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Breaking News on Heart Health- Fried Food is Fine for your Heart

Published on: January 26, 2012 4:57 am

If you’re following a heart-healthy diet, you can have your fries and eat them, too. Say heart health experts, eating fried foods won’t give you a heart attack, as long as you use the right kind of cooking oil. Whether you choose to sauté, pan fry, or deep-fry your potatoes, it’s all good. But before you go ahead and splurge on a deep fryer, find out what doctors say is “the catch” in enjoying oily snacks while avoiding heart disease.

Vitamin B12 for Weight Loss- Why it Works

Spanish study follows fried-food lovers

Spanish scientists wanted to know if fried foods like French fries, doughnuts, or chicken nuggets are any less healthy for your heart than foods cooked without the frying method. So, they conducted a study that was later published by the British Medical Journal. Researchers focused their 11-year study of coronary heart disease on 40,757 Spanish test subjects, recording their eating habits and heart health. Here are some details of that study:

Two-thirds of the test subjects were female.
All of the subjects used in this study were deemed free of heart disease.
Participants were divided into 4 categories, from people who don’t often indulge in fried foods to individuals who ate the most fried food.
Scientists also recorded incidents relating to heart disease, such as heart attacks, angina, or heart surgeries.
By the end of the study, scientists recorded 606 hospital visits and events resulting from coronary heart disease.
However, when scientists linked each of the heart disease cases with one of the four categories, they found that test subjects from one group weren’t any more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease than were individuals from another group.
So, even if you order a side of onion rings with your veggie burger, your chances of dying from heart disease aren’t any worse than they would be if you proclaimed all fried foods a banned substance.

The Best- and Worst- Cooking Oils for Heart Health

Must be something in the oil

What’s the catch, you ask? It’s this:

First off, the typical Mediterranean chef uses only healthy oils that are low in saturated fats in his cooking. Olive oils and sunflower oils both hold up well in high-heat cooking and both are exceptionally heart-healthy.
Also, it’s worth noting that the typical American fast-food franchise cooks its French fries in reused cooking oil that is high in trans fatty acids.
This doesn’t mean that fried foods are just as healthy, overall, as low-fat meal options. Oily foods are higher in calories, more likely to contain too much sodium, and most likely lead to morbid obesity.

Heart health tips that still ring true

As far as treating yourself to a fried concoction every now and then, it all boils down to portion control. You can have the home fries, as long as you log it into your food diary, and account for the calories and fat consumption. A fat calorie is a fat calorie, any way you cook it.

*Choose heart-healthy oils like olive oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil over artery-clogging palm oil and hydrogenated fats.
*Keep your weight down by tracking calories and keeping your daily fat consumption to a minimum.
*Exercise at least ½ hour per day.
*Avoid eating salty foods.
*Take all your vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B12, which promotes cardiovascular health by maintaining already healthy homocysteine levels.

Tell us what you think! Can switching to a Mediterranean diet reduce the rate of heart disease in America?

Know anybody who struggles with heart disease? Don’t forget to send a link to this article!

Amazing Video- Nonverbal Autistic Teen Carly “Talks” about Autism

Published on: January 25, 2012 5:32 am

In a recent video that’s sure to change your perception of autism, Carly Fleischmann, a not-so-typical autistic teenager tell us what it’s like inside her head, explaining why other autistic children act the way they do- bizarre behaviors that continue to puzzle autism experts, like head banging, swaying, and refusal to make eye contact with other people. Only instead of using verbal communication, of which she is incapable, Carly has learned how to communicate using iPad apps for autism.

Branded “autistic” from birth

Born autistic, Carly started showing the first signs of autism as an infant; developmental delays like her inability to start crawling, sitting upright, walking, or talking at the same age as her twin sister Taryn told her parents that something was amiss. Experts said that she was mentally retarded, and close friends recommended sending Carly to an institution, but her parents refused.

“I could never do it,” admitted her father. “How can you give up your kid?”

Instead, they introduced Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), a popular therapy for autism, which also helped her with her severe verbal apraxia. With ABA, autistic children learn small tasks, one at a time, at their own rate of learning, using positive reinforcement. From the age of four, Carly started receiving 40-60 hours of one-to-one ABA per week.

“I am autistic, but that’s not who I am. Take time to know me, before you judge me.”

Still, Carly suffered severe autism, and progress was slow; she would rock back-and-forth incessantly for hours, lash out, break furniture, have sudden angry outbursts, and didn’t seem to comprehend anything that was going on around her, or understand what family members would say in front of her.

But looks can be deceiving…

“You know, I can hear you.”

At the age of 11, Carly was working with a therapist, and she was not happy about it. She was in one of her “off moods,” and didn’t feel like sitting still to learn her vocabulary. Sitting in front of a touch-screen device, she communicated her first word- “No.”

That one word opened up the floodgates for her; she started typing more words like “hurt” and “help.”

“People look at me and assume I am dumb because I can’t talk.”

Over the course of months, and after much coaxing from therapists, Carly learned how to type every time she wanted to say something. She learned how to say things to her parents that she was never able to express verbally, things like “I love when you read to me, and I love that you believe in me. I love you.”

For the first time, Carly, a teenager with autism, had control over her environment. For the first time, Carly was able to have conversations with her parents.

“I stopped looking her as a disabled person, and started looking at her as a sassy, mischievous teenaged girl,” says her dad. “She sees herself as a normal child locked in a body that does things that she has no control over.”

Carly describes her symptoms of autism

In her writing, Carly conveys a deep understanding of the world around her. Likewise, she struggles to get others to understand what her world is like…

On chronic pain: “You don’t know what it feels like to be me, when you can’t sit still because your legs feel like they are on fire, or it feels like a hundred ants are crawling up your arms…I want something that will put out the fire.”

On head banging: “Because if I don’t, it feels like my body is going to explode. It’s just like when you shake a can of Coke. If I could stop it, I would, but it’s not like turning a switch off. I know what is right and wrong, but it’s like I have a fight with my brain over it.”

On covering her ears, moaning, and rocking: “It’s a way for us to drown out all sensory input that overloads us all at once. We create output to block out input.”

On refusing eye contact: “People say that we have a hard time processing information. It’s not really true, our brains are wired differently. We take in many sounds and conversations at once. I take over a thousand pictures of a person’s face when I look at them. That’s why we have a hard time looking at people.”

On autism experts: “How can you explain something you have not lived or if you don’t know what it’s like to have it? If a horse is sick, you don’t ask a fish what’s wrong with the horse. You go right to the horse’s mouth.”

Carly becomes a delegate for autistic kids everywhere

Today, Carly communicates with other nonverbal autistic kids on the internet. She Twitters like any other teen, and she has a large fan base on Facebook and her blog, Carly’s Voice.

Carly has been the subject of many television talk shows and news segments, like Larry King Live, 20/20, and Ellen, to whom she donated over $500.00 to the Make it Right Foundation.

“Everyone has an inner voice waiting to come out.”

She has also interviewed celebrities like autism advocate Holly Robinson Peete and Joe Mantegna, who has a daughter with autism. She is also working on her first novel.

Here is her story on YouTube

Why post this story on a vitamin B12 blog?

If it seems strange that a site containing information on vitamin B12 deficiency would also focus in autism, then know this:

Vitamin B12 is brain food. In a study focusing on 50 autistic children who were given vitamin B12 supplements, nine of the children experienced favorable results related to cognitive skills like language and socialization, in addition to changes in biomarkers for oxidative stress.
Vitamin B12 is good for the nerves. By supporting the myelin sheathe that insulates your nerve cells, vitamin B12 protects you from severe nerve damage like apraxia and paresthesia
Vitamin B12 deficiency correlates with autism. Many children with autism also have vitamin B12 deficiency. By supplementing with extra B12, parents of autistic children note dramatic neurological health benefits.

Gastric Bypass Surgery Better than Banding…or it it?

Published on: January 24, 2012 4:48 am

Gastric bypass surgery offers the morbidly obese a new lease on life, according to research. Recent studies confirm that people who undergo Roux-en-Y weight loss surgery lose the most weight and keep it off, more so than with gastric banding. But while gastric surgery promises a high success rate, the risk for serious complications is significantly higher than with other kinds of bariatric surgery.

What is gastric bypass surgery?

The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass changes the size of your stomach and reroutes food past certain parts of the digestive system. People who undergo gastric bypass surgery achieve a feeling of fullness much quicker than before the surgery, and are thus able to eat less and lose a considerable amount of weight. However, because gastric bypass is a complicated procedure, many problems may arise during or after the surgery.

With the Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, a small egg-sized stomach sack is created and attached to the middle part of the small intestine.
The rest of the stomach, as well as the upper section of the small intestine, are completely avoided, or “bypassed.”
A common side effect of gastric bypass is gastric bypass dumping in which food travels through the stomach and empties into the small intestine too quickly, causing symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps.
Another common side effect is nutritional deficiency, including vitamin B12 deficiency and many other vitamin, calcium, iron, and magnesium deficiencies.
Patients of gastric bypass surgery must supplement with extra vitamins and minerals, with a special emphasis on vitamin B12 supplements, in order to avoid vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms like nerve cell damage and memory problems.

Vitamin B12 deficiency after Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss

What is gastric banding?

Laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding surgery is the second-most popular form of bariatric surgery after the gastric bypass procedure. Banding is a good alternative for gastric bypass surgery because it is less invasive.

In gastric banding, the surgeon places an adjustable silicon band around the upper part of your stomach, effectively cinching it to a smaller size.
After banding, your stomach can hold only about 1 ounce of food at one time.
The gastric band is adjusted through a saline solution that may be injected through a small device under the skin.
Most people who undergo gastric banding lose approximately 40% of their body weight.
Gastric banding surgery is completely reversible.
The mortality rate due to gastric banding surgery is 1/2000.
Since the small intestine remains intact, gastric banding surgery does not disrupt your digestive system, and there is no risk of vitamin deficiency, such as vitamin B12 deficiency.

Gastric Bypass Stomach Surgery in Mexico- Would you?

Is gastric banding surgery safer than gastric bypass?

In a recent study comparing success rates between gastric bypass surgery and gastric banding, scientists had this to say:

About 17% of gastric bypass patients had complications like infections following surgery, compared to only 5% of gastric banding patients.
Six years post-surgery, 12% of gastric bypass patients were back to being morbidly obese, with a BMI over 35, while about a third of gastric banding patients were once again overweight.
Thirteen percent of bypass patients required a follow-up operation, while approximately 27% of gastric banding patients needed to return for more surgeries.
Complications involved with gastric banding include band erosion, stretched esophagus, or food-related issues.
Complications involved with gastric bypass can be much more severe; possibly fatal complications include bowel blockage and leakage of waste material into the body.

Anorexic British Teen Regrets Gastric Bypass Surgery

Which should I choose- banding or bypass?

With gastric bypass surgery, food rushes through the digestive system, and essential minerals and vitamins pass through without ever being absorbed into the bloodstream. So while you feed your stomach, you are not feeding the rest of the body the nutrients that it needs to survive. Life-long supplementation of vitamins- vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and B vitamins-, and minerals is a commitment that gastric bypass patients much make.

Your chances of losing weight following gastric banding are 50/50, and there is a fair chance that you will have complications that require a return trip to the operating room. However, banding-related complications are less severe than bypass-related complications, which can be fatal. Then again, if obesity poses a serious life risk, then you might be better off with the most successful weight loss surgery- gastric bypass.

Was this article helpful? If so, please share with your friends…and leave us your comments. We’d love to hear from you!

Born with it: Clumsiness and Two Left Feet from Dyspraxia

Published on: January 23, 2012 3:59 am

Were you called “clumsy child” a lot growing up? It’s probably not your fault. Dyspraxia (or apraxia) is a neurological disorder that makes it difficult for people to make their bodies behave. Clumsiness, frequent stumbling, having a hard time focusing or remembering instructions- these are all symptoms that people with dyspraxia have to cope with all their lives.

What is Dyspraxia?

“Clumsy child syndrome” or dyspraxia is a mild form of apraxia, a neurological disorder that makes it difficult for people to plan and execute physical actions like jumping, carrying items, or standing in line without stumbling or dropping.

Dyspraxia is also called motor learning disability and development co-ordination disorder (DCD). People with dyspraxia might have difficulty walking without stumbling, catching a ball, or learning new skills, but that does not mean they are less smart than others are; they are able to learn the same things as other people, only at a slower rate.

What causes dyspraxia?

There are two main kinds of dyspraxia- dyspraxia that occurred because of a stroke or other illness, and developmental dyspraxia, which is inherited from birth. Scientists don’t know what causes developmental dyspraxia, and there is no cure.

Approximately 10% of all people have some basic level of dyspraxia, although only 2% have severe dyspraxia. About 75% of all dyspraxia sufferers are male.

What are the symptoms of dyspraxia?

Children and adults with developmental dyspraxia may exhibit the following symptoms:

Poor coordination
Disorganized
Slow reflexes
Difficulty dressing himself and tying his shoes
Tripping while going up and down stairs
Frequently bumping into furniture
Dropping things
Inability to compete in sport-like activities, like jumping, playing hopscotch, and catching, throwing or kicking a ball
Difficulty processing thoughts
Poor concentration
Overly affected by stimuli like scents, noise, and tactile sensations
Inability to filter out stimuli
Difficulty in learning new skills- low learning curve
Finds being in a classroom overwhelming, but is able to learn with a personal tutor
Difficulty learning math skills
Difficulty following instructions and remembering them later

Famous successful people with dyspraxia

Developmental dyspraxia is not a form of brain damage, and it does not reflect one’s intelligence. In fact, many of the world’s greatest thinkers have suffered from dyspraxia. Below are some famous people who have learning disorders like dyspraxia , and some who are rumored to be among the many sufferers of this disorder.

Daniel Radcliffe
David Bailey (An English photographer whose subjects included The Beatles and The Rolling Stones)
Richard Branson (the billionaire who owns the Virgin Group
Bill Gates
Robin Williams
Einstein (although many rumor that he had Asperger’s disorder)
Marilyn Monroe
Stephen Fry
Isaac Newton
Emily Bronte
Picasso
Mozart
Ernest Hemingway
George Orwell

How does this relate to vitamin B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 deficiency and apraxia symptoms both include similar neurological disorders; gait disorders like difficulty walking, jumping, and running, decreased hand-motor coordination, and frequent clumsiness are some common indicators of vitamin B12 deficiency and dyspraxia/apraxia. But unlike the latter, vitamin B12 deficiency has a cure; routine vitamin B12 supplements quickly cure any neurological impairment caused by low B12 levels.

Question: What do you think of the statistic that boys are 75% more likely to suffer from apraxia than girls are? Do you think that’s a true statement, or is it more likely that girls are better able to disguise their disability and adapt to social norms, and that deficiencies in physical performance are more noticeable in boys than in girls?

Do you know anybody who would be interested in receiving this information? Please share!

Tips for Remembering People’s Names, even under Brain Fog

Published on: January 20, 2012 6:00 am

It’s mortifying when you can’t remember people’s names, especially when other people always seem to remember yours. “Brain fog” caused by chronic fatigue, vitamin B12 deficiency, fibromyalgia, or other chronic illnesses makes it difficult to remember people’s names.

Name forgetfulness can be socially awkward, especially if that person works in your office, or goes to the same daily aerobics class as you. Here are some helpful tips for remember names and boosting your memory, even when you’re in the middle of a brain drain.

Use it or lose it

As soon as somebody introduces himself, make a concentrated effort to remember his name the first time. Turn your attention to the person, repeat his name back, and make sure that you heard correctly. Repeat the name (quietly) to yourself several times. Take every opportunity to introduce your new friend to other people, and use her name while conversing. Your earliest attempts to remember a name are always the most successful.

Here’s Your Brain on B12 Deficiency- Memory Loss and Aging

Play Pictionary

Look for distinguishing characteristics in every person you meet, and link them with the person’s name. It’s okay to let your imagination run wild this this one- Lenny from Human Resources need never know that you think he looks like a lion cub. Another good association is connecting names with hobbies or occupations, like Arthur the Attorney, or Daphne who likes dolphins.

Put it in the dictionary

Sometimes, it’s easier to remember somebody’s name if you associate it with a real word that’s in the dictionary. For example, Justin’s name will be easier to remember if you think of justice, or “just in time.”

Play the spelling bee

Some people are visual learners- they need to see something in their mind in order to absorb its meaning. When you are introduced to somebody new, spell her name out (to yourself). This will further establish her name in your memory.

Raise your IQ with Sudoku- 10 Free Online Games for Brains

Make it rhyme

Rhymes have been used for centuries to remember things like instructions, moral codes, and historical facts. Today, they’re effective for remembering names, which is helpful if your job requires you to meet new people every day. Some good rhymes are “Tracy shops at Macy’s,” or “Ellen eats melon.” It doesn’t have to be a perfect rhyme, just as long as it sticks in your memory.

Forget remembering

Have you ever written a “cheat sheet” before a test in high school, only to find out during class that you didn’t even need it? Writing down important details cements them in your mind. So, why not follow a scaled-down version of that practice? Keep a small notepad in your purse or messenger bag, and jot down people’s names before you can forget them. Not only will you be more likely to remember their names the next time your meet, but you’ll have a handy book of names to refer to later.

How to keep Vitamin B12 Deficiency from Shrinking your Brain

Don’t be afraid to ask

Despite your best efforts to seal somebody’s name in your memory, you will still have moments when you just can’t remember somebody’s name. Instead of calling them “Hey you” or “What’s-your-name,” just come out and ask. People would rather be asked to repeat their names- it tells them that they are important and worthy of your attention.

Think fast!

“Oh no, here she comes, and I don’t remember her name!” Don’t panic. If you’re standing next to somebody you know, casually initiate an introduction. “Hey Dan, have you two met?” More often than not, she will probably pipe up with her name in introduction, and you’re home free.

7 Reasons You Have Brain Fog…And What to do About It

When have we met before?

This isn’t just a good pick-up line; it’s also a great way to remember somebody’s name. Sometimes, we associate names of people with places. You may not recall Shawn’s name, but you probably remember that you spent three hours with him while waiting in line at the DMV.

Also read:

Aging begins at 45- Tips on how to Prevent Early Memory Loss

Brainy People are high on B12, according to Brain Health Study

Tags: Memory

Manage Fibromyalgia on your iPhone- Five Tricks that cost nothing

Published on: January 19, 2012 4:42 am

Fibromyalgia sufferers, listen up: It’s no secret that forgetfulness is one of the many symptoms of chronic pain syndromes. “Brain fog” makes it hard to remember important schedules, to-do lists, and…what was I going to say? You have enough on your plate without having to worry about whether or not you took all your fibromyalgia pain medications, what time the pharmacy opens, or what website you used to order your vitamin refills.

If you’ve got an iPhone or iPad, then use it to your advantage! Here are some great tricks that let you get the most chronic pain management out of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod without spending a cent.

Trick #1: Pimp your home screen!

Dilemma: “My favorite website doesn’t have an app!” Let’s say that you like a website, and you use it often to order vitamins, prescription refills, or other necessities that you can’t live without. You want to be able to access this site immediately from your iPhone home screen…but there isn’t an app for that. You can make your own custom icon and stick it on your home screen! Here’s how it’s done:

Go to your favorite page.

Click on the arrow at the bottom of the screen.

Now, choose “Add to Home Screen.”

The official title of the home page is Vita Sciences but you can change it; just remember to keep it short and easy to identify.

That’s it! Now you have a shiny new custom-designed icon on your home page that you can’t get at the iTunes store. This is a great trick that you can use for any and all websites. Use it for pages that you use often, or just for something that you want quick access to in case of emergency. Pretty nifty, huh?

Trick #2: Set up vitamin and medication alerts!

The iTunes app store offers lots of daily reminders that are inexpensive. You can track everything from your menstrual period, to your food diet points, to your bill schedule. Sure, you could buy a pill reminder for 99-cents, but why bother? Your iPhone already came with an excellent calendar, and it’s just humming to remind you to take your pain medications, vitamin supplements. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to program it, either. Here’s how:

Go to your calendar. Click the “+” sign at the top right corner to add an event. (Question: When did remembering to take your pain medicine become an event? Answer: Since brain fog became one of the symptoms.)

Okay. Type in all the important details, like name of event, location (Behind the ear), repeat sequence (weekly), and most importantly, alert time. Steve Jobs must have foreseen that fibromyalgia patients would need to use it, because he cleverly programmed two alerts to remind you to take your vitamins; one initial reminder, and then another one, in case you already forgot the first warning. This is an essential tool for people who are forgetful, which is anybody who suffers from:

Fibromyalgia
Pernicious anemia
Vitamin B12 deficiency
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Alzheimer’s disease
Motherhood

And here’s your gentle reminder to take your vitamin B12!

Trick #3: Get these great apps!

Here are some free iTunes apps that are worth a second look:

This is the Chronic Pain Tracker Lite: This free app lets you document your pain history in a way that is simple and functional. You can keep track of pain triggers, pain severity, location of pain, medications, and even add your own personal notes. This free version allows you to list up to 20 entries. If you really like it, then you can get the paid version for $14.99, which is still cheaper than getting a health coach.

Also free, the Medscape app is a great tool for accessing up-to-the minute information on pain treatments, breakthrough scientific research, and common pain symptoms. It’s like having a medical encyclopedia in your pocket, only much lighter. 😉

Trick #4: Use Google Maps to find your nearest pharmacy- quick!

Google Maps is another excellent iPhone tool for people who have trouble remembering where their closest pharmacy is, even if you’ve been using them for prescription refills for the past 15 years.

Bingo! I knew Walgreens was somewhere around that neighborhood, give or take a few miles.

Trick #5: Follow the leaders on Twitter!

Finally, you don’t like to be in the dark. 24-7, people are talking about things that importantly impact your life; things like

9 Conditions that Mimic Fibromyalgia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency.

You want to join in on the conversation, and be “in the know,” right? The best way to do that is to follow them on Twitter. This way, if the Fibromyalgia Society decides to coordinate an impromptu Occupy Fibromyalgia sit-in, you’ll be one of the first to respond.

We won’t be leading any protests any time soon, but we do keep you informed on the many topics related to vitamin B12 deficiency, like pernicious anemia symptoms, gastrointestinal disorders, gastric bypasses, diabetes, chronic fatigue, autoimmune disorders, and of course, fibromyalgia.

Tags: Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue

9 Conditions that Mimic Fibromyalgia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Published on: January 17, 2012 4:11 am

Chronic pain symptoms may indicate fibromyalgia, or one of many other illnesses like pernicious anemia from vitamin B12 deficiency. If you constantly feel tired, bloated, nauseous, itchy, and wracked with crushing pain, you might be suffering from chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, B12 deficiency, or all of the above…

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia, or fibromyositis, is a condition that causes the sufferer indescribable pain and fatigue for no apparent reason. Doctors are unsure as to the exact cause of fibromyalgia, which is classified as an autoimmune disorder involving the brain’s overreaction to pain stimuli.

Symptoms of fibromyalgia include:

Persistent muscular pain in at least 11 of 18 specific “pain points” on the body, including the neck and shoulders
Pain described as stiffness, burning, throbbing
Pain spreads from one tender spot to another
Sleep problems caused by pain and restless legs syndrome
Depression
Gastrointestinal woes, like stomach pain, nausea, flatulence, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), diarrhea, and constipation
Bladder incontinence
Dizziness
Cognitive difficulties, “brain fog,” trouble concentrating
Headaches
Painful tingling sensations (“pins and needles”) and numbness in hands, feet, and ankles

Also read: How to Tell if Chronic Pain is Fibromyalgia: 18 Pressure Points

Pernicious anemia- Vitamin B12 deficiency

Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disorder that prevents your body from producing intrinsic factor, a protein the body needs for vitamin B12 absorption. As a result, pernicious anemia patients often have dangerously low levels of vitamin B12- a nutrient involved in producing red blood cells, protecting the nervous system, lowering homocysteine levels, maintaining healthy cognitive skills, and establishing DNA synthesis. Vitamin B12 deficiency often overlaps with fibromyalgia, as gastrointestinal issues often inhibit vitamin B12 absorption.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include:

Chronic fatigue
Depression
Memory loss
Difficulty concentrating
“Brain fog”
Anxiety
Aggressiveness
Hallucinations
Sleep problems
Shortness of breath
Painful tingling and numbness in hands, feet, and ankles
Sore tongue that is red and swollen
Burning sensation in mouth and tongue
Altered sense of taste
Blurred vision
Frequent clumsiness
Difficulty walking without stumbling
Difficulty balancing on one leg

Also read: Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency- Historically Fatal, Still Formidable

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)

Chronic fatigue syndrome shares comorbidity with fibromyalgia. Like fibromyalgia, the cause for CFS is still unexplained. Patients complaining of chronic fatigue receive diagnosis based on their symptoms.

Symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome include:

Persistent tiredness that is not caused by physical exertion, loss of sleep, or mental exhaustion
Waking up fatigued, despite sleeping the whole night
Pain in tender spots similar to the pain zones suffered by fibromyalgia patients, only less severe

Also read: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia- Is there a Difference?

Myofascial pain syndrome

Myofascial pain is similar to fibromyalgia. While fibromyalgia patients experience soreness in “pain points,” sufferers of myofascial pain syndrome experience pain in “trigger points.” Also unlike fibromyalgia symptoms, myofascial pain does not spread from one point to another.

Symptoms of myofascial pain syndrome include:

Small pain points that occur in tense muscles
Trigger points that produce a muscular twitch when stimulated
Pain points are tiny lumps about the size of your pinky’s fingernail.

Chronic headaches

Fibromyalgia sufferers often experience chronic headaches such as migraines, tension headaches, daily persistent headaches, or hemicrania continua. Scientists speculate that migraines happen in the same part of the brain as fibromyalgia triggers.

Symptoms of migraine headaches include:

Throbbing head pain, typically on one side of the head
Eye pain
Migraine aura- visual disturbances, vertigo, hallucinations, speech slurring, loss of consciousness, or temporary paralysis
Increased sensitivity to lights, sounds, and scents
Nausea
Uncontrolled vomiting
Stomach cramps
Diarrhea
Dizziness

Multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS)

Exposure to chemicals may cause symptoms that mimic fibromyalgia, although researchers are uncertain if MCS is a physical response or a psychological reaction.

Symptoms of multiple chemical sensitivity include:

Significantly lower threshold for chemical tolerance than normal
Pain reaction consistent with various unrelated chemicals
Sensitivity occurs in more than one organ of the body
Chronic pain reaction that occurs repeatedly from exposure to certain chemicals
Removing the chemical trigger ends pain symptoms

Depression

Most fibromyalgia patients have experienced clinical depression in the past, and a substantial (but lower) percentage suffers from chronic depression. Depression is also a common symptom of vitamin B12 deficiency. If depression stems from fibromyalgia pain, then it does not classify as major depression, but rather a secondary condition of fibromyalgia chronic pain syndrome.

Symptoms of major depression include:

Spells of sadness that last for months
Daily depression
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty making decisions
Agitation
Anxiety
Sleep problems like oversleeping or not sleeping enough
Fatigue
Feelings of low value or guilt
Weight problems, either excessive weight gain or weight loss
Contemplations of suicide

Also read: Vitamin Deficiencies can drive you Crazy- Seriously! Part 1

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s disease) is sometimes confused with fatigue associated with fibromyalgia or vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. As opposed to hyperthyroid disorder, where the thyroid gland produces too many hormones, hypothyroid disorder involves underproduction of hormones in the thyroid gland.

Symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

Joint or muscle pain that hurts “all over”
Cold hypersensitivity
Depression
Fatigue
Constipation
Weight gain
Altered sense of taste
Dry thick skin patches

Also read: Low B12 means Low Thyroid- Hypothyroidism and B12 Deficiency

Lupus

Autoimmune disease symptoms like lupus may occur at the same time as fibromyalgia or B12 deficiency, making it harder to diagnose. Conversely, patients with lupus often don’t realize that their vitamin B12 levels have dropped to a dangerous low until they start to suffer severe nerve damage.

Symptoms of lupus include:

Fatigue
Fever
Skin lesions
Joint pain
Shortness of breath
Headaches
Memory loss
“brain fog”
Confusion
Dry eyes

Also read: Lupus and Vitamin B12 Deficiency- What’s the Connection?

Lyme disease

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection spread by ticks. Because of delayed symptoms mimicking fibromyalgia, about 15-50% of fibromyalgia patients receives a misdiagnosis of Lyme disease, and is instructed to take strong antibiotics. A blood test sometimes excludes Lyme disease, but not always.

Symptoms of Lyme disease include:

Itching all over the body
Chills and fever
Headaches
Dizziness
Muscular pain
Stiff neck
Numbness and tingling
Partial paralysis
Speech problems

Restless Legs Syndrome

A significant amount of fibromyalgia sufferers and pernicious anemia patients also experience restless legs syndrome at night. However, other causes of restless legs syndrome are kidney disorder, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, or drugs.

Symptoms of restless legs syndrome include:

Uneasy feeling in lower leg
Creeping, crawling sensations
Intense need to shake leg in order to ease symptoms
Achiness that disappears with exercise

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Movement Disorders- How They Relate

Published on: January 16, 2012 3:12 am

What does Vitamin B12 deficiency have to do with movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and restless leg syndrome? Vitamin B12 protects your nervous system, and many of the symptoms of pernicious anemia from B12 deficiency result in poor muscle control, including muscular spasms, nervous eye twitching, decreased motor skills, and difficulty walking.

Vitamin B12 benefits the nerves

Cyanocobalamin or Vitamin B12 benefits your body in many ways- it lends itself in red blood cell production, DNA synthesis, healthy cognitive functioning, energy production, and homocysteine control. Also, vitamin B12 helps your body produce myelin, a fatty substance that protects your nervous system’s sensitive nerve fibers in the brain and the spinal cord.

Without sufficient levels of vitamin B12, you may develop severe nerve damage- peripheral neuropathy.

Some symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency- peripheral neuropathy include:

painful tingling and numbness in the hands, feet, and ankles
sore tongue
burning mouth syndrome
muscular weakness
muscle spasms
decreased motor control
frequent clumsiness and tripping
difficulty balancing on one foot
eye twitching

Vitamin B12 deficiency and other movement disorders

It should come as no surprise, then, that other movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease (PD) have close ties with vitamin B12 deficiency. Involuntary muscular movements may or may not be caused by low B12 levels, but

In some movement disorder cases, scientists have noted improvement with vitamin B12 supplements.
Even when pernicious anemia is not a cause of muscle spasms or walking difficulties, researchers sometimes notice a comorbid relationship with vitamin B12 deficiency.
Another occurrence in diagnosing movement disorders is a tendency for doctors to misdiagnose vitamin B12 deficiency as a more serious illness, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease

In a scientific report on Parkinson’s and neuropathy, researchers confirmed a high rate of vitamin B12 deficiency in patients with Parkinson’s disease, and recommended close monitoring of B12 levels and routine administration of vitamin B12 supplements. Results were published in Neurology.

Chorea- focal dystonia

Chorea is an abnormal involuntary movement disorder, part of a group of neurological disorders called dyskinesia. Chorea is a symptom of Huntington’s disease, but it can also occur in other illnesses, including focal dystonia. In one of many studies on vitamin B12 deficiency and focal dystonia, scientists saw favorable results with cyanocobalamin supplementation, attributing it to decreased homocysteine levels.

Restless leg syndrome

The most common symptom of restless leg syndrome is the urgent need to shake your leg to relieve “creeping, crawling” sensations, usually between the kneecap and ankle.Restless leg syndrome occurs often with peripheral neuropathy, a symptom of pernicious anemia. Other possible causes are kidney disease, diabetes neuropathy, Parkinson’s disease, and drug interactions.

Stiff person syndrome

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological disorder that occurs with autoimmune disease. Symptoms of SPS are muscle spasms in the limbs and trunk, hypersensitivity to touch, noise, and stress, and stiff posture. People who often suffer stiff person syndrome are patients of pernicious anemia (vitamin B12 deficiency), diabetes, thyroiditis, and vitiligo.

Gait ataxia

Ataxia is an inability to control muscular movements used in walking, jumping, balancing, or holding objects. Chronic ataxia is one of the earliest symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, along with muscular weakness, poor reflexes, spasticity, vision impairment, dementia, and psychosis, according to a Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center study of 153 patients suffering from cobalamin deficiency neuropathy.

Eye movement disorders

Nystagmus, uncontrollable movements of the eyeballs, might be caused by low vitamin B12 levels, according to a study focusing on downbeat nystagmus and vitamin B12 deficiency. Another phenomenon common with B12 deficiency is myokymia– eyelid twitching.

If Vitamin B12 Deficiency Mimics Multiple Sclerosis, How do you tell the Difference?

Published on: January 12, 2012 4:38 am

Many studies show similarities between the symptoms of Vitamin B12 deficiency and multiple sclerosis (MS). There is also a very high rate of B12 deficiency among people diagnosed with MS. How, then, does one differentiate between pernicious anemia (vitamin B12 deficiency) and multiple sclerosis?

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects your central nervous system- your brain and spinal cord. It typically strikes young adults between the ages of 20-40, most of them women.

The exact cause of MS is unknown, but most scientists believe it is an autoimmune disorder. With multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune reaction attacks myelin, a fatty substance that insulates your nerve fibers responsible for transmitting messages to the rest of your body.

Signs of demyelination are random lesions, or plaques (sclerosis) in the brain and spinal cord, in multiple areas, thus the term “multiple sclerosis.”

What is B12 deficiency?

Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs when your body is unable to maintain sufficient stores of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) in the blood. There are several reasons this may happen, such as not eating food sources of vitamin B12 (meat, fish, and milk), or having a gastrointestinal disorder that interferes with vitamin B12 absorption.

With pernicious anemia (PA), your body cannot make intrinsic factor (IF), a protein necessary for digesting vitamin B12, due to an autoimmune disorder.

Among its many other benefits, vitamin B12 is essential for building up the fatty myelin sheath. One of the symptoms of PA is demyelination, the same type of brain damage that occurs with MS.

*Multiple sclerosis and vitamin B12 deficiency- pernicious anemia are both autoimmune disorders.

*Multiple sclerosis and vitamin B12 deficiency-pernicious anemia both involve damage to the nervous system’s myelin sheath.

What are the symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

The earliest symptoms of MS may include:

Muscular weakness in one or more limbs
Tingling or numbness
Loss of balance
Vision problems or eye pain
Slurred speech

As the disease advances, symptoms worsen, including:

Chronic fatigue, despite getting plenty of rest and not overexerting yourself
Hypersensitivity to heat, such as hot showers or baths
Muscular spasms in the legs and arms
Bladder or bowel control problems
Lightheadedness, or vertigo caused by nerve damage
Cognitive impairment- “brain fog,” slowed thinking, lack of concentration, or memory loss
Vision problems- blurring or graying of vision, or temporary blindness in one eye
Painful “pins and needles” sensations, numbness, itching, or burning
Speech and swallowing problems caused by damaged nerves
Seizures
Difficulty walking without stumbling, caused by muscle weakness, spasticity, or loss of balance from vertigo
Paralysis

What are the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency?

The most common symptoms of B12 deficiency and pernicious anemia are:

Chronic fatigue
Depression
Anxiety
Paranoia
Aggressive behavior
Painful “pins and needles” or numbness in hands and feet
Sore, swollen red tongue
Burning mouth sensation
Difficulty walking without stumbling
Short-term memory loss
Difficulty concentrating
“Brain fog”
Shortness of breath

*Multiple sclerosis and vitamin B12 deficiency-pernicious anemia both cause nerve damage, including painful tingling or numbness in the hands and feet and impaired gait.

*Multiple sclerosis and vitamin B12 deficiency-pernicious anemia both cause cognitive impairment, like brain fog, memory loss, and low concentration.

Which tests diagnose multiple sclerosis?

There is more than one test used to confirm MS, and your doctor will need to use the process of elimination to exclude other illnesses. Some common tests and indicators are:

MRI scan indicating at least two incidences myelin damage- scar tissue (lesions)
Neurological exams
Blood tests
Spinal tap
Evoked potentials, an electrical test of your nervous impulses

Which tests diagnose vitamin B12 deficiency?

Only one test is required to diagnose vitamin B12 deficiency- a blood test indicating low blood serum levels of vitamin B12. Patients of pernicious anemia require routine blood tests in order to monitor their B12 levels.

What’s the best treatment for multiple sclerosis?

There is no cure for MS, but various medications are helpful for dealing with the symptoms.

Some prescribed medicines work by controlling your body’s autoimmune response, thus reducing the frequency and severity of MS symptoms.
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a controversial surgery used to treat debilitating tremors in people with MS. Complications may include paralysis, loss of vision, or loss of speech.
Alternative medicine options that benefits MS patients include physical therapy, exercise like yoga or tai chi, acupuncture, aromatherapy, meditation, massage, and vitamin supplementation.

What’s the best treatment for vitamin B12 deficiency?

There are many kinds of B12 supplements on the market, but it’s important to be certain if you are able to digest vitamin B12 in the stomach. If you lack intrinsic factor, or if you’ve had gastrointestinal surgery like gastric bypass, then you will not benefit from dietary forms of vitamin B12.

Physicians normally prescribe a series of B12 shots for patients with pernicious anemia. These vitamin B12 injections require a prescription, and not all health care providers cover extensive supplementation of vitamin B12 shots.
Sublingual vitamin B12 pills that dissolve under the tongue are another option, although they are not very effective, and they often require dosages of three times per day.

Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency- Historically Fatal, Still Formidable

Published on: January 11, 2012 8:05 am

Vitamin B12 deficiency, Addison-Biermer’s anemia- Pernicious anemia (PA) has been called many things. Though we have a cure in vitamin B12 supplements, symptoms of pernicious anemia remain similar to historical descriptions of this once fatal disease.

“Starvation in the midst of plenty”

In 1849, if a doctor diagnosed you with pernicious anemia, he would have told you to say your prayers. That’s because back then, the survival rate was 1-3 years. Many scientists tried various experiments to find out what caused this fatal disease, which was as dreaded as leukemia is today, causing symptoms like tiredness, painful tingling in the arms and legs, muscular weakness, and finally, death.

Pernicious Anemia: Your 13 Most Frequently Asked Questions, Answered!

Anybody care for a shot of liver juice?

Finally, Dr. William B. Castle made an important scientific breakthrough. He conducted an experiment that involved feeding regurgitated raw hamburger meat to patients of pernicious anemia, and discovered the presence of intrinsic factor, an essential chemical found in gastric juices that is lacking in pernicious anemia patients. Like many medical discoveries, the next one that occurred somewhat by accident. In trying to find a cure for anemia resulting from blood loss, Dr. George Whipple produced the first cure for pernicious anemia- raw liver. Later, in 1926, scientists developed a more concentrated antidote based on the same therapy- raw liver juice, to be swallowed or injected.

Juvenile Vitamin B12 Deficiency- the Dinosaur of all Disorders, say Scientists

Vitamin B12 is born

It wasn’t until two decades later that scientists finally discovered the potent ingredient in raw liver juice. In 1948, two chemists from the US and Britain isolated cobalamin as the health-giving nutrient, and named it vitamin B12. For patients of pernicious anemia, dosages of 1000 to 4000 mcg, prescribed daily, were given orally as vitamin B12 pills or through intramuscular injection, as a vitamin B12 shot. Another method of supplementing vitamin B12 are sublingual B12 tablets.

Painful Tingling in Hands and Feet- What’s Up with That?

Pernicious anemia symptoms

Scientists today understand that pernicious anemia is a form of megaloblastic anemia, resulting from weakened DNA synthesis in red blood cells. People with pernicious anemia suffer from an autoimmune condition that inhibits your body’s ability to produce intrinsic factor, thus resulting in vitamin B12 deficiency. Rarely does pernicious anemia ever result in death, since doctors today know how to diagnose the symptoms early on, and confirm diagnosis with a vitamin B12 blood test. Still, many of the symptoms of pernicious anemia are disabling, and often confused with other conditions like clinical depression, thyroid disorder, and diabetes.

Typical symptoms of pernicious anemia are:

Diarrhea
Chronic fatigue
Pale complexion
Decreased appetite
Dizziness
Loss of concentration
Shortness of breath while exercising
Painful tingling or numbness in the hands and feet
Sore, red swollen tongue
Bleeding gums
Altered taste perception
Depression
Short-term memory loss
Frequent stumbling
Clumsiness