Health Bite: Did you know that the risk of Vitamin B-12 deficiency increases as you age?

If you are taking an acid blocker, don't eat meat or dairy, or drink more than moderately, you run an even higher risk of being deficient in this very important vitamin whose official medical name is Cyanocobalamin.

If you are experiencing any of the vitamin b-12 deficiency symptoms covered in this health care article, check with your doctor about supplementation with Vitamin B-12.

Two food that are particularly high in this vitamin are clams and beef liver. Other good food sources of Vitamin B-12 include the yolk of eggs, milk, chicken, most meats and fish.

....Unexplained symptoms
of nerve damage in legs or feet

© 2006, Neva J Howell, All Rights Reserved, Updated, 2007
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Question on healing: I have been having a very bizarre symptom. My foot seems to pulse with some kind of electrical pulse. It feels almost as if I put my foot against something that was running, like a generator. Totally weird. What could be causing that?

Healing Facilitation Response: First of all, I must preface this answer with a disclaimer. Unexplained symptoms are best nailed down by a qualified professional. There can usually be more than one reason for any unexplained symptom so be sure to check with your doctor.

That having been said, any sort of tingling, numbness or the kind of electrical shock or electrical pulse feeling that some may experience in hands, feet, arms or legs, can be caused by nerve damage, or neuropathy. There can be more than one cause for neuropathy.

Questions to answer if you are experiencing this type of bizarre unexplained symptom:

1. Have you been diagnosed with diabetes? If so, you may be developing diabetic neuropathy, a common problem with diabetes. Nerve damage is generally considered to be non-reversible by the medical community though there are alternative medicine remedies that have been historically considered effective in some such cases. Check our diabetes section for more information

If you haven't been diagnosed with diabetes, it might still be a good idea to have that possibility ruled out, particularly if you are exhibiting other symptoms of diabetes which might include incessant thirst, copious urination, blurred vision and extreme, almost constant feeling of fatique.

2. Do you have a subluxation or pinched nerve? A chiropractor can determine whether or not unexplained symptoms of neuropathy is being caused by a pinched nerve or impinged nerve can be a factor in numbness, tingling or electrical sensations in the limbs.

3. Have you stopped eating meat within the past 5 years? This one may come as a suprise but vegans may become deficient in the vitamin B-12, which can lead to neuropathy. Vitamin B-12 deficiency is something every vegan should consider.

If you not eating two to three meals of foods that have been fortified with Vitamin B-12, and you are a vegan, you may be setting yourself up for Vitamin B-12 deficiency as well as the neuropathy such deficiency can cause.

The body, amazingly, may use stores of B-12 for up to 5 years but switching to a vegan diet may begin to exhaust stores within one year's time or less. Some can store Vitamin B-12 for 5 years before depleting (unlike the other B-vitamins which cannot be stored in excess).

4. Have you been drinking frequently for 1 to 5 years? Excessive alcohol use can seriously deplete Vitamin B-12 stores so if you are drinking more than normal for extended periods of time, you may become deficient sooner than the 3 to 5 year norm.

Vitamin B-12 deficiency has additionally been linked with cardiovascular disease, macrocytic anemia and pernicious anemia.

Age a definite factor in Vitamin B-12 deficiency - The older you are, the more likely you are to develop symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency. This is partially due to the prevalent use of acid-blocking supplements. So....the older you are, the more important it becomes to make sure you are getting enough of this vital vitamin in your diet or by supplementation.

In addition to just simply not getting sufficient Vitamin B-12 in your diet, there are several other factors that can decrease the amount of this vitamin available to your system including excess alcohol consumption, tapeworms, abnormal antibodies (sign of an over-active immune system), malabsorption, low stomach acid levels, and liver disorders.

Nerve damage not limited to arms and legs: Nerve damage can occur in the digestive organs, the heart and anywhere else there are nerves. If you have diabetes, you must be even more vigilant about immediately reporting any symptoms of neuropathy to your doctor, no matter how subtle those symptoms may be because early detection and treatment can make a huge difference to your future health and vitality.

Correcting Vitamin B-12 deficiency: For many, simply adding a B-12 vitamin supplement daily can quickly help replace B-12 stores but for many others, just taking it will not be enough because their body may not have the ability to absorb it.

There is something called intrinsic factor that much be present in the system for the proper utilization of this important vitamin and if one has pernicious anemia, instrinsic factor is missing. There are other reasons it may also be missing so it is important to see your doctor and determine how to best deal with this particular vitamin deficiency. If you are able to absorb the B-12, it may be noticable very quickly.

Other causes of neuropathy: HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy, drug side effects, recreational drug abuse, stress, eating processed, refined foods and the absense of raw, enzyme-rich foods in the diet.

Can nerve damage be reversed?

The medical community says no, or at least the majority of it. There are rebels (thank God for them) who insist on finding a way, instead of accepting that there is not a way.

One such doctor has discovered a compound which he believes will slow the damage of diabetic neuropathy and even reverse it.

His name is Doctor Aaron Vinik, an endocrinologist from Virginia, and you can read more about his breakthrough work on diabetic neuropathy and nerve damage here.

The function of this compound is to improve blood supply. There are also natural substances which can improve blood supply.

If you wish to explore holistic health care options for helping the body address this type of situation, you may also want to read about Acetyl-l-carnitine, Gamma linolenic acid, biotin, inositol, choline, alpha-lipoic acid and other helpful ingredients.

I fully respect those who choose natural health care. In fact, it is how I live my life. However, if you are under the care of a doctor for diabetes, AIDS, cancer, or heart disease, please check with your doctor before adding anything new, even a vitamin, to your regimen.

Learn more about vitamin deficiency:

You can learn more about the side effects of vitamin B-12 deficiency, neuropathy caused by deficiency, additional symptoms of b-12 deficiency and other conditions that may be exacerbated by not getting enough of this important nutrient at Merck.com

Health Care Disclaimer: As mentioned elsewhere in this article, there can be more serious reasons for nerve pain, tingling, numbness and restless leg symptoms. Be sure to check with your doctor, particularly if you have ever been diagnosed with subluxation of the spine or if you are diabetic. The information contained in this alternative article on symptoms of b-12 deficiency does not replace medical attention for medical conditions such as diabetes, chemo-related nerve damage or other sources of neuropathy. If you decide to try Vitamin B-12 supplementation, also get medical diagnosis to rule out other, underlying conditions.