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XMRV/Leukemia like & tanning booths

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FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Tanning Booths & strange symptoms

I had never used a tanning booth, I am not that sort of person! But I can't tolerate oral vitamin D and my bones are very very severely osteoporotic. So my osteoporosis specialist is having me try tanning sessions (I live in the north where there is no vitamin D from the sun November through March).

I tried 4 minute sessions two weeks in a row which went fine. Then I tried a 5 minute session and I got very sick for the next week. Severe thirst, and my "bust" felt like it was burning inside (not the outside skin) for about a week, I was very weak as well. My vitamin D did jump from 26 up to 30, which was the goal.

But I am concerned by the weird symptoms I had partly because I read that folks with leukemia should not go near tanning booths and XMRV looks like it is "leukemia-relate" and secondly because I have two parents with breast cancer.

Has anyone else ever used a tanning booth and had weird symptoms? I may post this also in the XMRV section because of the leukemia connection. ~FernRhizome
 
T

thefreeprisoner

Guest
I've done some Googling and I can only find a link between tanning beds and skin cancer (melanoma). Even then, melanoma is usually only found in people who use them excessively, and 5 minutes a week sounds really minimal to me.
I haven't been able to find any link between tanning booths and leukaemia or breast cancer. Is there any research you could post a link to?

What I did find was this:
Tanning Bed Contraindications
According to this, there are some drugs and conditions that don't go together well with tanning beds - have a look at this list and see if any of these could relate to you.

I am not a doctor though, and I'm not even anywhere near scientifically trained... might be a good idea to go back to your doc and talk about this list to see if they think you are still ok.

It's hard to figure out what you're body's telling you sometimes, isn't it?

Rachel xx
 
K

_Kim_

Guest
FernRhizome, you can't post the same thread in two forums. Poor Sarah is doing her best to eliminate duplicate threads. I merged the two threads together as you can see.

Thanks.
 
Sing

Sing

Senior Member
Messages
1,782
Location
New England
I'm interested that you brought up the subject of tanning beds, FernRhizome. A very good telephathic advisor for me, suggested that getting a short series of light treatments, 5 mins maximum, would help strengthen my system. The first two short sessions increased my energy and sense of happiness for two days or so. Then I added a minute and like you, had adverse symptoms: a feeling of burning under the skin, more tiredness and a sore throat, followed by an outbreak of molluscum contagiosum (mentioned on another thread). This is a viral hitchhiker which flares up from time to time. This subsided after a week or two. I may go back occasionally but know now that my limit is 4 mins.

What I know about this type of light exposure, or too much sunlight, is that it depresses the immune system temporarily. However, a little bit--or whatever is the safe amount for a person--has a number of health benefits. In my case, it increased energy and positive mood, so that for two days I did things I have very much wanted to do for ages but didn't have the energy.

Earlier in this forum a few people posted about sunning themselves naked on a regular basis--how this is part of what helps them be more well.

But I think it is necessary to find the amount that is "medicine' vs. the amount that is "poison".

Sing
 
starryeyes

starryeyes

Senior Member
Messages
1,560
Location
Bay Area, California
This is very interesting. Can you tell us Fern where you read about tanning beds being contraindicated for Leukemia? I've always felt instinctively that I couldn't handle tanning beds because they're artificial and because I think you can pick up unwanted things there like poor Sing did.

However, the sun itself in moderation sometimes makes me feel better.

I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. The burning under your skin sounds very scary, especially breast tissue. I do think we have major permeability issues with our skin, intestines and blood brain barrier. We've got more holes in us! :eek:

I also think our bodies are keeping the Vitamin D down to help us in some way but I forgot how. It has something to do with what CFS does to the body.
 
B

blacksnake

Messages
12
Location
Melbourne Australia
Not tolerate?

Do you mind me asking what you mean by "can't tolerate oral Vit D"?


FernRhizome said:
I had never used a tanning booth, I am not that sort of person! But I can't tolerate oral vitamin D and my bones are very very severely osteoporotic. So my osteoporosis specialist is having me try tanning sessions (I live in the north where there is no vitamin D from the sun November through March).

I tried 4 minute sessions two weeks in a row which went fine. Then I tried a 5 minute session and I got very sick for the next week. Severe thirst, and my "bust" felt like it was burning inside (not the outside skin) for about a week, I was very weak as well. My vitamin D did jump from 26 up to 30, which was the goal.

But I am concerned by the weird symptoms I had partly because I read that folks with leukemia should not go near tanning booths and XMRV looks like it is "leukemia-relate" and secondly because I have two parents with breast cancer.

Has anyone else ever used a tanning booth and had weird symptoms? I may post this also in the XMRV section because of the leukemia connection. ~FernRhizome
Click to expand...
 
F

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
As a result of my CFIDS (& dysautonomia and mitochondrial disease) I have a semi-paralysed gastrointestinal system. I am on a lot of liquid nutrition. If I try and go on oral vitamin D, even just 400 unites a day, by the end of the week I develop nausea. I don't know if a problem with my liver digesting the vitamin D or if it has some other effect, but it means I can't east as much food and end up having to be on even more liquid nutrition, which isn't a good thing. I also get weaker and can't do my short walk.
 
F

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
LIverock:
It isn't the vitamin D that causes leukemia!!! It's a concern about tanning booths and if there's a leukemia connection there....because I don't tolerate oral vitamin D my doctor had me try tanning booths to increase my vit. d. levels, then I had a bad reaction to the tanning when it went up to 5 minutes as did another poster, Sing...if you read this thread from the start you'll see.....~FR
 
guest

guest

Guest
Messages
320
I cant tolerate Vit D Supplementation either and I don't know why. Vit D is one of the most important vitamins (actually it acts like a hormone) around. I have problems with tanning neds too but as bad as with supplements. My skin starts itching and I can't sleep anymore although I feel good. Maybe you can try to increase the session time slowly. The sun is no problem fo me, actually it works much much better and is the only thing that helped me so far.The intense tanning nooth light maybe creates a little stress for your system first before the positive effects of Vit D kick in. However, I really want to know why we dont tolerate Vitamin D supplements. I caanot have to do with leaky gut since it's a liquid one drop form.
 
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FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Diesel vitamin D doesn't just act like a hormone I think it IS a hormone. So I am curious about XMRV and vit. D. If it's true that hormones "turn on" XMRV" then perhaps even vitamin D does that somehow....? ~Fern
 
F

fairlight

Messages
78
Fern-have you been tested

for sarcoidosis? Vit. d absorption is a problems in sarcoidosis, as are some of your other symptoms.
 
F

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Fairlight: I just looked up sarcoidosis...I don't think it's a match. It sounds like one tends to have high vitamin D. Though the vitamin D/prolactin description connection is extremely interesting as the tanning booth at 5 minutes did seem to cause what felt like a bizarre hormone reaction that felt like prolactin. Interesting. Thanks for mentioning it. ~F
 
F

FernRhizome

Senior Member
Messages
412
Hi Liverock:
I've had all the osteoporosis test and nothing about pth was out of the usual. And I tried a PTH injection (which is what they are using now for some osteoporosis) and it did me in.....and in fact if hormones feed XMRV, and I am positive, then that might explain why. My bones, unfortunately are going, and I probably won't be around long enough, due to the bone problem, for the XMRV treatments. It's incredibly frustrating! At age 51 I have 95 year old bones. My guess, if I am positive for XMRV, that it's a genetic/XMRV combo that's doing in the bones of a few, but not all, of us with CFIDS. ~Fern
 
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