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Jonathan E. Prousky, ND, MS_C 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.

Here is a list of drugs that can cause a vitamin B12 deficiency in their users.  The primary reason is that these drugs interfere with the body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12.  Many people are totally unaware that these pharmaceuticals cause malabsorption of vitamin B12, and are therefore at risk for a vitamin B12 deficiency.

In general, people over age sixty have reduced levels of stomach acid.  The acid is necessary to aid in the extraction of vitamin B12 from the food we eat, such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy products.

To further complicate matters, doctors often prescribe medications to treat different stomach illnesses.  These medications reduce the levels of stomach acid even further, which greatly impedes the absorption of vitamin B12.

Here are some drugs that interfere with absorption of vitamin B12:

1. Drugs for heartburn and ulcers:  Prevacid, Prolisec, Protonix, Nexium, Zantac, Tagamet, Axid, Alternagel, Maalox, Mylanta, Riopan and Tums.
2. Drugs for diabetes, potassium deficiency and congestive heart failure:  Glucophage, Glucovance, K-Lor, K-Lyte, Klotrix, K-Dur, Micro-K, Slow-K and potassium chloride.
3. Drug to treat gout:  Cholchicine.
4. Drug to treat high cholesterol:  Questran.
5. Drug to treat infections:  Neomycin.
6. Drug to treat tuberculosis:  Para-aminosalicylic acid.

These drugs can be highly problematic for seniors, who are prone to vitamin B12 deficiencies to begin with.  To make matters worse, many doctors don’t routinely administer blood tests to check blood plasma B12 levels.  There are many seniors who suffer from memory loss, fatigue, clumsiness, difficulty sleeping and tremors, but are not aware that these symptoms can be easily alleviated by taking vitamin B12 supplements.

If you know anyone taking the medications mentioned above, please tell him to have his blood plasma B12 levels checked.

The symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency are strikingly similar to other illnesses.  For this reason, it is important to become familiar with the signs of a vitamin B12 deficiency in order to treat it properly.  People who are at greatest risk for this are smokers, vegans, anyone over the age of fifty, and children of vegans.  Here is a partial list of symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency:

1. Fatigue – Suffering from a lack of energy.  Since vitamin B12 is necessary for proper blood cell formation, a lack of vitamin B12 leads to smaller blood cells, and therefore carries less oxygen and nutrients to the rest of the body, leading to fatigue.
2. Memory loss – Forgetfulness of important information.  As mentioned previously, vitamin B12 is necessary for blood cell formation.  Low levels of B12 lead to smaller blood cells, and less nutrients for the body and the brain.  In the case of someone with a severe vitamin B12 deficiency, the memory loss can be mistaken for Alzheimer’s disease or senile dementia.
3. Depression – Feelings of sadness and worthlessness are often attributed to an underlying mental illness, and a vitamin B12 deficiency may go unnoticed.
4. Anemia – A low red cell blood count.  A vitamin B12 deficiency leads to the creation of fewer red blood cells in the body.
5. Vision loss – Vitamin B12 is necessary for the proper formation of nerve cells in the body.  Specifically, vitamin B12 is needed for the fatty membrane surrounding the nerve cells, known as the myelin sheath.  Without this myelin sheath, the electrical signals being passed by the nerve cells go haywire in the body, with many consequences.   This loss of vision can be reversed with injections of vitamin B12.
6. Dizziness – Poor coordination and clumsiness may be due to a severe vitamin B12 deficiency.  As mentioned previously, improperly formed nerve cells cause electrical impulses to be lost in transmission.
7. Muscle weakness –   Muscle weakness can be in the arms or legs, also due to nerve cell issues.
8. Tingling sensation in either the hands or feet – Low levels of vitamin B12 affects nerve cell development, and loss of muscle control is a symptom of a vitamin B12 deficiency.
9. Urinary incontinence – Also a loss of muscle control due to low levels of vitamin B12.
10. Paralysis – A total loss of muscle control sets in when stores of vitamin B12 are depleted from the body.

As you can see, many symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency can be easily confused with symptoms of other illnesses.  If you are suffering from any of the above, you should have your blood tested for a vitamin B12 deficiency.

The habit of smoking has been shown to cause a vitamin B12 deficiency, as a result of a study in Thailand.  This study was done by researchers at the University of Mahidol in Bangkok, Thailand.

The country of Thailand was well-suited for this study since it is estimated that 23% of the 52 million people residing there are smokers.  This is unfortunate as smoking has been linked to respiratory illnesses, heart disease, strokes and higher mortality rates.  The components of cigarettes are to blame.  Besides nicotine, there are hundreds of chemical compounds in cigarettes that cause these illnesses.

Vitamin B12 is necessary to help the body break down a toxic amino acid, known as homocysteine.  High blood levels of homocysteine lead to plaque buildup in the arteries, which causes heart disease and strokes.  These high levels of homocysteine are usually indicative of a vitamin B12 deficiency.  For purposes of this study, homocysteine blood concentrations of the volunteers were measured, in addition to vitamin B12 blood plasma levels.

Scientists at the Unversity of Haidol enlisted a total of 271 healthy men between the ages of 19 and 62 years old.  They were residents in suburban and urban areas of Bangkok, Thailand.  These volunteers consisted of 174 smokers and 97 non-smokers.  The study measured overall homocysteine concentrations, as well as plasma vitamin B12 levels.

The results indicated that smokers had higher levels of homocysteine and very low levels of vitamin B12, indicating a vitamin B12 deficiency.  The scientists have hypothesized that  the toxic substances inherent in cigarettes deactivate the vitamin B12.

Prevacid, also known as Lansoprazole, has many side effects.  This medication is used to neutralize acid in the stomach.   Doctors prescribe it to treat ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), otherwise known as acid reflux.  It is also commonly administered to people undergoing chemotherapy.

The most common side effects of Prevacid are stomach pain and diarrhea.   In addition, the FDA (Federal Drug Administration) has recently announced that patients who took Prevacid for a year or more are at greater risk for fractures.   But there are other side effects, as well.

Some patients taking Prevacid have reported thinning hair and hair loss.  Furthermore, they have reported decreased blood cell size as indicated by MCV values.  (MCV stands for Mean Cell Volume.)  The purpose of blood is to deliver oxygen and nutrients to the organs of the body.  A decrease in the size of the blood cells would result in fatigue, which is another side effect of Prevacid.  All of these symptoms are indications of a vitamin B12 deficiency, and can be easily remedied with vitamin B12 supplementation.

In fact, women who have complained about hair loss and fatigue benefitted greatly from taking vitamin B12, even though they were still taking Prevacid.  They have stated that their hair grew back, and that they felt more energetic.

If you are taking Prevacid, and if you are suffering from hair loss or fatigue, you can relieve these symptoms by supplementing your diet with vitamin B12.

The symptoms reported by someone with a vitamin B12 deficiency and by someone with multiple sclerosis (MS) are strikingly similar.  These symptoms include the following:

1. Tremors
2. Fatigue
3. Gait Problems
4. Numbness
5. Depression
6. Weight loss
7. Memory loss
8. Pain
9. Incontinence
10. Vision loss

As mentioned in a previous blog, many doctors still confuse the effects of a vitamin B12 deficiency with multiple sclerosis, because the symptoms are identical.  The reason for this are the similar origins of these conditions.

Multiple sclerosis is caused by a disruption in the insulation surrounding the nerve cells that keep the electrical impulses on track.  This insulation is a fatty sheath known as myelin.  The breakdown in myelin wreaks havoc on the neurological system in the body.  Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body attacks its own myelin.  Scientists still don’t know why this happens, but it is known to have genetic causes.

While multiple sclerosis is not curable, a vitamin B12 deficiency is.  A severe vitamin B12 deficiency causes the breakdown of myelin, which also leads to neurological impairments that are found in patients with MS.  This is why testing MS patients for a vitamin B12 deficiency is crucial.

There are cases where MS victims have symptoms that are not a result of a vitamin B12 deficiency.  However, the possibility exists that these patients may be helped with vitamin B12 injections.

Victims of multiple sclerosis where the age of onset was before eighteen usually have blood plasma B12 levels that are very low.  It is suspected that this vitamin B12 deficiency may leave some people more prone to MS.

Since vitamin B12 is necessary in the formation of myelin, it is possible that people with MS may need extra vitamin B12 to reverse the damage.

Although studies are inconclusive at this point in time, it is possible that patients with MS may benefit from extra vitamin B12 in their diets.

The symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency often mimic those of multiple sclerosis.  These symptoms include neurological impairments that can strike a person at any age.  Unfortunately, doctors often don’t test for a vitamin B12 deficiency until after a person suffers for years.  Sometimes, the neurological damage sustained due to the vitamin B12 deficiency is irreversible, and a person may become paralyzed.

Here is a partial list of symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency, along with actual examples of victims:

1. Vision loss:  A 28-year-old woman with vision loss was discovered to have B12 plasma levels that were one-third of normal.  Her vision returned after she received injections of vitamin B12.
2. Dizziness:  A woman who underwent a gastrectomy suffered from poor coordination, also turned out to have a severe vitamin B12 deficiency.
3. Muscle weakness:  When one woman reached middle age, there was a sudden onset of a mild tremor and weakness in her arm.  This was reversed with vitamin B12 supplementation.

In the above-mentioned cases, blood tests were able to detect the vitamin B12 deficiency.  However, some people have normal blood levels of B12, but are unable to metabolize the B12.  This is known as cobalamin G, which is hereditary.

A woman with cobalamin G nearly lost her life because of a misdiagnosis.  When she was in her early 20’s, she began to experience tingling in her extremities and started to lose control of her hands and feet.  Her serum B12 levels were normal, so the doctors diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis, a disease which causes paralysis.

Finally, when she was 27-years-old, she became very anemic.  She subsequently underwent a bone marrow test.  The results of this test were indicative of a B12 deficiency, and she was finally given B12 injections, along with medication to regulate her homocysteine levels.  The degree of her weakness in her legs were reduced, but continued to bother her.

Had the doctors diagnosed her properly with cobalamin G at an earlier point in time, her difficulty walking could have been prevented.

Unfortunately, there are doctors who still confuse symptoms of a vitamin B12 deficiency with multiple sclerosis.  Awareness of this problem can prevent future suffering.

Many people with Celiac disease also have a vitamin B12 deficiency. The primary reason is that the symptoms of Celiac disease include malnutrition and malabsorption of vitamins and minerals.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder. The lining of the small intestine destroys itself in the presence of gluten proteins, found in wheat. As a result, the symptoms of Celiac disease include diarrhea and abdominal pain. Some people with this disorder experience constipation, nausea or lactose intolerance.

Many people with Celiac disease with also suffer from fatigue, seizures, depression, joint pain, nosebleeds and muscle cramps.

People with Celiac disease tend to have difficulty absorbing vitamins and nutrients from the foods they eat. Consequently, they are more prone to anemia, and a deficiency in one or more of the following: iron, folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin K.

The cause of this disorder is primarily genetic. It is found more often in people who are Caucasian and of European ancestry, and more frequently in women than in men.  It can happen at any age.

Treatment for Celiac disease includes abstaining from foods containing wheat or other adverse proteins. In addition, individuals with this disorder must supplement their diets with vitamin B12, iron, folate and vitamin K.

My friend, Barbara J., told me the story of how her birth control method caused her vitamin B12 deficiency.

When Barbara’s youngest son was born, she felt the need to take birth control. Therefore, she obtained a prescription from her doctor for NuvaRing. NuvaRing contains the hormone estrogen. Unfortunately, at the time Barbara did not know that estrogen can cause the user’s blood plasma B12 levels to drop.

Barbara had been using the NuvaRing, an estrogen-containing contraceptive, for ten months. At this point she started feeling weak. Her immune system went haywire as she became continuously sick. First she got recurring cold sores. Then she got swine flu. When that was over, she developed Strep throat, a bacterial infection. Upon completing the antibiotic regimen for Strep throat, a different bacterial infection set in – Cellulitis -from a skin lesion. Believe it or not, but shortly after she also had a second case of Cellulitis in the area of a mosquito bite. Just when she thought her luck couldn’t get any worse, she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI).

After the UTI, she realized that these things are not coincidental. She went to her regular primary care physician, who did a blood workup on her. The doctor told her that her vitamin B12 levels were extremely low. Her doctor started her on a weekly series of B12 injections immediately. Within a few days of her first injection, she felt much better.

Furthermore, she usually gets terrible hay fever in the fall with extensive episodes of  sneezing and headaches. Amazingly, her seasonal allergy symptoms were milder than they usually were in the fall following her series of B12 injections.

Although Barbara no longer receives injections of vitamin B12, she was advised by her doctor to continue supplementing her diet with vitamin B12.

The medical literature has demonstrated a strong correlation between vitamin B12 and depression. Vitamin B12 is naturally found if fish, meat, eggs and chicken. However, some people choose to avoid these foods, and there are those who don’t absorb it from the foods they do eat.

Vitamin B12 affects our nervous system. It is necessary for the breakdown of a toxin in the body, known as homocysteine. Vitamin B12 is also a requisite for the formation of DNA and phospholipids. Phospholipids are fatty acids that make up the membrane surrounding every nerve cell. It becomes quite apparent that a vitamin B12 deficiency can have numerous consequences on the body.

Low vitamin B12 levels in the body can alter the functioning of the brain cells. The nerve cells of the brain affects how we think and feel. A B12 deficiency can lead to depression, dementia, violent behavior, paranoia, schizophrenia-like symptoms and fatigue. Although the presence of low stores of B12 doesn’t cause all cases of mental illness, there is evidence that this condition causes mental illness in some people.

A study done at the National Institute of Aging evaluated a group of physically disabled women over age 65. This study found that women with low blood B12 plasma levels were twice as likely to suffer from depression as their counterparts with normal levels. The research was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, May 2000 issue.

In a second study, Dutch researchers examined 4,000 people for symptoms of depression. Blood tests of all of these patients were taken and charted. They found that those who presented with high homocysteine levels (indicative of a B12 deficiency) had a stronger incidence of depression than those with normal levels. This study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, 2002.

In summary, someone who is suffering from depression or other mental illness should be evaluated for a B12 deficiency.