Health knowledge made personal
Join this community!
› Share page:
Search posts:

Vitamin B12 Deficiency left undiagnosed

Posted Jul 20 2013 6:29am

Pyschotherapists warns that despair, depressionFeelings of sadness, hopelessness and a loss of interest in life, combined with a sense of reduced emotional well-being and lethargy could be due to Vitamin B12 deficiency


Psychotherapist Terence Watts is campaigning to raise awareness of the importance of B12 checks for the over 60’s having suffered a terrifying illness himself. He is particularly waring of the need for senior citizens to have bloodA fluid that transports oxygen and other substances through the body, made up of blood cells suspended in a liquid. tests to check their B12 levels.

Following a frightening period of serious ill-health Terence was left convinced that he was dying and subsequent research into the importance of B12 to life has prompted him to share his story: “Three years ago I started suffering from mild anxiety and sleeping problems which I blamed on work-related stressRelating to injury or concern.. Then in April this year I suffered the most severe fluA viral infection affecting the respiratory system.-like infectionInvasion by organisms that may be harmful, for example bacteria or parasites. that led to weight loss, extreme lethargy, depression and acuteHas a sudden onset. despair.  I was certain that I was seriously ill and not long for this world"..

He goes on to say, “I had a health check which included a specialised blood test for seniors which showed that my B12 levels were low.  My doctor prescribed B12 injections and I started on a mega dose supplement. The change was nothing short of astounding. Within a few days I felt better than I had in years.”

When Terence researched the subject he was horrified to discover that most people know nothing of the ravages to general health that a lack of B12 can cause.  Since it is not the first thing that a doctor considers the symptoms often get misdiagnosed...sometimes as serious conditions like dementiaDecline in mental capacity, brain functioning and memory that affects day-to-day living., Alzheimer’s and even Multiple Sclerosis.

B12 is derived from meat, fish and dairy products but as we get older some of us are unable to absorb the amount we need for good health.  And taking a B12 complex won’t stave it off either because if you have absorption problems you need either injections or ‘mega dose’ pills.

Terence continues, “B12 deficiency creeps up on us insidiously over a period of months, sometimes years, so you don’t really notice it until the store runs dry and that is when you start to feel ill.  Left untreated it can lead to pernicious anaemiaA reduced level of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood. Anaemia causes tiredness, breathlessness and abnormally pale skin., even paralysis and irreversible brain damage.”

The symptoms of deficiency are many and varied and include lethargy, depression, anxiety, insomnia, sore tongue and month, cracked and dry lips, nausea, tingling in the hands and feet, light-headedness and balance problems, mental confusion and memory problems, weight loss, diarrhoeaWhen bowel evacuation happens more often than usual, or where the faeces are abnormally liquid. and constipationa common condition where stools are not passed as frequently as normal.

Terence, who is now on a personal crusade advises, “If you have been feeling out of sorts and you are over 60 (although a B12 deficiency can affect young people too), a visit to the doctor with a request to have a specific blood test (it doesn’t show up on a standard blood screeningA way to identify people who may have a certain condition, among a group of people who may or may not seem to) to check your B12 levels is absolutely imperative in your senior years.”

Post a comment
Write a comment: