Vitamin B12 for Mental Illness

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Jonathan E. Prousky, ND, MSC has recently used vitamin B12 to treat a wide range of mental illnesses and neurological conditions in patients who are not deficient in vitamin B12.  He notes that there are many people with blood plasma B12 levels that are on the low end of normal according to accepted medical practice.  Even so, these people are still prone to symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency notwithstanding.

Dr. Prousky has successfully used vitamin B12 injections to treat all of the following neurological symptoms:  anxiety, delusions, depression, hallucinations, fatigue, mood swings, memory problems, muscle weakness, neuropathy and psychoses.  Since vitamin B12 is safe and effective, more doctors should make use of it to treat the mental and physical impairments as mentioned.

There are many studies that support this hypothesis.

In one study, twenty-nine people complaining of fatigue participated in a study.  All of them had seemingly “normal” blood plasma B12 levels.  Still, those who received the vitamin B12 injections reported increased happiness and feeling of well-being.

A second study involved 16 geriatric patients, between 60 and 85 years of age.  All of these patients had dementia, but normal liver function.  Following three months of treatment with vitamin B12, all of the patients had a marked improvement in their condition.

Yet another study evaluated the effects of vitamin B12 on patients with personality problems, as diagnosed using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).  The participants had the following diagnoses:  depression (two patients), paranoid schizophrenia (one patient), insomnia (one patient), recurrent duodenal ulcer (one patient), cocaine addiction (one patient), angioneurotic edema (one patient) and others.

All of these patients were at least 16 years old and were not taking medication for their ailments.  Amazingly, even though their serum B12 levels had been within the range of normal, they all benefitted from high doses of vitamin B12 supplementation.

To substantiate these studies, Dr. Prousky has also utilized vitamin B12 to treat his own patients and has concluded that the findings of these studies are true and accurate.  His theory is that high doses of vitamin B12 can alter the chemical reactions in the brain and nervous system.

In conclusion, patients reporting mental and neurological disorders can benefit greatly from high doses of vitamin B12.