Vitamin K2 has been getting more attention lately in relation to hyperparathyroidism, calcium, and vitamin D supplements, especially in conversations about bone health and calcium metabolism. Interestingly, despite a growing amount of information available online, vitamin K2 still lives mostly in the background when it comes to mainstream, peer-reviewed medical literature.

There are a few reasons for that. One is practical: vitamin K2 is not patentable in any meaningful way, which means there is very little financial incentive for large pharmaceutical companies to fund expensive clinical trials. As a result, you won’t see vitamin K2 featured prominently in the major journals the way you might see a new drug or device.

Another issue is that we don’t have a clearly established recommended daily allowance (RDA) for vitamin K2. Different populations consume very different amounts through diet, and the research hasn’t yet settled on a single “correct” dose. Complicating matters further, there is no widely available, reliable blood test to measure vitamin K2 levels. That makes large-scale studies harder to design and interpret.

It’s also important to clarify a common point of confusion: vitamin K2 is not the same as vitamin K1. Vitamin K1 is primarily involved in blood clotting and is what most people think of when they hear “vitamin K.” Vitamin K2, on the other hand, plays a different role—helping direct calcium to where it belongs, particularly into bones and away from soft tissues. Because they share a name, the two are often lumped together, but functionally they are quite distinct.

In my own practice, I have been recommending the addition of vitamin K2 alongside calcium and vitamin D for many years, particularly in patients concerned about bone health and calcium balance. Only more recently have other parathyroid experts begun to publicly emphasize the same approach.

Based on the available evidence and clinical experience, my personal recommendation for vitamin K2 (MK-7) supplementation is 200–300 micrograms daily. While this is not an official guideline, it reflects what I believe to be a reasonable and safe range for most adults.

As with many nutritional supplements, vitamin K2 sits at the intersection of emerging science and clinical judgment. The absence of large trials does not mean it lacks value—it often means the system has little incentive to study it.

This information is educational and not a substitute for medical advice. Talk with your own clinician about your specific situation before starting any new supplement.

The history of parathyroid surgery is pretty interesting. It started over a century ago, long before we had the advanced testing we use today. Back then, there was no way to measure parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels—only serum calcium could be tested. Patients often showed up with severe bone disease or kidney stones. Without a PTH test, doctors had to rule out every other possible cause of high calcium before suspecting a parathyroid problem. Endocrinologists became the go-to specialists for sorting through all those possibilities. Only when every other cause was eliminated would they conclude an overactive parathyroid gland was to blame, and that’s when a surgeon got involved.

Fast forward to today, and things are much simpler. We have a quick blood test to check intact PTH levels. If you have four normal parathyroid glands, they won’t overproduce PTH just because your calcium is high for another reason. Now, the first step when calcium is elevated is to check PTH. If it’s not suppressed, the diagnosis of primary hyperparathyroidism can be made right away. In fact, if you’re generally healthy and your calcium is consistently high, chances are good that’s the issue—so it’s smart to check this first.

Still, many primary care doctors send patients with high calcium to an endocrinologist, and some endocrinologists keep running through all the old possible causes even when it’s unnecessary if the PTH is already too high. They might diagnose primary hyperparathyroidism but downplay it, telling the patient, “It’s not that bad, let’s just follow it”.

This likely comes from a time when parathyroid surgery wasn’t as safe or routine as it is today in skilled hands. They may not realize how symptomatic these patients can be, even when calcium and PTH levels aren’t “that high.” The truth is, parathyroid surgery is highly effective and very safe when performed by experienced surgeons. Most people with primary hyperparathyroidism have symptoms that can improve, often significantly, after a straightforward operation.

Maybe your endocrinologist ordered scans to locate an abnormal parathyroid gland, but they came back negative. So, what happens next? Stay tuned.

Your parathyroid glands help control how much calcium is in your blood and bones. If one or more of these glands makes too much hormone, it’s called hyperparathyroidism.

This hormone tells your bones to release calcium into your blood. Over time, your bones can lose too much calcium and become weak. This can lead to osteoporosis, which means your bones are more likely to break.

The hormone also makes your body lose calcium through urine. It can also stop your body from using vitamin D the right way. Without enough calcium and vitamin D, your bones can get even weaker.

The only way to fix this problem of excess parathyroid hormone is with parathyroid surgery. A doctor removes the gland or glands that are making too much hormone. This helps your calcium levels go back to normal and helps your bones stay strong. Bones can even regain strength over time after surgery.

But this surgery can be tricky. If the doctor doesn’t check all four parathyroid glands, the problem might not be fully fixed. And if too much is removed, you can get another problem called hypoparathyroidism, which is very hard to treat. That’s why it’s important to go to a doctor who does this surgery often.

Dr. Kennedy has decades of experience in parathyroid surgery, and routinely looks for all four glands, to be certain that all abnormal glands are found. The surgery is done as an outpatient, with a 98% success rate.

If you are diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, there’s a sure and simple cure. With minimally invasive outpatient surgery  — one precise and tiny little incision — we can remove the overactive parathyroid gland, leaving behind the three healthy remaining glands.
The cure is almost always immediate.

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