All posts by Vita Sci

Warning Signs of Low B12

Vitamin B12 Deficiency,

The signs of low B12 start with tiredness and depression. Memory loss, as well. To get better, you have to start taking vitamin B12 right away. In time, low vitamin B12 in your blood can lead to nerve damage, pain, and life-threatening illness. Listed are some of the early signs of vitamin B12 deficiency.

 

Warning Signs of Low B12

How low is your B12?

Signs of low B12

Depending on how much vitamin B12 is in your blood supply, signs of low B12 can vary from medium to severe symptoms.

  • Fatigue- feeling of always being tired, even after sleeping well the night before.
  • Depression- lasting sadness that doesn’t seem to go away.
  • Memory problems- forgetting things you used to remember easily, like names and everyday words.
  • Anxiety- you feel nervous, moody, easily angered, and have panic attacks.
  • Numbness- your arms and legs “go to sleep” all the time, you feel pain and tingling in your hands and feet.
  • Brain fog- your thinking is slow, you start speaking in a dull voice, you get confused and have a hard time staying focused.
  • Sleep problems- it’s harder for you to get to sleep and stay asleep the whole night, and you don’t wake up feeling refreshed.
  • Weakness- you feel like you’re not as strong as you used to be, your ankle twists easily, you drop things more often than usual.
  • Balance problems- you fall down often, feel dizzy and out of sorts.
  • Altered taste- food tastes weird, and your tongue feels like it’s on fire sometimes.
  • Ear ringing- you have a constant ringing sound in one or both ears from tinnitus, and your ears may feel “full.”
  • Heart tremors- you’re out of breath and your heart beats quickly.

What is vitamin B12?

People get vitamin B12 from eating beef, chicken, fish, eggs, and milk. In order to have enough vitamin B12 in your body, you have to keep eating meat all the time.

This is a problem for people who are not able to digest vitamin B12 from food. For them, it’s vital to take special forms of vitamin B12 that are not swallowed. Instead, B12 vitamins that enter through the skin into the blood supply are needed.

Know the signs of low B12

To find out if you need more vitamin B12, your doctor may ask you to take a simple blood test. This is helpful for ruling out severe pernicious anemia, a deadly disease. But to check for medium-low vitamin B12, these tests are really useless.

That’s why it’s so important to know the symptoms of early vitamin B12 deficiency. If you feel tired, confused, or sad each day, then it’s a good idea to try upping your vitamin B12. See how you feel in the next few weeks. Since vitamin B12 is safe to take in any amount, there is no risk of danger.

Chances are very good that you will start to feel better, with more energy and a healthy mood.

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Vitamin B12 Anemia during Pregnancy- Don’t Ignore This

Fertility and Pregnancy, , , ,

Preventing anemia during pregnancy means more than just checking your iron levels. Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia can cause  many problems that can harm your baby, yet it’s often brushed under the rug. In fact, vitamin B12 blood testing doesn’t always detect the earliest signs of vitamin B12 anemia during pregnancy, or afterwards.

Vitamin B12 Anemia during Pregnancy- Don’t Ignore This

Family planning with vitamin B12 in mind.

Vitamin B12 is so important for so many stages of life- it helps your make plenty of healthy red blood cells needed for oxygen. Vitamin B12 also protects your nervous system. This important plant-based vitamin is excellent for metabolism, energy, memory, and good mood.

For family planning, vitamin B12 is crucial for fertility, development, and your child’s ability to thrive.

According to studies, women with vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia are more likely than others to experience infertility, multiple miscarriages, and spontaneous abortions.

Fertility

Among the many symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include problems that can interfere with family planning. Difficulty conceiving, low libido, impotence, and miscarriage are all impairments that occur with pernicious anemia or medium-range vitamin B12 deficiency.

Miscarriages

If you have too much homocysteine, then you are at risk for preeclampsia and miscarriage. Vitamin B12 helps to control homocysteine, so it’s important to keep taking your vitamin B12 supplements.

To prevent blood clotting, you should also keep folate levels in check, as well.

Neural tube defects

In a study by the National Institutes of Health, doctors saw that neural tube birth defects happen more often when the mother has vitamin B12 deficiency or pernicious anemia.

Even before getting pregnant, you should start taking extra vitamin B12.

Spina bifida, a development disorder that means “split spine,” is five times more likely to occur with pernicious anemia, even if couples are anemic before conceiving.

Prevent anemia during pregnancy

Vitamin B12 deficiency is treatable- and the symptoms can be prevented if caught on time. That means good health, both for you and your unborn child, when vitamin B12 anemia is detected before or during pregnancy.

Researchers noted that when vitamin B12 supplements are introduced in high doses, homocysteine levels decrease, resulting in a much better outcome for normal childbirth.

While there’s no upper limit for vitamin B12 (all amounts are perfectly safe), the standard dose is 1,000mic taken daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or as recommended by your physician.

If you had vitamin B12 deficiency anemia during pregnancy, did you take extra vitamin B12, in addition to your prenatal vitamins?

 Image by David Castillo Dominici

What Causes Peripheral Neuropathy?

Neuropathy, , , , , , ,

Peripheral neuropathy is caused by damage to the nerves outside of the central nervous system. Autoimmune disorder is one of many conditions linked to peripheral neuropathy, resulting in chronic neuropathic pain, reduced mobility, and organ failure.

What Causes Peripheral Neuropathy?

The peripheral nervous system

The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system (spinal cord and brain) to the rest of your body. Everything you touch, taste, smell, and see is filtered through your peripheral nerves. Even your controlled breathing, heart rate, and digestive functions are dependent on having a healthy peripheral nervous system.

With impaired peripheral nerve cells, you may suffer any of a number of debilitating  painful ailments. Diabetes, pernicious anemia from vitamin B12 deficiency, and alcoholism are a few examples of conditions that cause severe peripheral neuropathy. If treated in time, nerve damage can be minimized or prevented altogether.

Nerve damage is often preventable and treatable, only if caught on time.

What causes peripheral neuropathy?

Listed are some illnesses, lifestyle factors, and medical treatments that are risk factors for peripheral neuropathy.
Autoimmune disorders

If you have a history for immune system dysfunction, then your chances of developing neuropathy are higher than others. Intrinsic factor antibody disorder is one such example that occurs when your immune system continuously attacks intrinsic factor, a necessary enzyme for digesting vitamin B12.

Vitamin B12 is absolutely crucial for protecting the nervous system, as it helps to promote production of myelin, an insulating substance that protects each individual nerve cell. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an illness that breaks down myelin and causes peripheral neuropathy- many doctors believe there is a link between long-term vitamin B12 anemia and MS.

As vitamin B12 levels plummet, your risk for developing neuropathic pain and damage increases incrementally.

Tip: If you have a family history for autoimmune disorder, then get tested for serum vitamin B12 regularly, and learn how to recognize the symptoms and causes of peripheral neuropathy.

Illnesses

Other illnesses and conditions that may cause peripheral neuropathy are:

  • Diabetes
  • Bell’s palsy
  • Kidney failure
  • Liver failure
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Hepatitis B

Lifestyle choices

Alcoholism, smoking cigarettes, and sedentariness can also lead to peripheral neuropathy just by increasing your odds for cancer, organ dysfunction, and diabetes.

If you follow a vegan diet, then it’s essential to supplement with daily vitamin B12, in order to prevent peripheral neuropathy caused by vitamin B12 deficiency.

Medicine and surgery

Certain medications indirectly cause peripheral neuropathy by making you a high risk factor for vitamin B12 anemia. If you have been taking any prescription medication for several months, then ask your doctor to list all possible side effects that can occur over a long period of time.

Read List of Medications that Trigger Vitamin B12 Deficiency

If you have elected for gastrointestinal surgery, either for treatment of Crohn’s or for weight loss (gastric bypass), then it’s vitally important to take highly-digestible forms of vitamin B12 in order to prevent peripheral neuropathy.

Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation treatments often result in peripheral nerve damage.

Sometimes, during surgery, a doctor may accidentally strike a nerve, causing nerve damage that can be difficult to treat later.

What else causes peripheral neuropathy?

Please feel free to post questions or comments below.

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Why do Tinnitus Supplements contain Ginkgo Biloba?

Help for Tinnitus, , ,

Check the label on most tinnitus supplements, and you’ll find ginkgo Biloba (not gingko) as one of the main ingredients. And for good reason- ginkgo biloba is one of the most heavily researched natural herb recommended for promoting healthy circulation in people with tinnitus and age-related hearing loss.

Why do Tinnitus Supplements contain Ginkgo Biloba?

Ginkgo Biloba- Help for Tinnitus

Ginkgo biloba is one of the most widely-franchised natural supplements for tinnitus and other health conditions throughout the United States and Europe.

In addition to tinnitus, ginkgo biloba is also beneficial for people with memory loss, clogged arteries, and acute hemorrhoids.

The goal of tinnitus supplements

There’s no “miracle cure” for tinnitus, despite what hundreds of Google search results may indicate.

However, if you suffer from tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears) or other auditory problems, it is possible to achieve a level of hearing health by nourishing the body with vitamins, herbs, and minerals that target the nerve center responsible for hearing, and by sustaining normal blood flow near the head- a frequent factor in chronic tinnitus.

By eliminating tinnitus triggers, you improve your chances of living the rest of your life without a constant barrage of ear ringing, whistling, pounding, and buzzing sounds.

Many natural ingredients such as ginkgo biloba can help you achieve that goal by promoting healthy, normal functioning in areas where deficiencies exist.

Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus

Tinnitus is often a neurological response to damaged nerve cells of the inner ear. This can happen for a number of reasons. Where ginkgo biloba is suggested for tinnitus, it is because of reduced blood flow to the ears, resulting in poor oxygen in the brain. To keep your nervous system working properly- in this case, the part responsible for hearing- it is important to sustain healthy blood pressure.

Ginkgo biloba contains potent antioxidants that support good circulation by sustaining ideal blood vessel dilation and optimal blood texture. Where blood clotting or hypertension may damage the nerve cells of your inner ear’s cochlea, ginkgo biloba can have a therapeutic, normalizing effect.

Several studies have led researchers to believe that ginkgo biloba can significantly increase blood flow to the brain, proving helpful for people suffering from constant tinnitus and poor circulation, such as hypertension.

Besides ginkgo biloba, do you know of any other natural ingredients used in tinnitus supplements? Please comment below!

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Tinnifree

Try Tinnifree for noise-free hearing support.

Prevent Memory Loss- Check these 7 Medications!

Mental Health, , , , ,

Memory loss doesn’t have to be a necessary part of getting older. Often, forgetfulness is triggered by certain medications that cause brain fog, fatigue, and mental confusion. To prevent memory loss, ask your doctor for healthier alternatives for the following drugs.

Prevent Memory Loss- Check these 7 Medications!

Prevent memory loss…

If you’ve been noticing an increase in memory loss, then your first step is to schedule a check-up. Your doctor may want to screen for vitamin B12 deficiency, a common cause of frequent memory problems, tiredness, and depression.

Other possible reasons for poor memory can include smoking, head trauma, stroke, sleep apnea, early-onset dementia, or just plain ‘ole stress.

Or, memory loss can occur with commonly prescribed medications used to treat depression, anxiety, chronic pain, or even high cholesterol.

Medications to keep in check…

Here are some prescription drugs that doctors have linked with memory loss:

  1. Benzodiazepines for anxiety work by suppressing parts of the brain used to store memory. These should only be prescribed rarely, and not for long term. Ask your doctor for gentler treatments for anxiety, muscle spasms, or insomnia. Also, consider supplementing with safe natural ingredients that help to promote good cognition.
  2. Statins that lower cholesterol can also impair memory by reducing lipids that are needed for cellular communication in the brain’s network of nerve cells. To counteract the effect, doctors recommend taking high doses of vitamin B12, which encourages healthy nervous system functioning through the preservation of myelin.
  3. Certain anti-seizure drugs used to treat migraines, epilepsy or bipolar disorder can wreak havoc on the nervous system, leaving you feeling drained, disoriented, and forgetful. Certain anticonvulsants are better than others, so if you notice a change in your overall mood, then ask your doctor to recommend an alternative. Also, certain herbs, vitamins, and minerals have been found helpful when taken in tandem, such as butterbur, riboflavin, magnesium, and coenzyme Q10.
  4. Opioid analgesic painkillers prescribed for arthritis, migraines or fibromyalgia can interfere with both short-term and long-term memory. For chronic pain that requires frequent medication, inquire about non-narcotic painkillers. For joint pain and muscle soreness, rub daily with a pain relieving cream.
  5. Tricyclic antidepressants used to treat depression, anxiety, tinnitus, migraines, and chronic pain may cause severe memory loss in about 35% of patients, in addition to difficulty concentrating in more than half, according to recent studies. If you experience fatigue and memory problems, then your doctor may suggest lowering your dose or trying an alternative type of antidepressant, such as selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SSRI/SNRIs).
  6. Antihistamines used for nausea, allergies and migraines can impair the part of your brain used for memory and learning. To prevent memory loss while using antihistamines, make sure you’re using one of the newer formulas.
  7. Hypertension drugs such as beta-blockers work by inhibiting chemical reactions in the brain, including those needed for good memory and healthy cognitive functioning. As a result, you may experience frequent brain fog and memory loss after using beta-blockers for a long period of time. If using hypertension medications to treat migraines or tinnitus, then ask about certain vitamins and minerals that support good blood flow to the brain.

Can you think of any other medications people should avoid, in order to prevent memory loss? Please share your comments or questions below.

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10 Reasons why you’re Tired all the Time- the First will Surprise you

Boost energy!, , , ,

You try to get your 8 hours sleep, but you’re still tired all the time- from morning until evening. You’re not alone. Many people suffer from constant fatigue, even after getting plenty of shut-eye. There are several underlying conditions that can cause you to feel exhausted, reaching for that coffee cup before noon, including anemia from vitamin B12 deficiency.

10 Reasons why you’re Tired all the Time- the First will Surprise you

This is why you’re tired all the time:

It’s a common misconception that to beat tiredness, you just need to get more sleep. If you stay up late watching television or chatting on Facebook, then yes- you need to turn off all electric media and get to sleep.

But for many, chronic fatigue lingers throughout the day, every day, even despite following all the rules of good sleep hygiene. You wake up feeling hung over, sluggish. You never get that feeling of refreshed wakefulness that most people feel when they get up in the morning.

Here are some reasons for that.

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Sometimes referred to as pernicious anemia or vitamin B12 anemia, vitamin B12 deficiency can make you feel overwhelmingly tired, lethargic, and slow. This is due to reduced levels of red blood cells which are needed to deliver oxygen to your brain and other parts of the body.

Fatigue is one of many early signs of vitamin B12 deficiency; others include brain fog, memory problems, painful numbness and tingling, and dizziness.

The best thing you can do is to start taking vitamin B12 immediately. While the B12 blood tests are helpful for detecting severe pernicious anemia, they are often unhelpful in diagnosing medium to low ranges of vitamin B12 serum levels that still cause debilitating symptoms.

Cure Vitamin B12 Deficiency in 12 Steps

There is no danger of taking too much vitamin B12, as any unused amounts are excreted in the urine. A good rule of thumb is to take at least 1000mcg per week. Vitamin B12 helps to boost energy, so most people notice good results almost immediately.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are separate illnesses that are often grouped together because they share common symptoms, including daily crushing fatigue and chronic pain.

Because many people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue also suffer from gastrointestinal distress, vitamin B12 deficiency is often also a comorbid factor. If you are diagnosed with either CFS or FM, then it’s a good idea to increase vitamin B12 supplementation for increased energy and mental focus.

Sleep disturbances

Sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome can be making it difficult for you to get quality sleep, causing you to feel tired all the time.

Diabetes

Constant tiredness can be a sign of pre-diabetes, due to sugars in the blood not being digested properly and used for energy.

Also, if you take metformin for diabetes, then you are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency, as metformin and other medications inhibit your ability to digest vitamin B12, leading to vitamin B12 malabsorption and eventual deficiency.

Thyroid condition

A sluggish thyroid and, surprisingly, an overactive thyroid can cause severe fatigue.

Prescription medications

Constant fatigue is a common symptom of long-term use of painkillers and antidepressants. This can be a side effect of the drug, a sign of misuse, or it can result from vitamin B12 malabsorption.

Depression

Overwhelming sadness such as that occurs in chronic depression can make you feel tired and disoriented.

Stress

Over time, built-up nervous tension without relief can make you feel wiped out before the day is done.

Obesity

Morbid obesity carries many health concerns, including chronic fatigue.

Inactivity

Do you work in an office or other occupation where you are sitting most of the day? Sedentariness is risk factor for obesity, heart disease, and fatigue. Doctors recommend taking breaks throughout the work day, even just to stretch your legs. Also, to boost energy, commit yourself to some form of light exercise 20-30 minutes per day.

What else can you think of?

Do you suffer from a condition that makes you feel tired all the time?

Do you know of any other ways to beat constant tiredness and boost energy?

How has your life improved since you started taking regular vitamin B12 supplements?

Image by David Castillo Dominici

10 Natural Ingredients that Help Migraine

Migraine Headaches

While there is no 100% cure for migraines, a neurological illness, doctors agree on certain natural ingredients that help migraine headache sufferers reach their optimal level of nervous system functionality. The following herbs, vitamins, and minerals have been the focus of the most studies, and are highly recommended by natural migraine treatment physicians.

10 Natural Ingredients that Help Migraine

Please note that many natural supplements have powerful properties that can rival those of prescription medications. Please consult your doctor before taking any new treatment for migraine disorder.

Natural ingredients that help migraine

Here are some natural ingredients that are most often cited as beneficial for migraine headaches, nausea, stress, and other forms of chronic pain.

1- Butterbur (Petasites hybridus)

Butterbur root extracts have been featured in numerous scientific studies on natural migraine prophylaxis. Scientists noted optimal results when migraine sufferers used 75mg of safe, natural butterbur supplements each day for at least three months. Test subjects who also suffered from severe asthma and muscle spasms reported good health after taking butterbur daily. Note: Read the label when purchasing butterbur capsules- only use extracts free of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA’s), which can have a toxic side effect. Look for “PA-free” on the label.

2- Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is an antioxidant that aids migraine patients by supporting healthy blood flow to the brain, sustaining good circulation, regulating blood-sugar levels, and promoting normal cellular metabolism. Doctors recommend 60mg-100mg of coenzyme Q10 daily for best results.

3- Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)

Practitioners of CAM (complementary alternative medicine) recommend taking 400mg of riboflavin each day for at least three months. Riboflavin helps to sustain ideal cellular metabolism, while also controlling the effect of oxidative damage that can occur with chronic migraines.

4- Magnesium

Magnesium deficiency is a common trigger of chronic migraines, so experimenting with at least 200mg of magnesium each day is a good way to eliminate that as a cause of your migraines. Most patients do not need to exceed 1,000mg doses of magnesium, which is also naturally helpful for neurological functioning. Some migraine patients suffer from magnesium deficiency, a common trigger of migraine attacks. Health experts recommend beginning with 200mg of magnesium per day, to be increased to 1,000mg if needed. Magnesium helps to sustain health neurological functioning.

5- 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)

5-HTP is helpful for serotonin management. Doctors suggest 5-HTP as a natural ingredient for migraine headaches caused by vascular disorders resulting from low serotonin.

6- Coffee

Coffee can sometimes trigger migraines, but for many other migraine patients, a caffeinated drink can actually provide relief.

7- Valerian

Valerian is helpful for reducing stress that triggers migraine attacks.

8- Peppermint

If your migraine attacks occur with gut-wrenching nausea and cramps, then try chewing on a raw peppermint leaf. Or, sip a cup of healing tea seeped with peppermint.

9- Cayenne

Topical pain creams containing cayenne are helpful for neck stiffness, back pain, and sore joints that occur with migraine.

10- Kava

Kava contains therapeutic phytochemicals that promote relaxation in the nerves and muscles.

 

Can you add to our list? Can you recommend any other great natural ingredients that help migraine headaches? Please list below.

 

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List of Medications that Trigger Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin Deficiency Risk Factors, , ,

A common cause of vitamin B12 deficiency is long-term use of certain medications. Even if you don’t suffer from an autoimmune condition or have a family medical history for pernicious anemia, your risk for developing severe vitamin B12 deficiency are increased if you take any of the following medications regularly.

List of Medications that Trigger Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Listed are drugs prescribed often for conditions such as diabetes, depression, GERD, or frequent infections that can, over time, impair your ability to absorb vitamin B12 properly from the foods you eat.

Vitamin B12 malabsorption

If you take vitamin B complex and eat a diet rich in vitamin B12, such as beef, fish, and chicken, then you’re on the right track to good health. Still, there are many risk factors that can lead to vitamin B12 malabsorption, regardless of how well you take care of your body.

Vitamin B12 malabsorption is the inability to latch onto vitamin B12 molecules that enter your body and use them efficiently. Instead of being dispersed through your blood stream, essential vitamin B12 passes through your digestive system whole, unaffected. None of the important nutrients needed for good neurological health, energy, or red blood cell development reach their destination. As a result, over time, you experience symptoms of severe anemia caused by low levels of serum vitamin B12.

What causes vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 deficiency most often occurs with pernicious anemia, an autoimmune condition that attacks intrinsic factor, a digestive enzyme needed for vitamin B12 absorption. Pernicious anemia can also result from damage to the parietal cells of the stomach. Patients of gastrointestinal surgeries for weight loss or Crohn’s disease are at risk and must supplement with non-dietary vitamin B12.

If you follow a strict vegan diet, then you may be at risk for dietary vitamin B12 deficiency, as there are no rich natural sources of plant-based vitamin B12.

Medications that Trigger Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Please note: Don’t stop using any prescription medication without permission from your doctor. If you use any of the medications listed, then you should check your vitamin B12 levels regularly in order to prevent developing severe vitamin B12 deficiency.

The following prescription medications may trigger vitamin B12 deficiency:

  • Aminoglycosides
  • Cephalosporins
  • Chlorotrianisene
  • Chlortetracycline
  • Cholestyramine (Cholybar®, Questran®)
  • Cimetidine (Tagamet®)
  • Clofibrate (Atromid-S®)
  • Colchicine- (ColBenemid®)
  • Colestipol
  • Co-trimoxazole
  • Demeclocycline
  • Famotidine
  • Fluoroquinolones
  • Lansoprazole
  • Macrolides
  • Metformin
  • Methyldopa (Aldomet®)
  • Minocycline
  • Neomycin
  • Nizatidine
  • Omeprazole (Prilosec®)
  • Oral contraceptives
  • Oxytetracycline
  • Penicillins
  • Phenobarbital
  • Phenytoin
  • Potassium chloride
  • Ranitidine (Zantac®)
  • Sulfonamides
  • Tetracyclines
  • Trimethoprim- (TMP/SMX)
  • Valproic Acid (Depakene®)
  • Zidovudine

Did we miss any?

Are you currently taking any medications that you feel have directly led to vitamin B12 deficiency? Please comment below.

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Cure Vitamin B12 Deficiency in 12 Steps

Vitamin B12 Deficiency, , , , , ,

Many people today suffer from vitamin B12 deficiency that hasn’t been diagnosed. To cure vitamin B12 deficiency, it’s important to understand how you got it and which B12 supplements are the best to relieve symptoms and prevent pernicious anemia.

Cure Vitamin B12 Deficiency in 12 Steps

1) Get a blood test- save results!

Some of the earliest symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are easily confused or misdiagnosed. Memory problems, fatigue, and depression are sometimes attributed to old age or mental illness without testing for low vitamin B12 levels; that’s why getting tested is an important first step in curing vitamin B12 deficiency.

A simple blood test can determine if your vitamin B12 levels are at a dangerous low. This is important to know, because severe vitamin B12 deficiency (pernicious anemia) can lead to irreversible nerve damage, mobility problems, handicaps, and sometimes death.

Once you get blood test results, save them in your personal files for future reference. You may need to repeat tests often, so it will help to have a record that you can use to track vitamin B12 serum levels.

2) Know the symptoms of B12 deficiency.

Sometimes, the symptoms you’re experiencing can speak volumes when blood test results show a “medium range” of vitamin B12 deficiency.

In fact, it’s not uncommon for patients to be turned away by their healthcare providers simply because their vitamin B12 levels were not low enough to qualify for supplementation.

Common symptoms of medium-low range vitamin B12 deficiency include:

  • Forgetfulness
  • Depression
  • Fatigue
  • Slow talking
  • Brain fog
  • Painful numbness and tingling in the extremities (hands and feet)
  • Anxiety
  • Pale complexion
  • Electric shock sensations
  • Tinnitus (ear ringing)
  • Muscle pain and spasms

3) Understand your diagnosis.

What’s the cause of your vitamin B12 deficiency? Is it because you follow a vegan diet? If so, then you have dietary vitamin B12 deficiency, and any quality vitamin B12 supplements can help reverse symptoms.

For many others, vitamin B12 deficiency is caused by vitamin B12 malabsorption, the inability to digest vitamin B12 from food or dietary supplements. In such a case, the only cure for vitamin B12 deficiency is through supplements that enter the blood stream directly, bypassing digestion in the stomach.

4) Get the right vitamin B12 supplements!

Vitamin B12 injections and other forms of B12 that are absorbed through the skin are the only option for vitamin B12 malabsorption.

The following are risk factors for vitamin B12 malabsorption:

  • Family history for pernicious anemia or intrinsic factor antibody
  • Gastrointestinal disorders
  • Autoimmune disorders
  • Gastric bypass surgery
  • Medication for diabetes, GERD, depression, or frequent infections
  • Alcoholism

5) Increase potassium and iron as neurological symptoms improve.

During your course of vitamin B12 supplementation, you may need to increase your intake of foods containing potassium. First, ask your doctor to test your potassium. Then, eat more foods that are rich in potassium, or take supplements.

6) Take as much vitamin B12 as you need.

It can take a while to reverse the signs of prolonged vitamin B12 deficiency. Understand that you’re perfectly safe in taking as much vitamin B12 as you feel you need, and that according to the FDA, these are no side effects associated with “too much vitamin B12.”

7) Take vitamin B12 supplementation into your own hands.

Your healthcare insurance may only agree to cover a minimal amount of vitamin B12- enough to prevent nerve deterioration and death, but not enough to cure constant fatigue, memory loss, irritability, and that general feeling of being out-of-sorts.

Many patients have to use over-the-counter vitamin B12 supplements, in addition to B12 injections that they receive by their doctor.

Don’t let your healthcare provider dictate how much vitamin B12 is enough- if you need more than the allotted dose, then you may have to shop online for quality non-dietary vitamin B12 in order to really boost energy and fight fatigue.

8) Make sure pernicious anemia is noted.

If your doctor believes that you are unable to digest vitamin B12 from foods, and that you need lifetime vitamin B12 supplementation, then make sure “pernicious anemia” is listed in your health records.

9) Check folate levels.

You may require more folic acid, which works in conjunction with vitamin B12.

10) Check iron levels.

Signs of fatigue can also be caused by low iron, so make sure your doctor monitors you for low and hyper iron levels.

11) Take more B vitamins.

Vitamin B12, folate, and vitamin B6 work together, so it’s a good idea to take B-complex vitamins along with your regular doses of vitamin B12.

12) Be your own advocate!

Unfortunately, many doctors refuse to believe that a set of debilitating neurological symptoms can be cured with a vitamin- even vitamin B12 deficiency! You may have to shop around for a more sympathetic doctor.

Also, you can push for more testing- other ways of diagnosing vitamin B12 deficiency include:

  • Serum MMA – (methylmalonic acid)
  • Urinary MMA
  • Active B12 (HoloTc or Holotranscobalamin)
  • Elevated homocysteine
  • MTHFR – methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (gene mutation)
  • Gastric Parietal Cell Antibodies
  • Gastric Intrinsic Factor Antibodies
  • MCV level (mean corpuscular volume)

 

Do you have questions about vitamin B12 deficiency cures, symptoms, or diagnosis? Please feel free to comment below.

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Vitamin B12 Benefits the Whole Body

Vitamin B12 Benefits, , , , , , , ,

Vitamin B12 benefits: Vitamin B12 is amazing- it actually affect s your whole body, from your energy levels and metabolism to fertility and basic neurological functioning. Listed are some of the most awesome benefits of vitamin B12, and ways to make sure you’re getting enough.

Vitamin B12 Benefits the Whole Body

Sharp memory, cardiovascular regularity, nerve reflexes, and emotional wellbeing- believe it or not, these are all aspects of daily health that depend on your ability to maintain a steady supply of vitamin B12 in your blood stream.

Vitamin B12 benefits

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient that you only get from eating animal-based foods, such as beef, chicken, seafood, eggs, and milk products. There are no rich sources of vitamin B12 in any plant foods. To get the most benefits, it’s important to eat plenty of meat and fish, while also supplementing with high-quality vitamin B12 in a digestible formula.

  • Vitamin B12 protects the nervous system by sustaining myelin, a fatty layer that coats each individual nerve cell. The absence of sufficient vitamin B12 can lead to a breakdown in this crucial element, leading to destruction of nerve cells.
  • Vitamin B12 supports the production of healthy red blood cells needed to deliver oxygen throughout your body. Dizziness, brain fog and irritability from low oxygen can occur with vitamin B12 anemia.
  • Vitamin B12 boosts energy, as it helps your body digest carbohydrates and fat cells, producing usable energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
  • By controlling homocysteine levels in your blood, vitamin B12 benefits your cardiovascular health. Elevated homocysteine is linked with increased risk for heart attack, stroke, and even dementia.
  • Vitamin B12 benefits the whole body by promoting healthy cell growth, particularly with regard to the cell membrane.
  • In many studies, scientists found that elderly individuals with normal levels of vitamin B12 scored better in memory tests than senior citizens with vitamin B12 deficiency, and were less likely to suffer dementia prematurely. MRI results also showed more advanced brain loss in dementia patients with vitamin B12 deficiency than their peers who took vitamin B12 supplements.

 

Are you sure you’re getting enough B12?

With vitamin B12 deficiency, you may experience distressing signs of anemia- chronic fatigue, dizziness, depression, frequent painful numbness and tingling, plus more.

Unfortunately, many of us have difficulty maintaining a healthy level of vitamin B12, due to chronic conditions, lifestyle choices, or medications that interfere with your ability to digest vitamin B12 normally from foods.

If any of these apply to you, then you may not be reaping all the benefits of vitamin B12 needed for survival:

  • Autoimmune disorders
  • Vegan dieting
  • Prescription medications for diabetes or GERD (acid reflux)
  • Pernicious anemia in family history
  • Gastritis
  • Weight loss surgery (gastric bypass)

Get more B12 now

You can get the most B12 benefits for your buck when you use highly absorbable vitamin B12 that dissolves rapidly into your blood supply. For some, vitamin B12 injections, however painful, are sufficient. Still, many patients complain that they cannot get replenish their B12 levels to the max without using additional vitamin B12 supplementation.

Vitamin B12 Patch Box

 

Get the Vitamin B12 Patch for $19.95

 

Maxasorb Vitamin B12 Cream

 

Maxasorb Vitamin B12 Cream- $19.95

Can you think of any more vitamin B12 benefits not mentioned here? Have you noticed a difference in your energy levels since taking vitamin B12? Please feel free to comment below!

Image by Sura Nualpradid