Friday 6 April 2012

B Vitamins

B vitamins are, for many, the biggest favour a person can do for their body. Ten years ago, I couldn't believe the difference they made in my life.  That said, there are caveats at the beginning.  And many people worry about becoming 'addicted' to vitamins.

First of all, I believe it's always wise to be worried about becoming addicted to anything.  It makes a person careful, watchful and aware of themselves.  In my view, this is always a good thing.  That said, I have taken very high levels of vitamins (therapeutic doses) and now require them very seldom.

So here are some things I learned while researching to figure out what vitamins I wanted.

First of all, multivitamins are practically useless.  Putting the same stuff in your body day after day means that your body eventually doesn't even recognize it.  This is the addiction issue.  Also, most people resorting to 'suddenly' taking them, are people with health issues that include fairly severe vitamin deficiencies.  So giving a severely B deficient person a multi with only 10 mg of Bs, is kind of like giving someone dying of thirst one drop of water.  Think it'll save them?  Doubtful.

Should you get your doctor's advice before setting up an intensive protocol for yourself?  Of course.  At the time I did this though, I did not have a doctor to consult with, so I did a LOAD of research beforehand.  Now, I know more than the last doctor I spoke to could tell me and I'm happy to have this knowledge... but self-experimentation has risks and people should be very clear about that.

Case in point, don't take niacin at 100mg if you're not used to it. You'll get a niacin flush. It feels like you are internally combusting. I know, I've done it... a couple of times. The first time was on purpose to see if it would happen to me. (I don't trust a lot of literature and tend to 'test things out') lol The second time, I ate a piece of chicken at the same time. Good lesson though.

That said, I went back and cut those B100s in half and worked my way to a full B100 when I first 'cleaned up' my life.  I continued to take this level for years, slowly weaning myself off. The last few years, I only need a B50 occasionally.

It's worth taking a B50 for a while, to avoid 'flushing' then one and a half of those for a while, and then trying a B100 WITHOUT eating meat right before or right after. Take 2-3 weeks to work that in, then you're gold and should be fine with a B100.  To get 100mg of Bs from a multi, in some cases, you would have to take ten pills... which might put you over the top with some of the metals in the multis.  If you feel you must take a multi, which I have at times just supplemented my Bs on top of it.  So 10mg of Bs in the multi, I cut off a bit from a B100, ground up the rest and put it in the garden.  That way I felt it wasn't being wasted.


Also, never get timed release Bs. You can damage your liver over the long term. Those are really only for special scenarios that should be overseen by a doctor. You know I don't say that very often, so please, see a doctor before doing timed released Bs as they will need to evaluate you liver from time to time in such a case.

Most people who are short on Bs, are short on (everything of course) zinc. So I did 25mg every other day for two weeks, then took two weeks off. Now of course, I only take them for an occasional boost.

B12 must be taken with folic acid as too much of one will unbalance the other. This is especially important for women wanting to have more babies (spina bifida).

B12, methyl form, is immediately useful to the body. It is a sublingual and is absorbed by the tissue under the tongue. B12, cyano form, needs to be converted by the body before it is able to be used. If you lack the conversion enzyme, your body can't use it. That said, any people have had great success with both forms. Both B12 and folic acid are very helpful and important. I will repeat, even more important for women of child bearing years, to aid in the prevention of spina bifida.  Please supplement these BEFORE you even realize you want to have a baby, so that when you're ready, you're covered.


There's more to know about B vitamins and getting them naturally from your food. You can read about fermentation (LABs - Lactic Acid Bacteria) and sources of meat high in Bs. Not only is fermenting foods fast and easy, it makes for easy side dishes and snacks, provides healthy food instead of junk food. AND they can provide you with extra Bs you weren't getting, but maybe needed. LABs do not need be acquired via a dairy source.

hth K:)


References:
http://www.orthomolecularvitamincentre.com/niacinflush.php

http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/site/c.liKWL7PLLrF/b.2700275/k.5F64/Spina_Bifida_Occulta.htm

https://www.google.ca/webhp?rlz=1C1_____enCA460CA460&sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&sugexp=frgbld&gs_nf=1&cp=28&gs_id=u&xhr=t&q=timed+release+B+liver+damage&pf=p&rlz=1C1_____enCA460CA460&sclient=psy-ab&oq=timed+release+B+liver+damage&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=db75979cae857fbe&ion=1&biw=925&bih=455

https://www.google.ca/webhp?rlz=1C1_____enCA460CA460&sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&sugexp=frgbld&gs_nf=1&cp=21&gs_id=3f&xhr=t&q=b12+methylcobalamin+vs+cyanocobalamin&pf=p&rlz=1C1_____enCA460CA460&sclient=psy-ab&oq=B12+methylcobalamin+v&aq=0&aqi=g2g-v2&aql=&gs_l=&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=db75979cae857fbe&ion=1&biw=925&bih=455

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