Blog

About 40% of us have vitamin B12 deficiency, but most don’t even know it…and neither do our doctors. Until we start experiencing crushing fatigue, nerve pain, and memory loss, vitamin B12 deficiency slips completely of the doctor’s radar.

The vitamin B12 deficiency crisis

Vitamin B12 is one of the most essential nutrients for human health, but we are only able to store it in small amounts. According to Dr. Donald W. Jacobsen, a world-famous cell biologist who has studied vitamin B12 deficiency for several decades, every single cell in our body requires vitamin B12 for survival.

Yet, many of us don’t have nearly enough, due to escalating risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency that correlate with modern lifestyle changes and comorbid health conditions.

Dr. Jacobsen also names FDA recommendations as part of the B12 deficiency problem, as the suggested minimum of 160-250 picomoles per liter of blood is hardly sufficient to prevent chronic ailments, such as fatigue, depression, muscle pain, dementia, and heart palpitations.

Unless caught in time, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to irreversible nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy), increased risk for heart disease and stroke, dementia, and bone loss. And the vitamin B12 levels that most doctors are told to use as their reference guide is simply not enough.

Because once the symptoms of vitamin B12 have set in, you may already be in dire need of immediate replenishment.

See this: Shocking Must-See Video on Vitamin B12 Deficiency Crisis

In numerous studies, prolonged vitamin B12 deficiency has been linked with:

• Osteoporosis
• Brain shrinkage
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Muscular weakness
• Depression
• Chronic fatigue

Diagnosis and treatment

A blood test may indicate severe vitamin B12 anemia, a potentially lethal, debilitating condition, but not necessarily borderline vitamin B12 deficiency that nevertheless causes a series of ailments. For that reason, it’s important that your doctor take into consideration any symptoms you have that may indicate the need for more vitamin B12 in making a proper diagnosis.

Since vitamin B12 is safe to take in any amount, many patients find the most benefit when they take extra vitamin B12, including vitamin B12 shots complemented by additional doses of non-dietary vitamin B12.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Anemia Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

What Causes Vitamin B12 Malabsorption?

Is it Pernicious Anemia or Multiple Sclerosis? Part 1

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos

Which vitamins are the best for women during menopause and afterwards? They’re not the same ones that you took dutifully during your teens, your 30s, or until now. When you reach middle age, it’s important to update your vitamin regimen in order to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency and other health conditions that can creep up on women during menopause and old age.

This is part 2 of the Best Vitamins for Menopause installment. Best Vitamins for Menopause (And a Couple you can forget about): Part 1 dealt with vitamins you start taking once you reach menopause; part 2 focuses on specific supplements that you should try to avoid, unless otherwise instructed by your doctor.

Please speak with a doctor before beginning any new vitamin regimen. While most vitamins such as vitamin B12 are perfectly safe to take in any amounts, certain nutrients such as vitamins and calcium can have a detrimental effect on your health if taken in abundance.

Not-so-great vitamins with menopause

Sometimes, there is such thing as getting a little too much of a good thing, and that definitely applies to vitamin supplementation during the menopause years.

Here are some nutrients you should be wary about once you reach the age of 50.

Multivitamins with Iron

While your body needs plenty of iron in order to produce plenty of red blood cells, and to prevent iron deficiency anemia, having too much iron in your system can be extremely hazardous to your health.

This is because as you age, your need for iron supplements goes down, beginning with menopause and the cessation of your menstrual periods. So, extra iron gets stored in your organs- your heart, liver, and pancreas- in addition to your joints, which can have a toxic effect, causing chronic pain and life-threatening conditions.

(This is one way that iron supplements are so much different from vitamin B12 supplements; while both are needed for red blood cell production, only iron can have a toxic effect in great amounts. There’s no such thing as taking too much vitamin B12, as your body is able to efficiently discreet any amounts you don’t need in your urine.)

Doctors recommend about 18mg daily for women who haven’t reached menopause and only 8mg for women who have stopped menstruating. Still, you should speak to your doctor before starting any vitamin regimen, especially iron tablets.

Vitamin E

If you take blood thinners for cardiovascular disease, then don’t begin vitamin E supplementation without first speaking to your doctor.

Although vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant, it also works as a blood thinner. Women using Warfarin or aspirin during menopause should think twice before taking vitamin E, and probably stop using vitamin E capsules as part of their nutritional regimen.

In men, vitamin E may be more dangerous, as scientists are studying prostrate problems linked to vitamin E.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Menopause Symptoms

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Menopause: Risk Factors

Sources:

Iron Supplementation Typically Not Recommended for Postmenopausal Women

Image courtesy of jusben/morguefile

Which vitamins are the best for women during menopause and afterwards? They’re not the same ones that you took dutifully during your teens, your 30s, or until now. When you reach middle age, it’s important to update your vitamin regimen in order to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency and other health conditions that can creep up on women during menopause and old age.

Please speak with a doctor before beginning any new vitamin regimen. While most vitamins such as vitamin B12 are perfectly safe to take in any amounts, certain nutrients such as vitamins and calcium can have a detrimental effect on your health if taken in abundance.

Best vitamins for menopause

As you age, your demand for nutrients begins to change. This is especially true for women, as menopause symptoms such as tiredness, aching joints, and hot flashes sometimes indicate a need for a new vitamin regimen.

To save money and prevent vitamin overuse, it’s important to limit supplementation to nutrients that specifically target the health needs of women during menopause, including perimenopause (pre-menopause) and post-menopause.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient for building red blood cells, maintaining the nervous system, and delaying age-related symptoms of dementia.

Unfortunately, as you get older, it gets harder to digest vitamin B12 from foods, as your body stops making enough stomach acids, which are crucial for vitamin B12 digestion.

Old age, including menopause, is one of the highest risk factors for vitamin B12 deficiency anemia.

Once you reach menopause, you may begin to notice signs of vitamin B12 deficiency, a dangerously low depletion of vital vitamin B12 nutrients needed to support good health.

Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to nerve cell damage (peripheral neuropathy), increased risk for heart attack and stroke, osteoporosis, and symptoms of dementia that occur with old age.

Signs of vitamin B12 deficiency include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Memory loss
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Disorientation
• Confusion
• Painful numbness and tingling in the extremities
• Muscle spasms
• Headache
• Tinnitus (ear ringing)
• Difficulty retaining balance
• Poor hand-eye coordination
• Frequent falling

Calcium

Women entering menopause need to take calcium each day, as estrogen levels drop, causing bone loss and calcium malabsorption. For best results, women in their 50s should take 1200mg of calcium supplements, divided into smaller 500mg doses throughout the day.

If you take protein pump inhibitors (PPIs) for acid reflux, then make sure to use calcium citrate.

Note: In addition to interfering with absorption of calcium carbonate, PPIs also prevent you from digesting vitamin B12.

Read more about medications that cause vitamin B12 deficiency.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps your body absorb calcium, in preventing bone loss caused by old age and menopause. Doctors recommend taking 600 IU of vitamin D in your 50s, and increasing that amount to 800 IU once you reach your 70s.

Vitamin C

Menopausal women should be taking at least 250mg of vitamin C each day in order to sustain healthy joint movement. Vitamin C also helps you absorb iron, supports a healthy immune system and kills free radicals.

For women suffering from iron deficiency anemia, ask your doctor if you should increase your vitamin C uptake to 500mg.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Menopause Symptoms

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Menopause: Risk Factors

Sources:

Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)

Image courtesy of marin/freedigitalphotos

Have you checked your Vitamin B12 levels lately? When vitamin B12 goes down, homocysteine levels go up, increasing your risk for heart attack, stroke, and hearing loss problems such as tinnitus.

Countless scientific studies have shown a high correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and tinnitus ear ringing.

But what many patients of vitamin B12 deficiency don’t realize- because their doctors haven’t warned them- is that in addition to hearing problems, their risk for heart disease, and stroke are also higher, due to a common denominator of vitamin B12 deficiency- elevated homocysteine.

What is homocysteine?

Homocysteine is an amino acid that we produce when we digest methionine, an amino acid that occurs naturally in meat and dairy products.

An overabundance can have toxic effects on your system, resulting in homocysteine toxicity, which has been found to increase your risk for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and tinnitus hearing disorder caused by peripheral neuropathy.

In many studies, scientists noted high correlations between high homocysteine levels and increased risk for hypertension, heart palpitations, heart attack, and stroke.

Similarly, elderly individuals with hearing loss and tinnitus are more likely to have elevated homocysteine than their peers with normal hearing.

Vitamin B12, Homocysteine, and your Heart

Vitamin B12 benefits

To date, the only known way to prevent symptoms of homocysteine toxicity is by controlling your vitamin B12 levels.

Vitamin B12 is an essential nutrient for your nervous system. Found in protein foods such as beef, chicken, and fish, vitamin B12 performs many important biochemical functions:

• Vitamin B12 maintains red blood cell production, for adequate hemoglobin and oxygen.
• Vitamin B12 sustains good metabolism, for increased energy.
• Vitamin B12 enhances peripheral nerve cell communication, for healthy hearing, eyesight, cognitive balance, and muscle control.
• Vitamin B12, along with folic acid and vitamin B6, helps your body digest homocysteine, keeping amino acids to a safe, normal level, and preventing symptoms that impair your hearing, heart health, and memory.

5 Surprising Foods that Pack Vitamin B12

How much vitamin B12?

Only supplementation of essential B vitamins, particularly vitamin B12 can effectively reduce excess homocysteine and put you back on the right track for hearing and heart health.

Recommended dosage is at least 1,000mg of vitamin B12, 400mcg of folic acid, and 100mg of vitamin B6 as needed.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Vitamin B12- a Penny a Day Keeps Dementia Away

Warning: If you take Folate, you may have Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net

About 25% of people in the US have vitamin B12 deficiency anemia without even knowing it. Pernicious anemia, a debilitating condition that occurs when vitamin B12 levels dip to a dangerous low, can result from underlying health problems that many doctors don’t pick up.

Shocking Must-See Video on Vitamin B12 Deficiency Crisis

Pernicious anemia- What is it?

Anemia is a condition that happens when your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. Vitamin B12 is necessary for producing plenty of normal-sized red blood cells, so when vitamin B12 levels dip low, you experience symptoms of pernicious anemia, which is a type of megaloblastic anemia.

Early signs of pernicious anemia such as dizziness, tiredness, and difficulty remembering things occur because your brain is not getting enough oxygen, due to fewer red blood cells.

Symptoms of pernicious anemia include:

• Extreme fatigue
• Memory loss
• Disorientation
• Anxiety
• Brain fog
• Painful numbness and tingling sensations
• Muscle spasms
• Heart palpitations
• Shallow breathing

B12- why you’re not getting it

People often ask, “What’s the big deal about vitamin B12 deficiency anemia? If you’re not feeling well, then can’t you just eat more foods with vitamin B12?”

Most people do eat enough foods containing vitamin B12. Unless you follow a vegan diet, then you probably ingest enough vitamin B12 from beef, chicken, and seafood to last a lifetime.

The problem lies with vitamin B12 malabsorption; there are so many risk factors that interfere with your ability to digest vitamin B12 from the foods you eat.

Medications, autoimmune disorders, weight-loss surgeries, and gastrointestinal disorders- these all affect vitamin B12 absorption.

Vitamin B12: It takes two

Vitamin B12 cannot be digested by itself- it requires a co-factor, a “partner” in digestion. To absorb vitamin B12, you need specific digestive enzymes, such as intrinsic factor, which is manufactured in your gut, or stomach acids that help to break down vitamin B12 molecules.

You risks for developing vitamin B12 deficiency- pernicious anemia are high if:

• You don’t have intrinsic factor in your gut
• Your autoimmune system destroys the intrinsic factor you make
• You are a senior citizen who doesn’t produce enough stomach acids to digest vitamin B12
• You have had gastrointestinal surgery, such as bariatric surgery

If you fall into any of those categories, then it’s essential to get your vitamin B12 from supplementation, preferably in a non-dietary form, so that you may bypass the need for digestion in the stomach.

How much vitamin B12 should I take?

To test for vitamin B12 deficiency, ask your doctor for a simple blood test. You may need to continue checking your vitamin B12 levels regularly.

To prevent vitamin B12 deficiency anemia and restore healthy vitamin B12 levels, doctors recommend at least 1,000mcg of vitamin B12 supplements weekly, or more often, as needed.

For more info, read:

Anemia Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Is it Anemia from Vitamin B12 Deficiency, or Low Iron?

Sources:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anaemia

Facts About Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)

Image courtesy of artur84/freedigitalphotos

Taking high doses of vitamin B12 may delay the symptoms of dementia, according to a new study. For pennies a day, elderly individuals experiencing the beginning signs of Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia can sustain brain mass for longer, just by preventing vitamin B12 deficiency.

B12 slows dementia

It’s not the first time that studies have proven the cognitive benefits of vitamin B12 supplementation for people with Alzheimer’s disease, but it flies in the face of various drug companies who have been trying for decades to produce similar results, to no avail.

According to the study just released by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the best treatment for dementia includes a three-prong regimen of social activity, exercise, and supplementation of three essential B vitamins- vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid.

“It’s the first and only disease-modifying treatment that’s worked,” said A. David Smith, Oxford University professor and senior author of the study on vitamin B12 deficiency and Alzheimer’s disease. “We have proved the concept that you can modify the disease.”

Prevent Dementia: 12 Natural Vitamins and Herbs

As of yet, there are no other treatments or medications available that comes close to providing the same results as these three inexpensive B vitamins in delaying the progression of brain atrophy in dementia patients.

B12 controls homocysteine

Among the many roles that vitamin B12 plays in maintaining good health, one of the most significant is its ability to control homocysteine, a protein known to contribute to heart attacks and stroke.

For the study, scientists wanted to prove a link between dementia and homocysteine levels.

• Researchers gathered 156 people over the age of 70 who were experiencing memory loss, and also had high levels of homocysteine.
• Participants were given one of two treatments for dementia: a supplement containing a mixture of vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and folic acid, or a placebo.
• For the following two years, scientists compared MRI brain scan results, along with blood tests confirming homocysteine levels.
• Among people who had very high levels of homocysteine, suggesting vitamin B12 deficiency, brain atrophy advanced at a rate of 5.2% in people who took the placebo.
• Memory loss patients with high homocysteine who were given the vitamin supplements containing vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid saw only a 0.06% decrease in brain atrophy.

Can B12 deficiency Cause Dementia? Some Helpful Facts

Compare those results to people who don’t have vitamin B12 deficiency or dementia…

Let the numbers speak for themselves

According to Smith, healthy elderly adults without vitamin B12 deficiency begin to experience brain shrinkage from the age of 60, at the rate of about 0.5%.

• High homocysteine, vitamin B12 deficiency- 5.2% brain deterioration.
• High homocysteine, using vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and folic acid- 0.6% brain deterioration.
• Normal homocysteine, normal levels of vitamin B12– 0.5% brain deterioration.

So, with vitamin B12 supplementation, people with high homocysteine levels can slow down the rate of dementia to a rate that is a mere 0.1% higher than individuals of the same age who don’t have vitamin B12 deficiency.

What’s the upshot?

If you have high homocysteine levels, you can reduce your risk of suffering early dementia by taking extra doses of vitamin B12 and other B vitamins, especially if you are already experiencing warning symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, including memory loss, fatigue, depression, disorientation, and numbness and tingling.

While it won’t cure Alzheimer’s disease, taking daily vitamin B12 can significantly delay brain atrophy that occurs to all people over the age of 60.

But it’s important to catch vitamin B12 deficiency early. The longer you wait, the more likely you will begin to suffer irreparable cell death and brain atrophy due to elevated homocysteine.

To test for vitamin B12 deficiency, ask your doctor for a blood test. He may prescribe large doses of vitamin B12, beginning with 1,000mcg, although it’s perfectly safe to take as much vitamin B12 as you need to relieve symptoms, as there are no FDA upper limits for vitamin B12 supplementation.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

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

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

Sources:

Preventing Alzheimer’s disease-related gray matter atrophy by B-vitamin treatment

Vitamins That Cost Pennies a Day Seen Delaying Dementia

Image courtesy of ohhhbetty/flickr

Women experiencing menopause need to watch for vitamin B12 deficiency, as risk  factors increase during menopause.  Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency drastically increases your risk for heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, and early-onset dementia– all of which are already risk factors for women experiencing menopause.

Vitamin B12 deficiency and menopause

Women in their 40s and 50s are extremely high risk factors for severe vitamin B12 deficiency. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 31 Americans over the age of 50 develop vitamin B12 deficiency, the same age most women suffer from menopause.

As you continue to age, your risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency gets higher, as it becomes harder to digest nutrients from the foods you eat, particularly vitamin B12, which requires digestive enzymes that many women experiencing menopause lack.

By the time you reach 60, your chances of suffering signs of chronic illness from depleted vitamin B12 levels are 10%-15%.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency

Memory problems, brittle bones from osteoporosis (comorbid with low B12 levels), fatigue, heart palpitations, and mood disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and paranoia are all linked with vitamin B12 deficiency, or pernicious anemia.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Menopause Symptoms

All these symptoms are associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, and all are easily misdiagnosed as common symptoms of menopause.

Prevent vitamin B12 deficiency

To test for vitamin B12 deficiency, your doctor will need to take a small blood sample. If lab results confirm low vitamin B12 serum levels, then you will need to take vitamin B12 supplements immediately, and for an extended period as advised by your doctor.

Eating foods containing vitamin B12 may help, but to prevent symptoms and get your vitamin B12 levels back to normal, doctors  recommend supplementation, as vitamin B12 malabsorption often prevents people from digesting enough vitamin B12 from chicken, beef, and seafood.

To maintain healthy B12 levels, doctors recommend starting out with 1,000mcg. doses of vitamin B12.

However, since there is no upper level of tolerance for vitamin B12, it is perfectly safe, and even advisable, to take as many doses of vitamin B12 as you need, not only to alleviate symptoms of fatigue, disorientation, and pain, but also to better manage symptoms of menopause.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Tired All the Time? 30 Likely Causes of Daytime Fatigue

Stop PMS-ing with Vitamin B

Sources:

Why Vitamin B12 Deficiency Should be on your Radar Screen

Risk Factors for Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 for Menopause

5 Nutrition Tips for Staying Strong and Healthy After 50

Image courtesy of Michal Marcol/Free Digital Photos

Signs and symptoms of menopause are sometimes associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, or malabsorption of vitamin B12 from the foods you eat. To boost energy, sleep better, and balance your mood, it’s important to take extra doses of vitamin B12 during the menopause years.

Menopause and vitamin B12 deficiency

Menopause is a phase that may stretch for several years; many women experience their first signs of perimenopause (early menopause) in their 40s, while still menstruating. During the early stages, you experience fluctuation hormone levels that cause mood swings, headaches, hot flashes, memory loss, and brain fog.

All of these are symptoms that may also indicate depleted levels of vitamin B12!

Hidden vitamin B12 deficiency

Vitamin B12 deficiency is difficult to catch and treat, as the symptoms are masked by conditions such as menopause, clinical depression, hypothyroidism, or hypoglycemia- all of which cause ailments that are strikingly similar to the ones you experience when your vitamin B12 levels drop to a dangerous low, either from malabsorption issues or change in diet.

Too often, severe vitamin B12 deficiency, a.k.a., pernicious anemia, slips right off your doctor’s radar, especially during the menopause years. And it’s easy to understand why, especially when you consider that the most common symptoms- fatigue, achiness, poor memory, dizziness, and depression- are present in both vitamin B12 deficiency anemia and the many stages of menopause.

For that reason, premenopausal women and females already experiencing menopause are advised to test often for vitamin B12 deficiency, and recognize the symptoms, before their B12 levels drop to a dangerous low.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency

Untreated, vitamin B12 deficiency from pernicious anemia can lead to neurological disorders, chronic fatigue, mood problems, and increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

That’s because vitamin B12 is essential for so many biological functions necessary for good health- reproduction, nervous system functioning, cognitive integrity, and metabolic energy.

So, when vitamin B12 levels plummet, you begin to experience a variety of health problems that affect all parts of your body, including those already ailing from symptoms of menopause.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency Symptoms that Mimic Aging

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency that mimic menopause include:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Chronic fatigue
• Short-term memory loss
• Disorientation
• Brain fog
• Hot and cold flashes
• Headache
• Irritability
• Heart palpitations
• Frequent breathlessness
• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Difficulty sleeping
• Muscle weakness and pain

Treatment

The B12, B6 and folic acid help with mood and to ease you through the transition.

The Linus Pauling Institute recommends 100 to 400 mcg per day of supplemental vitamin B-12 orally if you’re older than 50, an age that includes many menopausal women.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Tired All the Time? 30 Likely Causes of Daytime Fatigue
Stop PMS-ing with Vitamin B

Sources:

Why Vitamin B12 Deficiency Should be on your Radar Screen

Risk Factors for Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 for Menopause

5 Nutrition Tips for Staying Strong and Healthy After 50

Image courtesy of stockimages/freedigitalphotos

Dizziness and lightheadedness can make you feel faint, like you need to pass out. Causes of dizziness, including vertigo- that whirling sensation you may experience while sitting still- may include anemia from vitamin B12 deficiency or low iron, heart disease, or one of several other conditions that share symptoms of nausea, fatigue, and loss of balance.

Is it dizziness or vertigo

Many people confuse vertigo with standard dizziness. This is an important distinction, because actual symptoms of vertigo may indicate a serious underlying health risk, such as tumor or stroke.

With dizziness, you may feel faint, unsteady, and slightly nauseas while walking around. Usually, lying down will relieve dizziness and lightheadedness, but not always.

Conversely, vertigo makes you feel dizzy while standing still. If you’ve ever spun around in a circle and stopped abruptly, you’ll recognize the feeling of vertigo that occurs, that sensation of your surroundings tilting and whirling around you, making it hard to stand still, or walk without falling down.

If you experience constant wooziness, fatigue, nausea, or vertigo, then it’s important to see your doctor immediately, so that he can rule out rare life-threatening causes of dizziness and lightheadedness.

Below are 25 causes of dizziness, including chronic conditions and rare illnesses.

1- Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia

Dizziness and fatigue are some of the earliest symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, or pernicious anemia. Lightheadedness due to low vitamin B12 levels may result from peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), low red blood cell count, hypoxia (decreased oxygen), and cognitive mood disorders.

Symptoms include loss of balance (ataxia), brain fog, dizziness, disorientation, memory loss, fatigue, muscle weakness, difficulty holding an upright position, and numbness or tingling sensations in the arms and legs.

Pernicious Anemia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Which Causes Which?

2- Iron deficiency anemia

In addition to vitamin B12 deficiency, other forms of anemia, including low iron may be causing frequent dizziness and lightheadedness.

3- Chronic subjective dizziness

Chronic dizziness is a term that doctors use when they are unable to find the exact cause for faintness, fatigue, nausea, and vertigo. People with chronic subjective dizziness may be hypersensitive to bright lights, movies, and dizzying images.

4- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

Low blood sugar may cause a shock to the system that results in fatigue, dizziness, and weakness.

5- Multiple sclerosis (MS)

A demyelinating illness, multiple sclerosis damages the nervous system, causing impaired muscle control, instability, and many other severe handicaps.

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

6- Parkinson’s disease

Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include muscle stiffness, tremors, dementia, anxiety, depression, and loss of balance.

7- Low blood pressure (hypotension)

Shock from sudden low blood pressure, particularly when you get up too quickly from a seated or lying position, may cause dizziness.

8- Internal bleeding

Rarely, dizziness and lightheadedness that doesn’t go away may indicate hemorrhage or internal bleeding.

9- Heavy menstruation

Heavy blood flow during menstrual periods may also cause extreme dizziness, nausea, and weakness.

10- Allergies

Sometimes, dizziness may result from a seasonal or food allergy.

11- Flu

Colds and flu are common causes of sudden dizziness, wooziness, and fatigue.

12- Dehydration

If you feel dizzy during hot, dry weather seasons, or after exercising, then you may be experiencing severe hyperthermia, or dehydration.

13- Anxiety

Dizziness, heart palpitations, fatigue, and nausea are common symptoms panic attacks, anxiety, or depression.

14- Hyperventilation

You may be breathing too fast, or too deeply, without even realizing it. Some people experience frequent dizziness and lightheadedness caused by hyperventilation from stress or sitting hunched over.

15- Abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia)

Dizziness or faintness may result from decreased blood flow to the heart caused by arrhythmia.

16- Drugs and alcohol

Illegal drug use and excess alcohol are common causes of vertigo, dizziness, and fatigue.

17- Medications

Certain medications may cause side effects of dizziness; these include medications for heart disease, hypertension, anxiety, and seizures.

18- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

One of the most common causes of severe vertigo, BPPV causes dizziness and head-spinning sensations when you sit up suddenly or turn over on your side while lying down.

19- Meniere’s disease

Meniere’s disease occurs with excessive buildup of fluid in your inner ear, and causes tinnitus (ear ringing) and dizziness.

20- Ear infections

Inflammations of the inner ear, including labyrinthitis and other ear infections often cause constant dizziness and loss of balance.

21- Migraines

Excruciating headaches aren’t the only symptoms of migraines- other signs include neck stiffness, eye pain, brain fog, dizziness, nausea, and severe fatigue.

22- Vertebrobasilar insufficiency

Rarely, dizziness may be the result of insufficient blood flow to the brain.

23- Acoustic neuroma

Another rare cause of dizziness and lightheadedness, vestibular schwannoma is a noncancerous (benign) growth on the vestibular nerve.

24- Stroke

Dizziness, paralysis, disorientation, fatigue, and loss of speech are some symptoms of stroke.

25- Brain tumor

If dizziness, tiredness, memory loss, and other qualifying conditions persist, your doctor may order an MRI exam in order to rule out rare brain tumor.

Your turn!

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Eyes Jerking around- What causes Nystagmus?

Hypothyroidism…or Vitamin B12 Deficiency?

Sources:

Dizziness: Lightheadedness and Vertigo – Topic Overview

Image courtesy of winnond/freedigitalphotos

Back pain, sore legs, and headaches may result from an injury, or from chronic illness like migraines, but they can also be symptoms of chronic nerve pain resulting from vitamin B12 deficiency, a form of anemia that impairs red blood cell production and leads to severe nerve cell damage. Listed are some typical causes of neuropathic pain associated with low vitamin B12 levels.

There are many types of chronic nerve pain, and most of them are strongly linked to vitamin B12 deficiency.

Nerve damage from vitamin B12 deficiency

Like multiple sclerosis (MS), vitamin B12 deficiency can also impair your nervous system and cause severe handicaps.

Your body relies on vitamin B12 to protect your nervous system from harm. Vitamin B12 builds myelin, a fatty substance that insulates your nerve fibers, enhancing intercellular communication, so that sensory messages travel along the spinal cord to the brain smoothly and efficiently.

When vitamin B12 levels are low, you experience side effects resulting from demyelination, destruction of the nerve cell’s outer coating. Nervous impulses become slower and chronic nerve pain symptoms of painful tingling, burning, and numbness become more frequent as the protective layer of your delicate nerve fibers slowly corrodes.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Over time, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause severe, debilitating chronic nerve pain and handicaps, such as difficulty walking, controlling arm movements, or maintaining balance.

Unless treated, severely depleted vitamin B12 levels can cause increased risk for heart attacks, stroke, and ultimately, death.

Diabetes

Vitamin B12 deficiency is often comorbid with diabetes.

Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most common causes of chronic nerve pain, causing symptoms similar to vitamin B12 deficiency. Diabetics taking metformin are at a high risk for developing vitamin B12 deficiency, as metformin is one of several drugs that prevent absorption of vitamin B12 from foods.

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Fibromyalgia Pain Types

Vitamin B12 deficiency is harder to detect in people with diabetes, as the symptoms are masked by diabetic neuropathy. For that reason, diabetics are encouraged to take blood tests for vitamin B12 deficiency frequently, and take extra doses of vitamin B12 when chronic nerve pain persists.

Autoimmune disorders

Sometimes, vitamin B12 deficiency is an autoimmune disorder.

People with autoimmune disorders such as fibromyalgia, lupus, or Crohn’s disease are more susceptible to the autoimmune form of pernicious anemia, one of the major causes of vitamin B12 deficiency.

Also, pernicious anemia may result from symptoms associated with fibromyalgia, migraines, or celiac disease, as frequent vomiting, diarrhea, ulcers, and acid reflux make it more difficult to digest food sources of vitamin B12.

Treating nerve pain

If vitamin B12 deficiency is behind neuropathic pain, then only immediate and consistent supplementation of vitamin B12- usually in high doses- can bring ultimate relief.

The best, most digestible sources of vitamin B12 are non-dietary supplements that are absorbed into your bloodstream.

For best results, start out with 1,000mcg of vitamin B12 weekly, or more often, as needed.

NSAIDs are usually not helpful for treating neuropathic pain. While opioids may relieve chronic nerve pain symptoms, they are also addictive, have dangerous side effects, and sometimes lead to fatal overdose.

Your doctor may prescribe tricyclic antidepressants or SSNRIs for neuropathic pain, or he may advise anti-epileptic drugs. All of these, over extended periods of time, may result in uncomfortable side effects, so use with caution.

Topical ointments for arthritis may help to relieve nerve pain, without any harmful side effects.

Your turn!

If you suffer nerve pain in the hands, feet, or back, have you been tested for vitamin B12 deficiency?

Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Please leave your comments below.

Share with your friends!

If you found this article helpful, then please share with your friends, family, and coworkers by email, twitter, or Facebook.

Like this? Read more:

Do-It-Yourself Chronic Pain Management- 6 Helpful Tips

Help- My Legs keep Falling Asleep!

What are the Symptoms of Pernicious Anemia- B12 deficiency?

Image courtesy of marin/freedigitalphotos.net