I am 57 years old, post menopausal, and know I'm at risk of bone fractures, I suffered a fractured metatarsal approx 15 years ago which refused to heal and required a bone graft after 13 months, I also aquired a spontaneous ankle fracture 4 years ago. Despite the rheumatologist ignoring some of the obvious symptoms I was wrongly diagnosed with and had to live the stigma of fibromyalgia after the ankle fracture, I was told it was something that often delelops after a trauma. To be fair some of the syptoms are very similar but I actually have Osteomalacia, caused mainly through Vit D malabsorbsion!

What I wondered was, can any one advise if there is a supplement I can take as a natural alternative to and that's not going to upset my stomach as the stuff the Doctors prescribe does, currently Adcal D. This is the third type I have been prescribed, unfortunately all three have upset my stomach terribly which tells me (or should I say my body) they can't be that good for me. I am now at the point where I am refusing to take what the GP prescribes. I've just had another blood test for which I've been called back to the surgery for what I guess will be yet another lecture from the GP.

I do not like fish especially the oily kind, and the amount of dairy produce needed to provide the RDA is phenominal and would easily put me at risk of developing heart problems in a very short time were I to consume it in the quantity needed.

I'm on a low income and can't afford to seek help privately from a herbalist. From the web search I've tried it looks like London is the only hospital in the UK to offer herbal medicine making the cost of travel would be prohibitive as I live in East Yorkshire, unless of course anyone knows of an NHS centre up here.

Thank you for reading this, and I have my fingers crossed you can help.

I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties you are facing. Could I suggest you research what Paul Bergner says about Vitamin D. There are a number of his videos onhttp://www.312.co/paul+bergner/ which include the podcast about Vitamin D and flu. There have also been several discussions about Vitamin D and absorption on Henriette Kress' medical herbalism email list. You can search the archives of the list on her website.

You say you don't like oily fish? Is that all fish in all forms or just certain ones? Is it the taste you don't like or because they repeat on you? Could you take a dandelion or sweet cecily digestive tonic to improve your digestion before meals to help you process the fish more easily? Could you look at disguising the fish in some way?

The nearest teaching clinic to you used to be Preston. It might be worthwhile searching the National Institute of medical herbalist database to find the nearest qualified herbalists to you and ask if they offer reduced fees for people on low income or if they would consider a barter system. You never know what people might offer until you ask them.

In the mean time, I would suggest you become good friends with all the mineral rich herbs such as nettles, mugwort, violet leaves. All three are easily available now to be wildcrafted. Red clover is also flowering now, so this could also be gathered from a hay field if you have the farmer's permission and you know it hasn't been sprayed with anything nasty.

If you can make your own cider vinegar extraction, this will give you the most mineral dense medium. You can also make overnight cold water macerations with the plant material and drink the resulting liquid either hot or cold. Or you can do Susan Weed's mineral rich tea of 2oz dried plant material to 2 pints boiling water infused in a thermos overnight and drunk the next morning. She favours a mixture of nettles and clover. If you are using fresh herb rather than dried, increase the amount by 1:4.

I hope you are able to source something which is helpful.

Sarah

Thank you so much for responding to my post.

Wow there's a lot to take in there but over the next few days I will certainly try to source some of the herbs you mentioned and have a look at the links you've sent.

I have spoken with a neighbor of mine who happens to be a Phd nutritionist. She has told me that the best way to get your
Vitamin D levels enhanced is to take sublingual (under the tongue) Vitamin D. The dose she suggests s 2000 units per day. She personally takes 5000 units per day; but when telling others, she is more conservative. I can get sublingual Vitamin D in the
1000 unit dose at the local Kroger grocery store for less than $4.00 per 100 sublingual (SL) tablets. The brand is called Superior Source. This is the same brand that my nutrtionist neighbor take for herself. I have seen another brand that pairs the Vit. D3 with a low dose of Potassium but I have not taken that brand so I haven't looked into the reasoning for adding the K++ , Anyway, there are many online vitamin stores offer the Superior Source brand. It is not very expensive at all. However, there is a very great difference in price from one online store to the next. I would advise anyone to get a small size bottle because the tablets fall apart pretty easily once you open the bottle (even when keeping the cap tightly sealed between each use). The tiny tablets will dissolve if they get too hot, or too damp. You must keep them in a cool, dry place so this doesn't happen. Vitamin D3 is the most highly absorbable form according to my family physician.