Welcome to the Vitamin B12 Patch blog! Find information on topics related to vitamin B12. This blog is dedicated to providing up to date research, news and resources pertaining to vitamin B12 supplements, symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency and general health information surrounding the benefits of vitamin B12. Learn from, and contribute to information on B12, conditions caused by vitamin B12 deficiency and other connected subjects. This blog also provides B12 Patch product information and discusses some of the science behind the transdermal absorption method. Feel free to participate in blog discussions and contribute your opinion on the related topics covered in the Vitamin B12 Patch blog.
Usage of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is linked with B12 deficiency and other adverse effects, like osteoporosis. Your body produces stomach acids for good reason- to absorb vitamin B12 (cobalamin), iron and other essential nutrients. While heartburn is a painful symptom of acid reflux, having too few stomach acids can also cause debilitating symptoms.
What are PPIs?
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are drugs that lower the amount of stomach acid your body produces. It’s a popular treatment for preventing acid reflux symptoms like chronic heartburn, and it’s more effective than other acid secretion inhibitors like H2 blockers (Tagamet, Zantac). Hospitals use PPIs to prevent stomach ulcers in 40%-70% of inpatients. Examples of proton pump inhibitors are Prilosec, Prevacid, Nexium, Aciphex, and Protonix.
The following illnesses and conditions are treated with PPIs:
Long-term PPI usage has been linked with nutritional malabsorption of vitamin B12 (cobalamin) and iron. Your body needs gastric acid in order to digest vitamin B12 foods sources like beef, chicken, fish, and eggs. Without stomach acids, vitamin B12 remains bonded to the food you eat and never enters the bloodstream, eventually resulting in vitamin B12 deficiency. Similarly, insufficient stomach acids also result in iron deficiency.
Because stomach acid production reduces with age, senior citizens, in addition to PPI users, are advised to check their vitamin B12 levels periodically. Other people at risk for B12 deficiency are vegans, people who suffer from autoimmune and gastrointestinaldisorders and anybody who has had gastricbypass or other gastrointestinal surgery.
Long-term PPI usage has been linked with increased risk of hip, spine, or wrist fractures resulting from severe osteoporosis. Researchers believe that PPIs inhibit calcium absorption and bone growth. In studies, high doses of PPIs were directly linked with osteoporosis, and that risk increased over time.
It should be noted that osteoporosis is also a vitamin B12 deficiency side effect from PPIs, as vitamin B12 benefits include sustained bone mass.
Increased chances of intestinal infection
Long-term and short-term PPI usage can lead to clostridium difficile infection (diarrhea), according to scientific studies published by the Archives of Internal Medicine.
If you stay at a hospital and are given proton pump inhibitors, your chances of acquiring pneumonia during your visit is increased by 30%, according to studies. While the use of PPIs for preventing stress-related ulcers is a valuable life-saving procedure, a significant amount of hospital patients who receive PPIs are not at risk for suffering from ulcers.
Rebound acid hypersecretion
If you try to wean off proton pump inhibitors, you’re likely to experience severe withdrawal effects, including sudden overproduction of stomach acids- hypergastrinemia. For this reason, PPI users become dependent on the heartburn drugs, and may suffer from adverse effects such as diarrhea, stomach tumors, and neoplasia. Dependence on PPIs happens quickly, as early as one month into prescription.
Heart disease
Studies have linked PPI usage with decreased effectiveness of clopidogrel (Plavix), a medication prescribed for heart disease. Also, decreased vitamin B12 is linked with increased risk for heart disease and stroke through elevated levels of homocysteine.
Have you been diagnosed with GERD, or one of the other illnesses treated with PPIs? If so, have you noticed vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms like chronic fatigue, “pins and needles” in hands and feet, memory loss, and anxiety?
As always, we welcome your comments, inquiries, and suggestions!
Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency and your gut:
Frequent numbness in your hands and wrists, accompanied by painful tingling sensations can be annoying. It makes it hard to get your job done- if you sit at a computer or cash register, then you’ve probably experienced sore hands and wrists. Find out what causes hand numbness, and which exercises can relieve the pain.
Conditions that cause numbness and tingling in your hands
A number of health conditions may contribute to hand pain, tingling, and numbness. Below are some of the most common causes:
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that causes chronic pain your joints, making it difficult to write, carry a plate, or button your clothes. While RA can strike any of the bones in your body, it is most common in the joints in your hands and feet. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are stiffness, swelling, redness, and pain that come and go often.
Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by pinched nerves in the wrist. It is caused by repetitive hand movements used in sports, knitting, typing, writing, painting, and playing musical instruments. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome are painful tingling, weakness, and numbness in the hand, wrist, and fingers.
Diabetes often destroys small blood vessels, causing damage to your nerves. The result is neuropathic pain that usually strikes the hands and feet first, referred to as “stocking and glove” pain because it makes it difficult for diabetics to wear gloves and socks comfortably.
Vitamin B12 deficiency causes nerve pain that occurs in the hands, feet, and tongue. This is because vitamin B12 is essential for protecting the nervous system. A deficiency in vitamin B12 causes symptoms like painful tingling, numbness, and soreness in the hands and feet. Other kinds of pernicious anemia neuropathy include gait ataxia, sore, red tongue, altered taste perception, and burning mouth syndrome.
Here are some hand and wrist exercises that are used to relieve pain, improve range of motion, and strengthen muscles.
Prayer stretch: Put your palms together and elbows out, as in a yoga prayer pose. Lower your writs until you feel a gentle stretch, holding it for 5 seconds before returning to starting position.
Wrist flex: Extend your arm. Gently bend your wrists downwards, flexing your wrist muscles gently, holding for 5 seconds before returning to starting position. This may also be done with a tight fist.
Make a fist: Alternate between splaying out your fingers as wide as possible, holding for 5 seconds, and making a tight fist with your hand.
Bend your fingers: Put your hand up with your fingers together, as if motioning someone to stop. Slowly bend the top two knuckles of your fingers down, excluding the thumb.
Did you find this information? Please let us know!
Read more about painful tingling in the hands and feet symptoms
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.
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.
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 helps to prevent heart disease by lowering 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!
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 iPadappsfor 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:
Why post this story on a vitamin B12 blog?
If it seems strange that a site containing information on vitamin B12 deficiency and the vitamin B12 patch 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 saw improvement in language and socialization, in addition 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 damagelike apraxia and paresthesia
Vitamin B12 deficiency occurs with autism. Many children with autism also have vitamin B12 deficiency. By supplementing with extra B12, parents of autistic children note a marked decrease in their child’s autistic behaviors.
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 a complete reversal in chorea symptoms 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.
Read more about B12 deficiency and your nervous system:
If your body stores vitamin B12 in the liver for years, how does vitamin B12 deficiency happen? Even if you eat plenty of foods that supply vitamin B12 (cobalamin), such as meat and fish, you might still run the risk of developing severe vitamin B12 deficiency that can culminate in pernicious anemia or nerve damage. What conditions and lifestyle choices affect your B12 levels?
Vitamin B12 deficiency today
Vitamin B12 deficiency is the leading form of vitamin deficiency, affecting nearly 40% of people between the ages of 26 and 83, according to a Tufts University study on B12 deficiency. For elderly individuals, the risk of low B12 levels is 20%.
Vitamin B12 helps your body protect the nervous system’s myelin sheath; as a result, B12 deficiency symptoms may include painful tingling or numbness in the hands, feet, and tongue, muscular weakness, difficulty walking, frequent clumsiness, altered sense of taste, burning mouth syndrome, and eye twitching.
Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble nutrient that occurs exclusively in animal-based food items. The basic food sources of vitamin B12 are meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and milk. Contrary to popular opinion, brewer’s yeast does not contain vitamin B12, although it does supply other essential B vitamins. Purple and green seaweed are the only naturally rich vegan sources of B12. So, if you follow a vegan diet and do not eat generous portions of nori every day, then you are likely to develop B12 deficiency over the course of several years.
If you’re over 50, there’s a 30% chance that you suffer from atrophic gastritis, a general wearing down of your stomach lining. As a result, your body doesn’t produce enough stomach acids to fully absorb vitamin B12 and deliver it to the small intestines. Insufficient stomach acids may also lead to bacterial overgrowth, which also interferes with vitamin B12 absorption.
Other people at risk include individuals taking protein pump inhibitors (PPIs) for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), ulcers, Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, and long-term antibiotic use.
Another chemical the stomach produces for digesting vitamin B12 is intrinsic factor. Certain autoimmune disorders may inhibit your body’s ability to absorb vitamin B12 by attacking stomach cells before they have a chance to produce this necessary protein. Regardless of how many vitamin B12 supplements you swallow, the B12 never reaches the small intestines, so it never enters the bloodstream. Pernicious anemia, resulting in diminished red blood cell production, is a common occurrence when intrinsic factor is lacking.
The ileum of the small intestine is responsible for digesting vitamin B12. Located at the very bottom of the intestinal tract, the ileum grabs vitamin B12 and dispenses it to your blood supply. But if your ileum is not working properly, then you cannot derive the many benefits of vitamin B12.
Gastrointestinal factors that interfere with B12 absorption are:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s and colitis
It’s simple. If you are unable to get your vitamin B12 from dietary sources, then the only other option is to bypass the digestive system and redirect B12 directly to your bloodstream. Below are some popular methods of supplementing vitamin B12 without using the stomach.
Vitamin B12 shots: B12 require a prescription from a doctor. Because of the size of cobalamin molecules, B12 shots are usually painful, and must be inserted into thick muscular tissue, such as the thigh or buttock. Even if you have a high threshold to pain, the idea of having to take vitamin B12 injections for the rest of your life can be worrisome.
Sublingual B12 pills: The jury’s still out on the effectiveness of sublingual vitamin B12 tablets that dissolve under the tongue; whether they actually enter the bloodstream or just travel through the digestive system is under debate. Your physician might prescribe B12 pills to be taken three times per day.
Vitamin B12 sprays and creams: There is insufficient data to support the use of nasal sprays or lotions as a means of combatting vitamin B12 deficiency.
Vitamin B12 patch: The B12 patch is a popular “alternative” form of vitamin B12 supplementation, although it is quickly becoming accepted as mainstream. One vitamin B12 patch contains the same amount of cobalamin as a weekly B12 injection. For children and adults who must take regular B12 shots, this is good news. And unlike B12 pills, you need only remember to take a B12 patch once per week.
The latest scientific study pins memory loss from aging to the age of 45. Here are some ways to prevent early onset dementia like Alzheimer’s disease and reclaim your youth.
45- Is it the new 60?
According a recent study on cognitive decline, the first signs of aging, such as memory loss, begin at the age of 45. The UK study, which tracked 5,198 men and 2,192 women, suggests that people should become more proactive in preventing Alzheimer’s disease much earlier than earlier expected.
Participants between the ages of 45-70 submitted to various cognitive testing, including vocabulary, memory, reasoning, and auditory and visual learning abilities.
Examples of cognitive testing include identifying patterns, recalling short words, naming words from memory beginning with the letter “S,” or animal names.
Scientists met with study volunteers three times during a 10-year period.
Results: With the exception of vocabulary, cognitive scores in memory, reasoning, and learning abilities declined in all age groups, beginning at the ages of 45-49, for both men and women.
For men and women, dementia escalated by the age of 65-70.
Older males saw a 9.6% decline by age 70, while elderly females of the same age exhibited a 7.4% decline.
By making some simple changes in your life, you can avoid the symptoms of premature aging that include short-term memory loss, dementia, fatigue, and hair greying.
Here are some helpful tips:
Increase intake of vitamins and minerals, including healthy omega-3 oils, vitamin D, vitamin C, and B complex vitamins, particularly vitamin B12, which is proven to aid in cognitive functioning and prevent brain shrinkage associated with dementia.
Numerous studies prove that vitamin B12 is more than just the energy vitamin- it also is essential for brain health and anti-aging. Vitamin B12 protects your nervous system, aids in producing red blood cells, builds DNA, and boosts cognitive skills.
By controlling homocysteine levels, vitamin B12 helps prevent heart attack and stroke. Scientists have noticed a high correlation between elevated levels of homocysteine in the blood and increased risk for dying of heart failure or stroke.
Scientific research also indicates a direct relationship between low levels of vitamin B12, reduced brain volume, and decreased cognitive skills, such as loss of short-term memory
Besides memory loss, other age-related symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency include premature hair loss, hair greying, fatigue, difficulty walking, difficulty concentrating, and emotional problems like depression, anxiety, and paranoia.
According to a recent study, listening to music can ease pain- great news for fibromyalgia (chronic pain) patients. Many pain clinics already utilize the analgesic effects of music, finding that soothing melodies reduce anxiety and enhance pain relief treatments.
Music therapy for chronic pain?
It’s not the first time researchers have investigated the painkilling powers of music, but this recent study on music engagement confirms what many practitioners of chronic pain management already know- that listening to music puts you in a state of relaxation that enables you to cope with…and minimize pain symptoms. For sufferers of fibromyalgia, this could be a useful strategy for incorporating natural pain treatments with prescribed analgesic medications.
In this University of Utah study on pain management, 153 volunteers elected to receive painful electric shocks in varying levels of intensity while listening to background music.
In addition to listening to music, participants performed cognitive tasks that actively engaged them, such as following musical notes and focusing on the melody.
Scientists noted that volunteers who became engrossed with the music-listening tasks exhibited the fewest pain responses.
Researchers noted a correlation between personality and pain relief through music engagement. The most significant results occurred with people who experience anxiety. People who suffer panic, nervousness, or stress often find relief in occupying themselves with some sort of activity; in this case, music provided certain anxiety-prone individuals an opportunity to escape from pain symptoms.
On a much grander scale, fibromyalgia patients may implement these findings in their own lives; if listening to music helps relieve small shocks of pain, what strategies may be employed to relieve more severe pain symptoms, like aching joints, sore muscles, or gastrointestinal ailments?
Boost pain medicine! During fibromyalgia flare-ups, listening to music on your iPod may improve your mood and ease anxiety, increasing the effectiveness of your pain medicine.
Meditate! If you’re stuck in bed rest, or at the hospital, try turning off the television and turning on a radio. Close your eyes and picture the music in your mind (Think Fantasia). By actively engaging your brain with the music, you are also incrementally distracting yourself from the pain.
Sleep better! If pain symptoms keep you awake at night, listen to the sounds of relaxing mood music on your MP3 device. Many iTunes and Android apps provide the Relaxing Sounds of Nature, to help you go to Sleep!
Here are some more helpful tips to help you manage pain symptoms without the need for painkillers:
Take your B12!Vitamin B12 deficiency is linked with a host of severe pain symptoms, including painful tingling in your hands and feet, painful numbness, burning mouth or tongue, stomach pains, joint achiness, and sore muscles. Also, B12 deficiency increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, cancer, and severe nerve damage.
Incorporate exercise! Here’s a great tip- listen to music while doing some gentle exercise routines, like light yoga, Tai Chi, or low-impact aerobics.
Go under the needle! No, not B12 shots- acupuncture is proven effective at relieving numerous ailments, including fibromyalgia, chronic pain, anxiety, insomnia, gastrointestinal disorders, and chronic fatigue.
Learn more about fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency:
Recent study on brain health proves that people who eat a diet rich in B vitamins, including vitamin B12, have healthier brains, and are least likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. Here are the results of the study that focused on senior brain health in relation to diet and nutrition.
Eat this to avoid brain shrinkage…
According to a study published by Neurology, senior citizens in their 80’s who eat a combination of foods high in vitamins and nutrients have better cognitive skills and more brain volume than seniors who fail to meet the requirement. Blood tests indicated which senior citizens had the highest levels of vitamins like B12 and B6, and which elderly individuals had vitamin deficiency.
The study found that the following vitamins are conducive to good brain health:
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin)
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine)
Vitamin B9 (Folate, Folic acid)
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid)
Vitamin E
Vitamin D
Scientists also noted that foods rich in Omega-3 fatty acids are also beneficial for optimal brain health.
…and avoid eating this
Scientists also noted decreased cognitive functioning and less brain volume in senior citizens who ate foods high in trans fats, including fried foods, pizza, margarine, and high-fat packaged goods.
Which foods are highest in vitamin B12?
Here is a list of foods that contain brain-healthy vitamins such as B12, taken from Medline Plus:
Vitamin B1, Thiamine: yeast, cereal grains, beans, nuts, and meat
Vitamin B2, Riboflavin: milk, meat, eggs, nuts, enriched flour, and green vegetables
Vitamin B6, Pyridoxine: cereals, beans, vegetables, liver, meat, and eggs
Vitamin B9, Folate: leafy green vegetables, fruits, dried beans, peas and nuts
Vitamin B12, Cobalamin: meat, fish, and dairy products
Vitamin C, Ascorbic acid: fruits and vegetables, especially citrus, red and green peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and greens
Vitamin E: vegetable oils, margarine, nuts, seeds, and leafy greens
Vitamin D: egg yolks, saltwater fish, and liver
How do I know I’m getting enough vitamin B12?
Even if you eat plenty of foods high in B12- lean beef, chicken, seafood, eggs, and cheese-, you are not immune from vitamin B12 deficiency. People who lack intrinsic factor, a protein produced by the stomach to absorb B12 from food, cannot digest vitamin B12 and are at risk for developing pernicious anemia.
The following individuals must have their vitamin B12 levels checked regularly through blood testing:
Senior citizens
Patients of gastrointestinal disorders like Crohn’s disease or Celiac disease
Anybody who has had a gastric bypass, or any other surgery involving the removal of the ileum
Diabetics on metformin
Acid reflux sufferers taking medication for chronic heartburn
Keeping your heart healthy requires making many lifestyle changes; most people don’t realize that avoiding vitamin B12 deficiency is just as essential for your heart as eating heart-healthy foods, exercising, and reducing stress. Below are some pointers for preventing cardiovascular disease, including reasons why extra vitamin B12 supplements are beneficial for a healthy heart.
1- Monitor your vitamin B12 levels
Vitamin B12, or cobalamin, supports many necessary functions in your body. Vitamin B12 helps you produce plenty of red blood cells, helps maintain your nervous system, assists in building DNA, and generally improves metabolism, cognitive functioning, strength, and energy.
Vitamin B12 is also an essential nutrient in the prevention of heart disease and stroke. By lowering homocysteine levels, vitamin B12 also lowers your risk for coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease. The American Heart Associationurges people to eat a healthy diet that includes folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 for optimal heart health.
Goal:Get tested! Elderly individuals, people diagnosed with pernicious anemia, patients of gastrointestinal disorders, or anybody who has had gastrointestinal surgery involving the removal of the ileum (gastric bypass) cannot absorb vitamin B12 in the stomach, and must take B12 supplements in order to avoid suffering B12 deficiency. To find out if you are at risk, request a blood screening for vitamin B12 deficiency from your doctor.
All health experts agree that incorporating at least 30 minutes of exercise per day, at least 5 days per week, is the single most important lifestyle change you can make for your heart. Conversely, increasing evidence indicates that living a sedentary lifestyle- watching several hours of television each day, sitting at a desk for long periods without breaks, and shunning exercise- is one of the biggest contributing factors to heart disease.
Goal: Break it down! If you’re daunted by the idea of spending 30 minutes on a treadmill, plan three 10-minute breaks in the day for exercise, instead. Walk your dog or do a window-shopping run around the mall (without stopping!). If you work at a desk, set your timer to alert you to get up and stretch at regular intervals.
Prevent cardiovascular disease by following a low fat, low cholesterol diet. Avoid saturated trans-fats, and opt instead for small doses of healthy monounsaturated fats, like olive or canola oils. If you normally eat red meat, switch instead to lean poultry, which also contains plenty of vitamin B12. In addition to cutting down on fats, you should also eat more vitamin-enriched foods that are low in salt and refined carbohydrates.
Goal: Spice it up! Train your tongue to like nutritious, low-fat foods that have fewer “empty” calories. Go for high-fiber vegetables, grains, and legumes, lower-fat meats, cheeses, and spreads, and shake things up with dashes of cayenne pepper, ginger, cumin, paprika, turmeric, and granulated garlic. By focusing on the spices, you’ll feel more satisfied, and less likely to miss that fatty mouth-feel of fried foods.
Numerous studies conclude that obesity is one of the greatest health risks that affect people today. Being overweight overburdens your entire body, contributing to illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and other life threatening conditions.
Goal: Size it down! By cutting down the size of your plate, you alternatively cut down your dress size. Try using smaller plates, include veggies, omit surgery drinks, eat slower, and resist the urge to go for seconds.
If you think you might be suffering some of the symptoms of heart disease, such as breathlessness, heart palpitations, increased sweating, call your doctor right away. Ignoring even the smallest signs can be a matter of life or death.
Goal: See your doctor! Pay attention to bodily cues, and schedule a checkup, immediately.
6- Keep your emotions in check
Stress, anxiety, and depression are all taxing on your heart. Succumbing to anger increases your chances for heart attack, as well.
Goal: Talk it out! When you feel nervous, sad, or stressed, confide in a friend or close family member. If you’re uncomfortable asking others for help, schedule a meeting with a psychiatrist or social worker, instead.
At the very least, you should quit smoking in order to improve your heart health and your lungs. Smoking is linked with many kinds of cancer, asthma, and chronic bronchitis.
Goal: Don’t give up! If you’ve tried to quit smoking in the past, then try again. Research shows that the more times you attempt to quit smoking cigarette, the greater the chances of eventually reaching that smoke-free goal. Ask your healthcare provider about quit-smoking programs, or try using a patch.
If you drink more than two alcoholic beverages per day, then you need to cut it down. Research shows that drinking too much alcohol is dangerous for the heart, as well as the liver.
Goal: Seek help! If the notion of keeping your alcohol drinking down to one or two beers each day sounds overwhelming, then you might require extra assistance from Alcoholics Anonymous.
If you snore, then you might be a candidate for heart failure or stroke, according to latest research on the heavy risks of snoring. Obstructive sleep apnea is one of many factors that may lead to cardiovascular disease.
Goal: Wear your mask! So far, the best treatment for severe sleep apnea is wearing a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device (CPAP) while sleeping.
10- Take care of your choppers
Over time, your teeth develop a layer of plaque that contains bacteria. Unless you brush and floss regularly, you can get gum disease, causing bacteria to seep into your blood supply and contributing to heart disease.
Goal: Floss it! Floss and brush morning and evening, and floss after meals.
Don’t fall victim to the “all or nothing” attitude. You don’t have to become a health and fitness enthusiast, but nor should you throw up your hands in despair. Accept that with every one success come numerous setbacks, and that lifestyle changes happen slowly, over a period of weeks, months, or even years.
Goal: Take baby steps! All successful weight-loss and fitness experts encourage you to set small, reachable short-term goals, in addition to the long-term goal of better health. This allows you to feel a small measure of success, and gives you the motivation you need to stay on the wagon. Congratulate yourself for losing 10% of your weight, losing a dress size, or every time you make a healthy food choice.
12- Respect your medications
Don’t think that just because you feel better, that you can stop taking your blood pressure medications. Many heart patients make that common mistake. If you are unhappy with a side effect of certain medications, then ask your doctor for an alternative. Conversely, don’t rely on medications alone to keep you healthy. It is essential to follow a heart-healthy diet, in addition to exercising and reducing stress, for optimal cardiovascular health.
Goal: Get organized! Keep your meds somewhere where you won’t forget them. If necessary, store a batch of precut tablets in a pill keeper.
Osteoporosis
