vitamin d

Vitamin D’s Role In Controlling Chronic Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

vitamin d painWhen it comes to controlling chronic pain, we all know how important it is to get a restful night’s sleep, but that’s easier said than done when you’re in regular pain. However, new research suggests that adding something to the mix may help control pain and provide you with a better night’s sleep.

According to research published in the Journal of Endocrinology increasing the levels of Vitamin D in the body can help manage chronic pain conditions, including arthritis. The correlation between the sun vitamin and pain control is no secret, as previous research has suggested that the vitamin can help inhibit the body’s inflammatory response, which sometimes triggers pain sensations. Other research has shown that Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to sleep disorders, so correcting the problem may lead to a better night’s sleep, and in turn, less pain.

New Findings on Vitamin D

The newest findings regarding Vitamin D are that when used in conjunction with a good night’s sleep, it can actually make other treatment methods more effective. This means that patients who increase their levels of Vitamin D and who partake in physical therapy for their chronic pain condition may notice more pain relief than individuals who only partake in physical therapy.

“We can hypothesize that suitable vitamin D supplementation combined with sleep hygiene may optimize the therapeutic management of pain-related diseases, such as fibromyalgia,” said Dr. Monica Levy Andersen, who led the review.

They concluded that pain management specialists and primary care physicians should consider asking patients about their Vitamin D intake or begin monitoring it in order to see if increasing intake on a daily basis helps to mitigate symptoms from certain pain conditions. Now, it’s important to remember that simply taking a Vitamin D supplement isn’t going to take your pain from a level 8 to a level 2, but there’s a chance that when paired with other treatment options that it could help take your symptoms down a level or two. It’s certainly something worth exploring.

The Relationship Between Diabetes, Vitamin D, & Pain

/ Thomas Cohn, MD

vitamin dA research presentation at the University of Chicago has indicated that vitamin D may have an effect on pain and depression in patients with type-2 diabetes.  The study indicates a relationship between pain and vitamin D supplementation.  Those with low vitamin D levels, who then received vitamin D, then had less pain complaints.  The study just shows that these problems of diabetes with pain and vitamin D have some connection.

Secondary Problems

As with many medical problems, many secondary problems can occur with diabetes.  Diabetes causes problems with multiple body systems, including the kidneys, eyes, blood vessels, and the nerves among many organs it damages.  It is no surprise that diabetes can affect vitamin D levels.  Whether treating diabetes more successfully and comprehensively is the answer or vitamin D has a correlation to pain levels is not known.  The study just notes that there is some sort of relationship.

Diabetes can cause multiple health problems.  Controlling diabetes is the most important way to prevent complications.  Pain is often a complication of the disease due to damage to the vascular system and nervous system.  Vitamin D may turn out to be an important aspect of controlling aspects of diabetes. However, it is unlikely it will be a solution to pain in diabetes.  The first and most important aspect in reducing pain in diabetes is to keep control of the blood sugars.  Most pain in diabetes is related to nerve damage, and neuropathic medications like Neurontin, Lyrica, and Cymbalta are some of the best at reducing pain symptoms.

More Research Needed

New research in pain control in any disease is welcome.  The most important thing in any medical study is understanding what the researchers have found.  In this study, researchers found that patients with diabetes type 2 and depression often have vitamin D deficiency.  The relationship between all these variables at this point is interesting but needs further study before any definite conclusions can be drawn.