Are you B12 deficient?

b12 imageWhen was the last time you had your B12 levels checked?  B12 deficiency affect people of every age, ranging from babies to senior citizens.  The different ways it can afflict are:

  • Can cause Depression or Psychotic behavior
  • Agonizing leg and arm pains or Paralysis
  • Mimics Alzheimer’s disease, MS, early Parkinson’s disease, Diabetic neuropathy, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Can cause men and women to be infertile
  • Can cause developmental disabilities in children

It is considered an “old people’s disease” but it can strike at any age.  But it is easy to spot, easy to treat, and easy to cure…but only if it’s caught early enough.  All of the following cases had the same medical condition and were misdiagnosed…a B12 deficiency:

  • An 8 mo old baby who loses her speech, stops responding to her parents, and eventually can’t even sit up by herself.
  • A 20 yr old woman who becomes severely depressed and who attempts to kill herself.
  • A 65 yr old man, who in 3 months went from a healthy jogger into a depressed, confused man, diagnosed with senile dementia.
  • A 54 yr old woman accused by her doctors of being an alcoholic and a drug seeker when she complains of intense, chronic back and leg pain.

To get B12 from your diet, you need to eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, or foods fortified with B12.  You can also take a sublingual (under the tongue) supplement.  It is remarkably easy to become deficient in this nutrient. 

Toxins, poor diet, and other environmental factors over time affect the lining of the stomach and lose its ability to produce Hydrochloric Acid (HCL).  HCL plays a key role in releasing vitamin B12 from food and is an easily attained food supplement.  You can buy some at Whole Foods, PCC, GNC…or your local vitamin store.   But also regularly consuming active probiotics such as fermented soy products (miso, tempeh), kefir, sauerkraut, or kim chee, will help to not damage the gut wall but also allow the body to transform the microflora into B vitamins.  How cool is that?!?! 

Now I’m not saying B12 is the cure all…but the brief amount of time and money required to identify a B12 deficiency is a small investment to make and may be one of the most important investments you’ll ever make!

In happiness and health~

2 Comments

  1. My father suffered from Parkinson’s disease which is a nervous disorder associated with severe tremors. He started medication but the doctor advised me to bring more vitamin B12 rich foods in his diet. After that I had always arranged vitamin B12 foods and vitamin B12 vaporizers for my father. After 2 years of continuous treatment now my father’s condition is quite stable. Thanks to vitamin B12.

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