's been following the anti-inflammatory regimen treatment protocol since 2011. She was a 20 year episodic migraineur until then. Hasn't had a single migraine since. I track her labs like a hawk. Her 25(OH)D3 averages 115 ng/mL (287.5 nmol/L) and her serum calcium id always in the green. We're both in excellent health and don't take any Rx medications. The treatment protocol is simple safe and effective. Here are the basic steps. 1. Discuss this treatment protocol with your PCP/GP. Just be aware too many doctors are unfamiliar with vitamin D3 therapy so tend to be skeptical and say a vitamin D3 maintenance dose of 10,000 IU/day is too high/toxic. It's not their fault. Most Med Schools have eliminated nutritional medicine from their 4-year curriculum. When you see your PCP ask for labs of your serum 25(OH)D3, Calcium and PTH (Parathyroid Hormone). The following graphic illustrates the normal distribution of lab assays for their serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations at baseline before starting this treatment protocol and a second assay ≤ 30 days after starting it. The initial lab assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH are important. They provide a baseline to measure clinical progress in elevating your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration without going bust (too much) serum calcium, hypercalcemia. Around 1% of the population is already hypercacemic without taking any vitamin D3. You'll need to know if you're in this 1% category as it will require close medical supervision. 2. Pick up the supplements illustrated by brand and dose that I take and suggest to other CHers and migraineurs. I buy them from amazon. CHers who stick with these brands tend to have a higher response rate. You'll also need to add Micro D3 nanoemulsion illustrated below. I buy it from amazon.com. You'll take 0.5cc/day while loading vitamin D3. This nanoemulsion of vitamin D3 has a higher bioequivalence than the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3 you should also be taking illustrated below. You start this treatment protocol with an accelerated vitamin D3 loading schedule taking two of the Bio-Tech D3-50 capsules/day (100,000 IU/day) and 0.5 cc/day of the Micro D3. You continue taking this loading dose until you experience a CH pain free response for two full days then start a taper down to a vitamin D3 maintenance dose of 50,000 to 100,000 IU/week Several of us have used this loading schedule and found it very effective. The rest of my post above to Madam applies. Remember to see your PCP/GP for the second set of labs for your serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. When you have the results in hand, please take the time to fill out the online questionnaire at the following link. You can add your lab data for calcum and PTH in the comments section. To start this survey, click on the following link: http://www.esurveyspro.com/Survey.aspx?id=fb8a2415-629f-4ebc-907c-c5ce971022f6 Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Madam, Thank you for the update and feedback.. Your serum calcium and magnesium concentrations are fine. You have two problems. (1) You're not taking enough vitamin D3. A 25(OH)D3 serum concentration of 214 nmol/L (86.4 ng/mL) is too low for half the CHers taking this regimen. They need a 25(OH)D3 serum concentration between 90 and 180 ng/mL (225 to 450 nmol/L) to remain CH pain free. The following chart illustrates the normal distribution of lab tests for 25(OH)D3 reported by 313 CHers at baseline before starting this protocol (black) and after ≥ 30 days on this treatment protocol (green) for CHers who have responded to this regimen. As you can see with the green line, half the CHers under this curve need a higher 25(OH)D3 serum concentration up to 180 ng/mL (450 nmol/L) for a favorable response. (2) Your PCP does not understand vitamin D3 therapy. If he did, he would have known your serum calcium is well within its normal reference range so there is no hypercalcemia, a.k.a., vitamin D3 intoxication/toxicity with a 25(OH)D3 serum concentration of 216 nmol/L so no need to stop taking vitamin D3. Were I in your shoes, I would start loading vitamin D3 taking 100,000 IU/day until I was CH pain free for at least two full days (48 Hours) then start a taper by lowering the vitamin D3 intake to 50,000 IU/day for a week or two. If I remained CH pain free, I would continue the taper by dropping one 50,000 IU dose once a week each week until I got down to 50,000 IU once a week. If at any time the CH beast jumps ugly, I would go back up to the previous higher dose. If you can find it, order some Micro D3 illustrated in the following photo. You can order both the Bio-Tech D3-50 and Micro D3 from amazon if you don't have them. iherb.com carries the Bio-Tech D3-50 but not the Micro D3. https://www.iherb.com/pr/bio-tech-pharmacal-d3-50-cholecalciferol-100-capsules/55186 https://www.amazon.com/Bio-Tech-D3-50-50-000-200/dp/B00IAQUJH0/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Bio-Tech+D3-50&qid=1626800584&s=hpc&sr=1-5 https://www.amazon.com/Nutrasal-Micro-D-3-Vitamin-D-3-1oz/dp/B00ESKNGCW/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=Micro+D3&qid=1626800521&s=hpc&sr=1-6 Micro D3 is a nanoemulsion of vitamin D3 that has a higher bioequivalence than the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3 you should be taking. Once you have it on hand you can take 0.5cc/day in place of one capsule of the D3-50. The following notional graphic illustrates what's happening and what to do. If your actual 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is below the CH threshold the CH beast jumps ugly. As your 25(OH)D3 is att 216 nmol/L, your CH threshold is higher possibly up around 250 nmol/L so you need to load vitamin D3 at 100,000 IU/day until you elevate your actual 25(OH)D3 above the CH threshold for two days then start the taper down to a Maintenance dose that keeps you CH pain free. Hope this helps. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Tony, The Big Pharma and Big Government Marxists and Elitists on the take from Big Pharma here in the US are trying to do the same thing. The only way to fix this problem is to vote their evil backsides out of office. 3/4 the members of the House and Senate here in the US have cashed campaign check donations from Big Pharma so this is a real problem. Ultimately it comes down to personal choice. Do you want good health with access to USP vitamins and minerals at effective doses or Big Government politicians who want to take away your freedom of choice so they can control everything you do. Politicians and good health do not mix. This problem exists among members both political parties here in the US, so this is not an endorsement of either political party, merely a statement of fact with ample proof. Take care, V/R, Batch

Luis, You've got a bug. Load up on vitamin D3 plus the cofactors and at least 6 grams of vitamin C/day in separate 1 gram doses. 50 mg/day zinc picolinate and 400 to 800 mg/day Quercetin will also help. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch Take care

Tony, I can oder every thing I need with only a couple alternates from iherb.com, but that's from here in the US. Not sure if it will be the same from Finland. CHers in the UK and Europe have had good success ordering from iherb.com. Please save all the iherb links that result in the right products as there are others there in Finland facing the same problem. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Spiny, You've done an excellent job of explaining the anti-inflammatory regimen to Nugget. I'll add that we can estimate an optimum dose of vitamin D3 and time has shown that 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 is a good starting point. That said there are a few factors that influence the optimum dose that results in a CH pain free response. They include total body mass and BMI. Immune system activity particularly in response to allergens, infections, trauma, and surgery are also a major factors. Accordingly, the process I now suggest includes the accelerated vitamin D3 loading schedule where you titrate (take progressively higher doses of vitamin D3) to elevate serum 25(OH)D3 more rapidly to achieve a CH pain free response for at least 48 hours, then taper the loading dose to arrive at a maintenance dose that keeps you CH pain free. The following notional graphic illustrates the 25(OH)D3 serum concentration threshold above which you're CH pain free and below which, the CH beast jumps ugly. The important thing to understand is the CH threshold and actual 25(OH)D3 serum concentrations go up and down with changes in immune system activity. That means the maintenance dose that worked yesterday may be insufficient to keep your actual 25(OH)D3 serum concentration above the CH threshold. The green line is the actual 25(OH)D3 serum concentration and the red line represents the CH threshold 25(OH)D3 serum concentration. As you can see, both vary over time and the single largest factor is the level of immune system activity. Where you run into problems with the CH beast jumping ugly is when your present 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is below the CH threshold due to an immune system response. All this means is the CHer needs to be prepared to titrate (incrementally increase) the vitamin D3 intake with loading doses to achieve a CH pain free response, then taper the vitamin D3 dose to maintain an actual 25(OH)D3 serum concentration above the CH threshold as the new maintenance dose. Intuitively, maintaining a 25(OH)D3 well above the CH threshold results if fewer occurrences of CH burn through. This is a very safe practice as long as you see your PCP/GP for frequent (every 30 days) labs for 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH to make sure serum calcium is within its normal reference range and PTH is not too low until you reach a stable vitamin D3 dose that keeps you CH pain free. The target/optimum PTH serum concentration is between 11 and 22 pg/mL as illustrated in the 4-year chart of my labs for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. My PCP had no problem with my 25(OH)D3 serum concentration up at 277 ng/mL (692.5 nmol/L) as my serum calcium remained within its normal reference range and my PTH wasn't too low. The reason my 25(OH)D3 was this high was due to a heavier than normal pollen fall from Alder and Big Leaf Maple trees that triggered a higher level of immune system activity in response to the pollen allergens. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Bilal, Good question. Before I give you my take on maintaining higher doses of vitamin D3 as a long term maintenance dose, I need answers - What are the results of your most recent lab assays for 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH? As long as your serum calcium remains within its normal reference range, your PTH stays above the minimum for PTH and you're taking all the vitamin D3 cofactors, there's really nothing wrong maintaining higher maintenance doses of vitamin D3. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients on the Coimbra Protocol, take a 1000 IU vitamin D3 per Kg body weight per day. For a sleek rascal like me weighing in at 84 Kg, I would be taking 84,000 IU/day vitamin D3 on this protocol. MS patients on the Coimbra protocol do this for life and 95% of Dr. Coimbra's MS patients are in complete remission. Some have even had MS lesions completely disappear. The payback is they must avoid foods high in calcium like all dairy products and they need to drink 2.5 liters of water a day. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Jfrillin, The next time you need to take your husband or daughter to the ER with a bad cluster headache, tell the ER receptionist, they're having heart pains. That will get them to the head of the line tout suite. Most ERs will administer an opiate like morphine and oxygen while waiting for an EKG. Both will help curb CH pain. Of course doing this is a white lie, but it does get you seen asap. The real solution is to start them both on the anti-inflammatory regimen with vitamin D3 and its cofactors. I developed this treatment protocol to help prevent CH in December of 2010. I estimate 6,000 CHers have started this treatment protocol for CH since then. You can find the published version of this treatment protocol on vitamindwiki.com at the following link. http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 I just checked. As of this morning, readers of my webpage at vitamindwiki.com have downloaded 69,726 copies of this treatment protocol since I published it at vitamindwiki in January of 2017. Please shoot me a PM if you have questions. Take care, V/R, Batch

Here's the Cluster Quiz question you need to ask yourself after looking at the two following graphics on the frequency, severity and risk of COVID-19 with its relationship to the 25(OH)D3 serum concentration. \ Do you know your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration? Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Amholla, Good question. For starters, we've found the 12-Day accelerated vitamin D3 loading schedule at 50,000 IU/day for 12 days, a total loading dose of 600,000 IU of vitamin D3, to be effective in elevating serum 25(OH)D3 concentration by 60 ng/mL above the starting/baseline concentration. You're going to need at least another 10 days loading vitamin D3 at 50,000 IU/day to meet the minimum loading schedule. The following chart illustrates the time to respond to this treatment protocol in days from start of regimen with a significant reduction in CH frequency (from a mean of 3 CH/day down to a mean of 3 CH/week). As you can see, the majority of CHers experiencing a favorable response do so within the first two weeks on this treatment protocol. This next chart illustrates the time in days to a complete cessation of CH from start of regimen. This is a subset of the above time to favorable response. There are several factors that influence time to respond. The first is the starting or baseline 25(OH)D3 serum concentration. Seeing your PCP/GP for this lab test before starting this treatment protocol is important. If the starting 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is low, it takes longer to elevate to a therapeutic concentration above the CH threshold. The following normal distribution chart illustrates the results of baseline labs for 25(OH)D3 among 313 CHers experiencing active bouts of CH before starting this treatment protocol. If you didn't obtain this lab test before starting treatment, you're shooting in the dark when it comes to estimating a response time. The odometer and speedometer on your body's dashboard are not working. You don't know how far you've come or how fast you're going towards a favorable or CH pain free response. This next chart illustrates the normal distribution of 25(OH)D3 lab results after ≥ 30 days on this treatment protocol among CHers who experienced a favorable response with a reduction in CH frequency or a complete cessation of CH. If you look at the blue sigmoid S-shaped cumulative probability curve in this chart, you'll see that 25% of CHers on this treatment protocol have responded by the time their 25(OH)D3 serum concentration reached 60 ng/mL. There's another chart CHers taking this treatment protocol should understand. It's the 25(OH)D3 time course response to various doses of vitamin D3. As you can see at a vitamin D3 dose of 10,000 IU/day it can take a month for the 25(OH)D3 response to reach 60 ng/mL. Clearly, waiting 30 days or more to experience the sought after pain free response while following this treatment protocol is too long for CHers. This is why we start it with an accelerated vitamin D3 loading schedule taking 50,000 IU/day of vitamin D3 for a minimum of 12 days as illustrated in the following graphic. The latest revision to this treatment protocol now calls for loading at 50,000 IU/day with the Bio-Tech D3-50 and all the cofactors illustrated in the photo below until there's been a significant reduction in CH frequency or a CH pain free response or 30 days whichever occurs first, then see your PCP/GP for a second set of labs for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. We made this switch as the Bio-Tech D3-50 water soluble 50,000 IU vitamin D3 has a higher bioequivalence in elevating serum 25(OH)D3 at the same dose as the oil-based liquid softgel vitamin D3 formulations. We switched to the Methyl Folate + B complex from the vitamin B 50/100 complex for the same reason. If you're CH pain free and your serum calcium is within its normal reference range, you're good to go. Drop the vitamin D3 intake to a maintenance dose of 50,000 IU/week. If you haven't experienced a significant reduction in CH frequency and your serum calcium is within its normal reference range, continue loading for another 15 days then see your PCP/GP for another round of labs for 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. We've had a number of CHers continue loading vitamin D3 under a physician's supervision with frequent labs for 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH, achieve CH pain free responses between 160 ng/mL and 189 ng/mL 25(OH)D3 and still maintain their calcium serum concentration within its normal reference range. The 3-year chart of my labs for 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH are a good example. The second pacing factor in time to respond is a combination of body mass and body mass index (BMI). An adult male weighing 90 Kg (198 lbs) with a BMI ≥ 30 can easily take twice as long and need twice as much oral vitamin D3 as an adult male weighing 80 Kg (176 lbs) with a BMI of 24 to achieve a favorable CH response to this protocol. The third factor that causes the most problems for CHers starting this treatment protocol is an allergic reaction. Allergens cause the immune system's Mast Cells to release large quantities of histamine. This histamine in turn triggers neurons and glia in our trigeminal ganglia to express Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP). CGRP is one of four neuropeptides responsible for the neurogenic inflammation and pain we know as CH. As long as mast cells are releasing histamine, none of the CH preventatives (including vitamin D3) will be effective. Bottom line, histamine to a CHer is like Kryptonite to Superman - Bad news. If you do suspect an allergic reaction is interfering with vitamin D3 in preventing your CH, you need to treat the allergy with an antihistamine. In 2019 Quercetin became the antihistamine of choice over Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) when CHers suspect or realize they're having an allergic reaction. 1 gram/day Quercetin is a good starting point and you can titrate the dose p to 3 grams/day. 1 to 3 grams/day Resveratrol and 6 to 8 grams/day vitamin C are also part of the intervention for allergic reactions. If there's no joy after a week of the above interventions for an allergic reaction, start taking the Benadryl at 25 mg every four hours throughout the day. If there's still no joy with vitamin D3 preventing your CH, see your PCP/GP for a 5-day burst dose of prednisone at 50 mg/day. Burst doses of prednisone at 50 mg/day for a period this short should not require a taper. If the burst dose of prednisone results in a reduction in CH frequency, see your PCP/GP for a consult with an allergist to find out what is causing the allergic reaction. This latest revision to the posted version of this treatment protocol is still in work. I hope to have it completed and published on vitaminDwiki.com soon. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

One of the best explanations for the cause of the euphoria many of us experience after a heavy CH hit follows. There's a cocktail of several known chemicals produced by the brain that can have a euphoric effect on a person. (Particularly after a painful CH). -Endorphins (The brain's natural opiates released in response to pain.) may be the most well known of these chemicals and they can be produced for a variety of reasons, one of which is, athletic activity or in our case as CHers, during a heavy hit. -Dopamine is another well known chemical that makes us feel good and can be produced when eating delicious food. Dopamine is also the primary chemical that is produced in overflow quantities when using methamphetamine a.k.a. speed or meth. The excess dopamine is what causes the user to feel "high". When the excess dopamine is destroyed the user "crashes". (What's unclear here is the sequencing. Is dopamine released in response to the endorphins or the CH pain? In either case, it's nice.) -Serotonin is another important chemical in determining mood/well-being. It can be produced naturally by simple exposure to light. Serotonin is one the primary chemicals adjusted in most major antidepressants. These drugs are known as SSRI - Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. The SSRI works by blocking the sending neuron from taking back serotonin, thereby increasing the available serotonin levels in the synapse. For what it's worth... Better living through bio-chemistry. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Leo, Wives are quick to call us stupid. Ya gotta love'm anyway as they're usually right. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Bob, Take up welding. Welder's O2 comes from the same distillation process as medical O2 and is stored in the same LOX tanks. After the initial cost of your first cylinder, the actual welder's oxygen cost is roughly the same as your medical insurance co-pay ~ $30 for an M-Size O2 cylinder refill. I've had an M-Size O2 cylinder in my garage for 11 years, last filled 10 years ago and it still has ~ 1000 psi on the gauge. Of course I also do oxy-acetylene welding and haven't needed oxygen as a CH abortive since developing and starting the anti-inflammatory regimen with 10,000 iU/day vitamin D3 plus cofactors in October of 2010 . Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Bilal, Good move on switching to the Bio-Tech D3-50. Data for 2019 from the online survey of CHers reporting since 2011, indicated an up-tick in raw efficacy from 82% to 88% of CHers responding with a significant reduction in the frequency of their CH or a complete cessation of CH in the first 30 days after I started suggesting this change due to its higher bioequivalence compared to the oil-based vitamin D3 liquid softgel formulations. There's nothing wrong with zinc glycinate so no need to change. There appears to be a higher bioequivalence in the Methyl Folate + compared to the generic B complex. Regarding safe dosing with vitamin D3. A recent article in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the following link, concluded in the results of a seven year study: There were no cases of vitamin D3 induced hypercalcemia a.k.a., vitamin D3 intoxication/toxicity at higher vitamin D3 doses and that long-term supplementation with vitamin D3 in doses ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 IU/day appears to be safe. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076018306228 The following chart from this study illustrates it takes a long time for a stable dose of 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 to reach a 25(OH)D3 equilibrium. The takeaway from this graphic points out the need to load vitamin D3 at higher doses (50,000 IU/day to 100,000 IU/day) to reach a therapeutic 25(OH)D3 response for CH in a matter of days where a maintenance dose of 10,000 IU/day can take 10 months. That's clearly too long if the CH beast is jumping ugly and a likely reason too many CHers claim this treatment protocol is ineffective for them. Watching the presentation by Dr. Ryan Cole on vitamin D3 at the following link is a must for everyone. https://www.bitchute.com/video/hfzL5gUeQvxr/ Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Bilal, I'm familiar with your problem. Spring pollen lets the CH beast try to open a big ol can of whupass on me If I let it. Fortunately with over 10 years experience with the anti-inflammatory regimen and lots of data from fellow CHers in the same boat, I've found loading vitamin D3 at 50,000 IU/day to 100,000 IU/day with the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3 for three to five days and doubling my maintenance dose from 50,000 IU/week to 100,000 IU/week with the D3-50s for at least a month keeps the CH beast away. Since the pandemic started, I've also titrated the Quercetin and Turmeric (Curcumin) doses from 1.5 grams/day up to 3 grams/day and it clearly helps. I also make sure I take 50 mg/day zinc picolinate and at least 8 grams/day vitamin C. If you've had a recent lab assay for your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration, whatever it is, it's below the CH pain free threshold. I've kept my 25(OH)D3 up around 150 ng/mL for the last two years and it's kept me CH pain free. I've been working with one CHer who found his CH pain free threshold was 161 ng/mL. Anything less than that and his CH beast started jumping ugly. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

I know Dr. Emmanuelle Schindler, MD, is working hard to complete this Yale study using psilocybin as a CH intervention.

Hey John, CH Father's, Spiny's and Pebles' comments all hit the mark debunking the article in question. There are studies and then there are articles about studies. While well designed studies/clinical trials as well as their published results and conclusions must conform to accepted standards, good science and format, articles do not. This article was a POS. While the cited study at PLoS provides what appears to be consistent results from their study of oxygen therapy breathing 95% O2 and 5% CO2 resulting in "normalized" cerebral blood flow and that hyperoxia breathing normobaric 100% oxygen results hypocapnia (too little blood CO2) with attendant vasoconstriction and reduced cerebral blood flow, it fails to tell the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say. This study fails to point out that even with the reduced cerebral blood flow the authors opined would result in hypoxia (too little oxygen delivered to the brain) and the release of potentially threatening enzymes, hormones and other peptides, the actual oxygen content of the cerebral blood flow through the brain was more than sufficiently high to prevent ischemia. So where does that leave CHers who have read this article and who need to use oxygen therapy as a CH abortive? If you disregard the junk science in this article, and use the most effective oxygen therapy procedure available to abort your CH rapidly, you're in great shape. The topic of oxygen therapy as a CH abortive is near and dear to my heart. From 2005 when Dx'd as a Chronic CHer, until 2010 when I developed the anti-inflammatory regimen to prevent my CH very effectively, oxygen therapy was my only CH intervention. I developed a very effective method of rapidly aborting my CH in 2005 that uses oxygen flow rates of 25 yo 40 liters/minute. This method of oxygen therapy essentially allows the CHer to hyperventilate with 100% oxygen to a safe and effective rapid abort. As a patent holder of the Demand Valve Method of Oxygen Therapy issued by the USPTO in 2010, I spent the better part of a year reading through hundreds of studies and RCTs involving the inhalation of 100% oxygen in developing the patent application. The following link provides the abstract for one of these studies titled, The Influence of Arterial Oxygenation on Cerebral Venous Oxygen Saturation During Hyperventilation, by Matta, et al., published in 1994. It concluded oxygen therapy at flow rates that support hyperventilation were not only safe, but it resulted in venous blood flow measured at the Jugular vein, indicated blood flow from the brain had twice the oxygen content of normobaric oxygenation. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF03015651 By the way, this is the very same principle of respiratory physiology that makes aborting CH using a oxygen demand valve with oxygen flow rates that support hyperventilation so safe and effective with average abort times of 7 minutes. You can achieve the same rapid abort times (7 minutes) by repeating the following sequence seven times. Each sequence involves hyperventilating with room air for 30 seconds at forced vital capacity tidal volumes followed by inhaling a lungful of 100% oxygen and holding it for 30 seconds. The only difference between this method of oxygen therapy and the demand valve method is this method consumes one tenth the volume of oxygen or an average of 28 liters per CH abort where the demand valve method consumes an average of 280 liters of oxygen per abort. Regarding oxygen safety. It's very safe. I was flying Navy fighters on and off aircraft carriers before they started Top Gun. I have over 3000 hours flying Navy fighters and all of that flight time was spent breathing 100% oxygen from engine start through cat shot, missions lasting 1.8 hours or more in duration to landing back aboard ship chocked and tied down. Then I took off the oxygen mask and turned off the oxygen. I would also note that during high G-force maneuvering in aerial combat, I routinely sucked down 100% oxygen at flow rates above 40 liters/minute. I passed my annual flight physicals every year of my 24 years of Naval Service. Moreover I'm still here at 76 and in very good health having used oxygen therapy daily for 5 years and I still pass my annual physicals. Several hundred thousand Navy and Marine Corps pilots flying tactical fighter and attack aircraft have been breathing 100% oxygen on all missions since 1943 when US and UK engineers cockroached (copied) the oxygen regulator design from a German bF-109 Messerschmidt that crash landed in the UK. It took only a few months to retrofit this new design into Naval aircraft. Bottom line, all these Navy and Marine Corps pilots have passed their annual physicals yearly since then with PA and lateral chest X-Rays indicating no adverse effects. Finally, think about the following. Navy and Marine Corps Pilots are required to breath 100% oxygen on all flights. NASA requires Astronauts breath 100% oxygen during suited EVA operations as well as during launch and reentry. Would they do this if breathing 100% oxygen was inherently unsafe? Let that sink in for a while. Take care, V/R, Batch

Hey Amir, I sent you a pm. You can download the posted version of the anti-inflammatory regimen at the following link. http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 It has the dosing details you need for all the supplements in this regimen. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Squizzlet, I'm working with a cluster headache group in Finland. They conducted a survey of their members regarding migraine headache. Of the 300 responders, 150 of these CHers also suffered from migraine headache. This is an eye popping statistic with less than 1% of CHers here in the US with migraines until you look at the map of Finland and realize half of the country lies North of the Arctic Circle, i.e., not much sunshine and when it does shine, the angle to the horizon is so low, the synthesis of cutaneous vitamin D3 is nil. There's another interesting statistic. The study I've been running since December of 2011 of cluster headache sufferers (CHers) taking the anti-inflammatory regimen with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 plus cofactors to control their CH has 313 participants as of December of 2019. The second highest country by participants is Finland, second only to the US and ahead of the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand in total number of participants. The 30 day efficacy of participants from Finland has 20 of 23 participants (83%) reporting a significant reduction in the frequency of their CH from a mean of 3 CH/day down to 3 CH/week. The 30 day efficacy for CHers here in the US is 82%. As there are so many CHers in Finland with migraine, I hope to gather more data on how their migraine headaches respond to this regimen. I'm presently tracking 12 migraineurs taking the anti-inflammatory regimen, 10 of them reported a significant reduction in the frequency of their migraines and five reported a complete cessation of their migraines. If you're interested in this CH preventative regimen that's also proving effective in preventing migraine headache, you can download a copy of the treatment protocol at the following vitaminDwiki.com link. http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Amardeep, This may be a long shot, but here you go anyway. The following doctor may be the one you are looking for in India who treats CHers and headache patients. Dr Renu Mahtani MD 407, Millennium Star, Dhole Patil Road, Pune - 411001 Maharashtra, India Contact : +91-7887887665 (WhatsApp then call ) Email : mahtani.renu@gmail.com Website: www.renumahtani.com Dr. Mahtani is a neurologist trained in the use of the Coimbra Protocol. https://www.coimbraprotocol.com/the-protocol-1 This is a treatment protocol for remitting recurring multiple sclerosis developed by Dr. Cicero Coimbra, MD, PhD, a neurologist in São Paulo, Brazil. His protocol is similar to the anti-inflammatory regimen I developed in 2010, with the exception, it calls for significantly higher vitamin D3 maintenance doses and there's a prohibition on calcium intake. His protocol is exceptionally effective and has a 95% complete remission rate among his patients suffering from recurring multiple sclerosis. Dr. Coimbra has had a few more years experience treating his MS patients with this protocol than I have with the anti-inflammatory regimen preventing CH. You can download the posted version of the anti-inflammatory regimen migraine headache (MH) and cluster headache (CH) preventative treatment protocol at the following vitamindwiki.com link. http://www.vitamindwiki.com/tiki-download_wiki_attachment.php?attId=7708 Dr. Coimbra has since expanded the use of his protocol to treating patients with autoimmune disorders. I've exchanged study results with him on the use of vitamin D3 and cofactors in preventing CH and MH. I've also spoken with a Coimbra trained physician here in the US who has had success in treating chronic headache patients with the Coimbra protocol. So there you have it. A long shot, but one with little down-side should you decide to give Dr. Mahtani a call or email. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch .

Tmac, Seeing your doctor to obtain lab assays for your serum 25(OH)D3 calcium and PTH is prudent. As long as your serum calcium remains within its normal reference range and your PTH is in the mid to low normal range, there's no problem no matter how high your serum 25(OH)D3 assay. I get the same blurb from Quest on my 25(OH)D3 assays. I think it's computer generated. It's obvious something is interfering with the vitamin D3 enabled genetic expression that helps prevent your CH. If it's allergy driven as I suspect, it could be there's so much histamine in your system, Quercetin is ineffective and even Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) isn't all that effective either. Other sources of interference include anything that causes an immune system response like infections, (bacterial, viral or fungal), some Rx medications, trauma and surgery. When are your CH occurring? If they're all at night while sleeping, try sleeping in a leather recliner in your family room. The rationale... it could be dust mite poo. These little beasties have inhabited human bedding for thousands of years. They don't bite but their poo can be a potent allergen. Even if your wife wins the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, keeping sheets and bedding washed every other day may not be good enough, dust mite poo still gets into pillow and mattress stuffing. Accordingly, to reduce exposure, try sleeping in a leather recliner for a couple nights. A recliner also has the advantage of keeping your head 8 inches above your heart. Even while sleeping, this will cause your heart to beat slightly faster to pump blood up to your brain. The extra work requires a little extra oxygen so your respiration rate will elevate slightly. This increases the arterial oxygen partial pressure and reduces your arterial CO2 partial pressure. Both these conditions help prevent CH. If your recliner has fabric upholstery, cover it with a plastic sheet. Dust mites colonize anywhere there are dried skin flakes. If there's a reduction in CH frequency while sleeping in the recliner, it's time to invest in a Hypoallergenic and dust mite proof mattress cover and new pillows. Changing filters in the air handler of your heating and cooling system frequently can help cut down on airborne allergens in your home's interior. If there's no joy with the recliner, your PCP/GP has several lab tests that should indicate weather or not you have an allergy. If the tests are positive, he should be able to get you a consult with an allergist. Another way to find out if you're dealing with an allergic reaction is to ask your PCP for a short prednisone taper. If the pred taper is sufficient to drop your CH frequency, start looking for the cause. Hope this helps. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

They TMac, Good questions. 3 CH/night is not good and a 25(OH)D3 serum concentration greater than 150 ng/mL is not a worry by itself. The goal of the anti-inflammatory regimen is a CH pain free response. The fallback is a significant reduction in CH frequency from an average of 3 CH/day down to 3 to 4 CH/week as long as oxygen is available. Given the amount of vitamin D3 you've been taking and your 25(OH)D3 serum concentration is >150 ng/mL, I'll make a SWAG (sophisticated wild-ass guess) you're battling an immune system reaction caused by an allergy. An allergic reaction is characterized by the immune system's Mast Cells releasing large amounts of histamine. Histamine to a CHer is like Kryptonite to Superman, bad news. In the past, I and many other CHers found a first-generation antihistamine like Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) taken at 25 mg four times a day brought the allergic reaction under control so vitamin D3 could again do its thing to prevent CH. First-generation (drowsy type) antihistamines like Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) pass through the blood brain barrier to block histamine H1 receptors on neurons and glia throughout the brain. This is important for CHers as histamine insults neurons and glia in the trigeminal ganglia causing them to express and release CGRP, SP and likely other neuroactive proteins that are responsible for CH pathogenesis. Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) works well in this role as an antihistamine but with the drawback that it induces drowsiness in many and it's also an anticholinergic (blocks the neurotransmitter acetylcholinesterase). As acetylcholinesterase is needed to allow nerve signals to pass from neuron to neuron through nerve synapse, Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) slows down nerve functions. I suggested the use of Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) be limited to a week to 10 days as it has also been associated with neurodegenerative disorders when taken for long periods of time. Fortunately, in early 2019 I began suggesting Quercetin, a naturally occurring plant flavonoid, as an effective antihistamine as it has no time limit on dosing and no anticholinergic properties like Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL). As a side note, Quercetin acts as an ionophore when taken with zinc that allows zinc ions to enter cellular cytoplasm to inhibit virus replication. Something you should think about with the Wuhan Coronavirus floating around. Loading? Yes, if I was getting hit like you have, I would start loading vitamin D3 at 50,000 IU/day for at least a week or until I made it through two full days CH pain free then drop back to the previous vitamin D3 maintenance dose at least 10,000 to 20,000 IU/week higher. Over the years, we've had a number of CHers with your problem, a high 25(OH)D3 serum concentration and the CH beast is still jumping ugly. In the past, loading vitamin D3 with a week to 10-day course of Benadryl (Diphenhydramine HCL) worked wonders in getting them back to a CH pain free state. Today, many CHers have found loading vitamin D3 and taking Quercetin has similar CH pain free outcomes. Over the last four months, I've worked with CHers who tried 4-Day "pulsed" loading schedules taking 200,000 IU of vitamin D3 on Day-1 then coasting without any vitamin D3 on Days-2, 3 and 4, taking all the cofactors daily. They repeat the 4-Day pulsed loading schedules until they experience a CH pain free response or four cycles. At that point it's prudent to drop back to a vitamin D3 maintenance dose and see your PCP/GP for a set of labs of your serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH. If your serum calcium remains within its normal reference range, try three more pulsed loading cycles. If you do the math the 4-Day pulsed loading schedule still works out to an average dose of 50,000 IU/day for 4 days. They've also upped the Quercetin dose and added Turmeric (Curcumin) and vitamin C. The dosage here is 3 grams/day each of Quercetin, Turmeric (Curcumin) and Vitamin C with the 3 grams of vitamin C broken up into 3 equal doses taken throughout the day to maintain a relatively constant serum concentration. There are a couple studies that found vitamin C increased the effectiveness of both Quercetin and Turmeric (Curcumin) when taken together. Pulsed loading causes a spike in serum vitamin D3 concentration illustrated in the following graphic that increases the osmotic diffusion differential between vitamin D3 in the blood stream and vitamin D3 at the cellular level. This increased osmotic diffusion differential results in more vitamin D3 entering cells throughout the body much faster. Obviously, as CHers we're looking for this increase to occur in neurons and glia within the trigeminal ganglia to bring our CH under control. If you think this is an extreme vitamin D3 loading dose. It's not. There are studies using a single oral dose of 300,000 IU to 600,000 IU vitamin D3 with no adverse effects. Regarding your lab result for 25(OH)D3. Quest Diagnostics has two different 25(OH)D3 assay methods. They've a fast inexpensive automated assay for 25(OH)D3 that tops out at a serum concentration of 150 ng/mL and the QuestAssured Liquid Chromatography Dual Mass Spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) assay method that reads total 25(OH)D (D2 and D3) up to 512 ng/mL. If your doctor didn't specify the Quest Diagnostics Test Name: 92888- "QuestAssureD 25-OH Vitamin D (Total), LC/MS/MS assay for 25(OH)D3" in your lab order, you likely got the low cost rapid automated assay. That said, a 25(OH)D assay >150 ng/mL although not a worry by itself, is meaningless if you're CH pain free. The important lab assays for you at this point are for your serum calcium and Parathyroid Hormone (PTH). Did your doctor order these two assays and do you have the results? As long as your serum 25(OH)D3 is within its normal reference range, there's no hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the bloodstream), a.k.a., vitamin D3 intoxication/toxicity. This means your 25(OH)D3 is not a worry no matter how high it goes as long as your serum calcium is normal. The following 3-year chart of my lab assays for serum 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH are a good example. It illustrates my 25(OH)D3 serum concentration has been well above 100 ng/mL, as high as 188 ng/mL and has averaged 150 ng/mL since January of 2019 while my calcium serum concentration has remained within its normal reference range the entire time. My PCP understands vitamin D3 and calcium homeostasis so has no problem with my 25(OH)D3 serum concentration this high to prevent my CH as long as my serum calcium remains within its normal reference range. As you can see, it has. Hope this helps. Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch

Hey Krios, We've seen a higher response rate among CHers new to this regimen when they take the Bio-Tech D3-50 50,000 IU water soluble vitamin D3. As you're still experiencing CH, this is usually an indication your 25(OH)D3 is too low. Accordingly, you need a higher maintenance dose of vitamin D3. The most effective method of elevating serum 25(OH)D3 and faster way of returning to a CH pain free state is by starting a 4-Day vitamin D3 loading schedule taking 50,000 IU/day for 4 days. There's also "Pulsed" loading where you take 200,000 IU of vitamin D3 on Day-1 then coast taking no vitamin D3 on Days 2, 3, and 4. You take all the cofactors daily. On day 5 if you're CH pain free restart your maintenance dose at least 5,000 IU/day higher. If you're not CH pain free by Day-5 continue loading or pulsed loading until you experience a CH pain free response for at least 48 hours then return to a maintenance dose 5,000 IU/day higher than previous. Either way the goal of the anti-inflammatory regimen is a CH pain free response. The latest update to this treatment protocol will included loading or pulsed loading until you experience a CH pain free response for 48 hours then drop back to a maintenance dose. Of course it's always wise to see your PCP/GP for labs of your 25(OH)D3, calcium and PTH any time you've changed your vitamin D3 dosing and at least once a year after you've reached a stable vitamin D3 dose that keeps you CH pain Free.' Take care and please keep us posted. V/R, Batch V