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  • Could A Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Be Causing Your Symptoms?

    Note: The following article is the result of research done by Dr. Myatt, sponsored by the good people at ProHealth – www.ProHealth.com – they have a large body of CFS information available on their website.

    An excellent product containing all 4 forms of B-12 can be found here: http://www.drmyattswellnessclub.com/BExtreme.htm

    Could This Common Vitamin Deficiency Be Causing Your Symptoms?

    Less than 20 years ago, patients complaining of fatigue were often given a “tonic shot” by their doctor. Many people claimed this worked like magic to improve their energy levels. What was this miracle tonic? A simple injection of vitamin B-12. Although the practice of administering vitamin B-12 injections has fallen out of favor, modern medical science now understands why vitamin B-12 supplementation makes people feel better, and the reasons extend far beyond just the “placebo effect” of receiving a shot.

    The Vitamin 12 / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Connection

    The symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency bear a disturbing resemblance to many CFS symptoms. In fact, the symptoms of B-12 deficiency and CFS overlap to such a great extent that many respected CFS researchers and physicians — including Drs. Paul Cheney, Charles Lapp, Dale Guyer, Kenny De Meirleir, Jay Goldstein, Michael E. Rosenbaum, Jacob Teitelbaum, and Martin Pall — consider vitamin B-12 a mainstay of CFS treatment. (1-6)

    Symptoms of B-12 deficiency include fatigue, weakness, confusion and other memory problems, and bowel disorders. (7,8,9) Symptoms of CFS also include fatigue, weakness, memory and/or concentration problems and bowel disorders. (10) Is it any wonder that specialists place so much importance on the vitamin B-12 status of their CFS patients?

    But the problems associated with vitamin B-12 deficiency, and the potential benefits of correcting B-12 deficiencies, extend far beyond its use in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

    The Far-Reaching Effects of Vitamin B-12 Deficiency

    Vitamin B-12, called “cobalamin” because it contains the mineral cobalt, is required for a staggering number of physical functions and chemical reactions.

    Best known for its participation in the manufacture of red blood cells, B-12 is also needed for production and maintenance of the myelin sheath that surrounds nerves and for production of DNA, the genetic material of all cells (7,8,11,12). And that’s just the beginning.

    The serious health consequences vitamin B-12 deficiency can adversely affect nearly every system in the body.

    • Energy. Even minor deficiencies of vitamin B-12 deficiency can cause anemia, fatigue, shortness of breath and weakness. (7,8,9)
    • The Nervous System. Deficiencies of B-12 can cause neurological changes including numbness and tingling in the hands and feet (13,14), balance problems, depression, confusion, poor memory and Alzheimer’s-like symptoms. (15) Long-term deficiencies of B-12 can result in permanent impairment of the nervous system. (16, 70,71)
    • The Gastro-Intestinal System. B-12 deficiency can cause decreased appetite, constipation, diarrhea or alternating constipation / diarrhea, weight loss and abdominal pain. (7,8,9)
    • The Immune System. Vitamin B-12 is necessary for normal functioning of white blood cells. (17) Studies show that B-12 helps regulate Natural-Killer T-cells (18) and prevents chromosome damage. (19)
    • The Cardiovascular System. Vitamin B-12 participates in the conversion of homocysteine to methionine. Elevated homocysteine levels are a known independent risk factor for heart attack, stroke and thrombosis. Without adequate B-12 levels, homocysteine levels typically rise. (20-32)
    • Special Senses: degenerative changes in the central nervous system caused by B-12 deficiency can also affect the optic nerve, resulting in blue-yellow color blindness. (33)
    • Other symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency include sore mouth or tongue (34)
    • In Infants and Children, signs of vitamin B-12 deficiency include failure to thrive, movement disorders, delayed development, and megaloblastic anemia. (35)

    With so many physical functions at risk, it is easy to understand why knowledgeable clinicians and researchers consider B-12 supplementation a mainstay of therapy for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, neurological disorders, cardiovascular health and more.Are You At Risk for a Vitamin B-12 Deficiency?Medical science once believed that few people were vitamin B-12 deficient. This false assumption may stem from the fact that vitamin B-12 is produced in the body by a normal, healthy population of bowel bacterial.

    Secondly, unlike other water-soluble vitamins, B-12 is stored in the liver, kidneys and other tissues. Deficiencies of B-12 often appear so slowly and subtly as to go unnoticed, and blood tests for vitamin B-12 levels miss early deficiency states at least 50% of the time. (36, 37)

    So, who is at risk for vitamin B-12 deficiency? Recent research shows that a much larger segment of the population is likely deficient than previously thought.

    Because assimilation of vitamin B-12 from food requires adequate stomach acid and intrinsic factor, and because stomach acid typically declines with age, people over 50 were once thought to be the biggest “at risk” population for B-12 deficiency. Previous studies showed 3-39% of seniors to be vitamin B-12 deficient (36,37,38), but newer studies suggest that number may be as high as 72%-78%. (39,78)

    Vegetarians and vegans are another population believed to be at high risk for B-12 deficiency, in part because of low animal food intake of vitamin B-12 and also because many vegetable sources such as seaweed must be consumed in large amounts in order to provide adequate vitamin B-12. (38,40)

    Other high -risk groups for B-12 deficiency include those who use acid-blocking or neutralizing drugs (such as Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium and others) (41-44), drugs which impair intestinal absorption (such as Metformin, Questron and Chloromycetin) (45), and people who have had gastric surgery (46,47). Bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine, which occurs frequently in people with low stomach acid, is a predisposing factor for B-12 deficiency because the bacteria themselves use vitamin B-12. (48,49)

    The most recent and disturbing studies suggest that vitamin B-12 deficiency is more prevalent in young adults than previously thought. (50,75). One study found that vitamin B-12 deficiency was similar in three age groups (26-49 years, 50-64 years, and 65 years and older), but that early symptoms were simply less apparent in the young. This study also found that those who did not take a vitamin B-12- containing supplement were twice as likely to be deficient as supplement users, regardless of age. (50)

    Four Forms of B-12 — Which One is Best?

    Cobalamin is a collective term for four closely related forms of B-12 — cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin, hydroxycobalamin, and adenosylcobalamin (dibencozide).

    Cyanocobalamin, the most common form of B-12 found in nutritional supplements, has the lowest biological activity and must be converted in the liver to methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin before it can be utilized.

    Because it can be converted to other forms of B-12, cyanocobalamin can be considered the “mother form” of B-12. However, this conversion is inefficient and some people may not benefit cyanocobalamin due to lack of assimilation or conversion. (51,52)

    Methylcobalamin is considered by many researchers to be the most active form of vitamin B-12. (53) It protects the nervous system by regulating glutamate- induced neuronal damage (common in aging) (54,55) and promoting nerve cell regeneration. (56)

    Methylcobalamin is the only form of vitamin B-12 that participates in regulating circadian rhythms (sleep/wake cycles). It has been shown to improve sleep quality and refreshment from sleep, as well as increasing feelings of well-being, concentration and alertness.(57)

    Adenosylcobalamin (dibencozide), the second highly active form of vitamin B-12, is essential for energy metabolism.(58) It is required for normal myelin sheath formation and nucleoprotein synthesis. Deficiencies are associated with nerve and spinal cord degeneration. (59,60)

    Hydroxocobalamin is a unique form of B-12 that participates in detoxification, especially cyanide detoxification. Cyanide levels are often elevated in smokers, people who eat cyanide-containing food (like cassava) and those with certain metabolic defects.

    Excess cyanide in the tissues blocks conversion of cyanocobalamin to methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin. In such instances, hydroxocobalamin may be the vitamin B-12 of choice. (61,62) Hydroxycobalamin is FDA- approved as a treatment for cyanide poisoning. (63)

    Given the subtle yet important differences between these forms of B-12, an ideal formula might be one which contains all four forms.Oral Vs. Injectable: Which Delivery System is Preferred?Although many people including some physicians still believe that injectable vitamin B-12 is the preferred route of administration, it is well-known and widely accepted that oral vitamin B-12 is equally as effective as injection in treating pernicious anemia and other B-12 deficient states. (63-67, 77)

    Conclusions and Recommendations

    Vitamin B-12 deficiency is far more widespread than previously thought, with up to 30% of young people affected and possibly as many as 78% of the over 50 population suffering from deficiency (36,37,38,39, 78). Those at special risk include seniors, vegetarians and vegans, people taking acid-neutralizing drugs or various other drugs (36,37,38,39) and patients with cognitive impairment (68). The US Institute of Medicine recommends that adults over 50 obtain their vitamin B-12 from supplements. (69)

    Because symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency often manifest months or years before B-12 blood tests become abnormal, early deficiencies are often missed. (36,37)

    Symptoms and side effects of B-12 deficiency are many and varied, can mimic other diseases such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and can produce irreversible changes of the nervous system if not corrected early. (70,71,76)

    Oral vitamin B-12 supplementation is extremely safe (72,76), as effective as injections, (67,73-74) comparatively inexpensive and more convenient than injections (67). Those at risk of vitamin B-12 deficiency or with symptoms suggestive of B-12 deficiency should consider adding this important nutrient to their supplement protocol.

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  • Are You Headed for an Emotional Breakdown?

    Every day, each of us have a number of simple choices to make. Those who consistently make good choices tend to stay emotionally and physically healthy. Those who consistently make poor choices lose physical and mental health much faster than the expected “aging” decline of the body. Some consistently poor choices can make a person downright crazy — what we call “certifiable” (as in “certifiably insane”). Even if one doesn’t drive them self to total insanity, anxiety, depression, anger and dissatisfaction with life are still mild symptoms of emotional imbalance.

    You may be surprised to learn that these choices are everyday “little things” that really add up — for good or for ill. Everything from high blood pressure, overweight, heart disease, diabetes and increased cancer risk to mood disorders, emotional instability and even a complete “psychotic break” can result.

    Here are the disaster-driven lifestyle choices that sick (or going to be sick) people consistently make:

    1.) Stay up late at night (no consistent bedtime). The healthiest choice for weight control, normal blood pressure and balanced hormones is a regular sleep/wake cycle. Since melatonin, a potent antioxidant produced in the body, is made during dark hours, sleeping at night is far more beneficial than sleeping during the day time.

    The unhealthy choice: stay up until 11, 12 or even the early hours, then sleep in late in the morning.

    The healthy choice: try to get to bed by 10 p.m., or 11 p.m. at the latest. And keep your bedtime consistent each night.

    2.) Find every excuse not to exercise. Consider that “running around” all day counts as good exercise (it doesn’t). Make excuses based on the weather, lack of gym membership, too tired, [put your excuse here].

    Interestingly, the people who “don’t have time to exercise” always seem to have time for less important activities, like playing games on the computer, watching mindless television shows, or yakking endlessly on the cellphone.

    It also amuses me that many of these same people who “don’t have time to exercise” have plenty of time to worry about their blood pressure or diabetes or overweight. They also have time to run to the doctor for check-ups for these illnesses.

    The unhealthy choice: continue making excuses for why you can’t exercise for 15 minutes every day, and count all your “running around” as exercise.

    The healthy choice: exercise for 15 minutes every day, and do something “brisk” (push yourself a bit until you sweat and breathe heavy). Read “Why Aerobic exercise is a Waste of Time” to learn how to maximize your 15 minutes per day:

    3.) Spend plenty of time doing “mindless’ things. Granted, everyone should have a relaxing hobby or two or three, ways to “switch gears” from “work mode” to pure “enjoyment mode.” Hopefully, these hobbies are ones that  enrich mind and/or body. Not every hobby falls into this category.

    For example, a game or two played on the computer can be enjoyable. For most people, however, there is little redeeming “nutritional value” from such games (exception: older folks can benefit from improved reaction times depending on what type of game they’re playing).

    For others, computer gaming becomes almost addictive, with little benefit to recommend it. Combine that with someone who stays up late at night to play (see health-destroyer #1), and computer game addiction can be some serious “junk food” for the mind.

    Likewise, watching more than one or two television shows per night — especially the “new breed” of comedy or inane dramas, often becomes a royal waste of time and mind.

    The unhealthy choice: spend lots of time playing computer games, watching mindless T.V. shows and reading “junk food” books.

    The healthy choice: engage in uplifting and nutritionally “rich” hobbies like gardening (good exercise), photography, sewing or knitting (at least you’ll produce something to show for your time). Watch uplifting movies and television shows (not to excess), and occasionally include a true story or geographical or historical adventure — something with redeeming mental “nutritional value.”

    4.) Eat a fast-food, junk-food diet. You know, the kind with high fat and salt, low in essential fats, protein and nutrients.

    Instead of cooking at home for nutrition’s sake, always order take-out. Hey — that neuron-destroying MSG, artery-clogging trans fat and diabetes-inducing high carb junk food will help your cause (which is to lose your health and your mind, as quickly as possible).

    The unhealthy choice: eat out, order take-out or buy fast food “heat and eat” from the grocery store often.

    The healthy choice: fix more home-cooked meals, including non-starchy vegetables, whole proteins and garden-fresh ingredients. (This is where a gardening hobby comes in healthy!)

    5.) Take a pill for everything that ails you. High blood pressure? Don’t bother to lose weight, exercise, get regular sleep and eat better —- take a pill to fix the problem instead. Even better: ignore the problem altogether.

    Diabetes? Don’t lose weight or exercise — take pills instead.

    Depressed? Everyone knows that mood disorders are caused by a Prozac or Effexor deficiency. Don’t bother to get regular bedtimes to regulate your hormones, or eat right to provide essential nutrients, or exercise to create those “feel good” endorphins. No, by gumpy! Just take a pill instead.

    The US ranks somewhere around 43 in the world for life expectancy. Over 200,000 people are killed each year by correctly prescribed medications. (It boggles the mind to think how many are harmed or killed by incorrectly prescribed drugs).

    The unhealthy choice: take a “pill for every ill.”

    The healthy choice: correct your little “everyday choices” and allow your body the opportunity to bring you back into healthful balance.

    Unfortunately, people who are making the worst lifestyle choices are often the ones least likely to recognize themselves in this report. Many people will simply experience poor health and mild states of mood disorder over these poor choices, but some will go so far as to have a “psychotic break” (a real “disconnection” from reality). Here are some warning signs of advanced mental instability:

    I.) Paranoid. Is everyone out to get you? Your spouse is mean and doesn’t understand you when he/she tries to make a suggestion? People who are “losing it” almost never recognize their part in their troubles.

    Instead, they blame everyone around them, their circumstances and “bad luck” for their miseries. Introspection, the art of self-examination, eludes them. Life is bad, and it’s everyone else’s fault.

    II.) Grouchy. No matter what friends or family try to do, the person headed for a breakdown seems perpetually grouchy.

    They get angry easily. They take offense easily. They go into a “rage” and do dumb things — like get in the car and drive (usually too fast) to nowhere.

    III.) Dissatisfied. Whatever they’ve got, it’s never enough. Happiness is always “just around the corner,” after more money has been spent and more things acquired. Spending is often out of control, and the headed-for-trouble person would drive him/herself and family into deep debt with the misplaced belief that a new car or a bigger house will buy happiness.

    If you see yourself in any of this (which you won’t if you’re “far gone”), I encourage you to start making some consistently better choices each and every day. The little things — like sleep habits and choices of hobby — have a much greater impact on mental and physical health than most folks realize.

    And by all means be sure to get a physical evaluation from a doctor, preferably an holistic doctor who isn’t just a “pill pusher.” This is to rule out hormone imbalances, circulation problems and other physical abnormalities that could account for your symptoms. Most times, however, nothing significant will be found.

    My bottom line? Make better choices more consistently so you can keep your health and your sanity.
     

  • The Peanuts Philosophy…

    The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip.

    You don’t have to actually answer the questions, just read this straight through, and you’ll get the point.

    1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

    2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

    3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

    4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

    5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

    6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

    How did you do?

    The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.

    These are not second-rate achievers, they are the best in their fields.

    But the applause dies, awards tarnish, achievements are forgotten, and accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

    Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

    1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

    2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

    3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

    4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

    5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

    Easier?

    The lesson:

    The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.

    They are simply the ones that care the most and who have made a difference in your life.

    ‘Don’t worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia’
    (Charles Schultz)
     

  • A Dozen Proven Reasons to take a Good Multiple Vitamin

    A Dozen Proven Reasons to take a Good Multiple Vitamin

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

    While conventional medicine and newspaper headlines continue to tell us that nutritional supplementation isn’t important, the results of medical research shows just the opposite. Here are twelve recent medical findings that should convince you to keep taking a high-quality, optimal potency multiple vitamin/mineral supplement. If you’re not sure what an “optimal potency” formula consists of or what you should be taking for your age and sex, refer to The Wellness Club web site’s nutritional supplements page for an up-to-date ingredient list and optimal dose recommendations.

    1. Harvard researchers have found that sub-optimal levels of folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12 are a risk factor for heart disease and colon and breast cancers. (Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) June 19, 2002)
    2. A six-month study showing that folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 helped prevent recurrence of blocked arteries in patients who have undergone coronary angioplasty. (Journal of the American Medical Association, August 28, 2002).
    3. Vitamin K is a critical nutrient for skeletal integrity, with evidence of vitamin K1 supplementation reducing bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women and a significant positive relationship between vitamin K status and indices of bone health in men. (24th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research, September 20 – 24, 2002, San Antonio, Texas)
    4. Alzheimer’s disease: Association with zinc deficiency and cerebral vitamin B12 deficiency. (Journal of Orthol. Psychiatry (CANADA), 1984, 13/2 (97-104))
      Supplementation of the elderly with       vitamin E has been shown to enhance immune response, delay onset of Alzheimer’s disease, and increase resistance to oxidative injury associated with exercise. (Proc Nutr Soc. 2002;61:165-171)
      Vitamin E intake      , from foods or supplements, is associated with less cognitive decline with age. Arch Neurol. 2002;59:1125-1132
    5. Researchers at Cambridge University in England looked at serum vitamin C and how long people lived. People who had the lowest levels of vitamin C were twice as likely to die compared to those with the highest serum vitamin C levels. This study was based on the findings from over 19,000 people. (Lancet 2001; 357:657-63)
    6. 26.4% of esophageal and gastric cancers are attributable to low selenium levels. (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Mark et al., 2000)
    7. Calcium supplementation is associated with a significant – though moderate – reduction in the risk of recurrent colorectal adenomas. The effect of calcium was independent of initial dietary fat and calcium intake. (N Engl J Med (United States) Jan 14 1999, 340 (2) p101-7.)
    8. Data from the Nurses’ Health Study conducted at the Harvard Medical School showed that long-term supplementation with folic acid reduces the risk of colon cancer by 75% in women! 90,000 women participated in the Nurses’ Health Study, making this and especially significant finding. The authors of this study explained that folic acid obtained from supplements had a stronger protective effect against colon cancer than folic acid consumed in the diet. (Annals of Internal Medicine (1998; 129:517-524)
    9. Regarding asthma, the lowest intakes of vitamin C and manganese (a trace mineral not to be confused with magnesium) were associated with more than five-fold increased risks of bronchial reactivity. Decreasing intakes of magnesium were also significantly associated with an increased risk of hyper-reactivity. (Thorax (United Kingdom), 1997, 52/2 (166-170)).
    10. Antioxidant supplements reduce the risk of cataract. One study in the evaluated 410 men for 3 years to ascertain the association between serum vitamin E and the development of cortical lens opacities (cataracts). The men with the lowest level of serum vitamin E had a 3.7 times greater risk of this form of cataract compared to men with the highest serum level of vitamin E. (American Journal of Epidemiology Sept. 1996)
    11. Encouraging moderate exercise and dietary supplementation with calcium and vitamin D… are the major nonpharmacological management measures used to prevent and treat osteoporosis. (Drugs and Aging (New Zealand), 1996, 9/6 (472-477)
    12. Nutrient intake of patients with rheumatoid arthritis is deficient in pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), zinc, copper, and magnesium. (Journal of Rheumatology (Canada), 1996, 23/6 (990-994))

    More Research Supporting Benefits of Antioxidants

    By Allen S. Josephs, M.D.
    President, Vitacost.com

    “    Recent studies further support the need for antioxidants and other nutrients to protect against cell damage, and in some cases even reduce risks of certain forms of cancer. One medical study had very promising results when participants were given a daily dose of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta carotene and selenium. Most multivitamins on the market do not qualify as good because they lack so many important antioxidants and/or use inadequate levels and forms.”