What does Vitamin B-12 Deficiency Look Like?

On Dr. Joseph Mercola's site today, he discussed B-12 Deficiency. You can go to the address below for the whole article. I pasted an excerpt below, also, and will comment on H Pylori, which by the time a person is 80, 40% are infected by this parasitic bacterium we contract mainly from cats, but also from dogs. H Pylori is only one of the reasons people become Vitamin B-12 deficient.

I promote a balanced approach to B vitamins, and using a natural complex vs. high doses of B's that can imbalance the rest. The H Pylori lives in the esophagus and stomach, and can be tested for with swallowing a held string, and culturing it. Medical docs usually give a couple of antibiotics for H-Pylori. Some are resistent to them. There is an acid in olive oil that can help to kill or decrease their numbers, so use liberally in salads and cooking, but I would turn to MMS which creates no resistance, and goes after blood-borne pathogens. (I will add a link later).

I like Shaklee's B Complex, which is made from a plant source, not animal, and is balanced, natural, and tested for contaminants. Their Vita Lea is my choice also of a multivitamin, and is coated in folic acid, so it unravels in the stomach where it's needed for absorption, not bound up in some synthetic bedpan bullet. It also has biotin in it which keeps Candida from growing to the fungal form. Candida is a normal resident in our intestines, but if it becomes imbalanced by antibiotics, birth control pills, hormones, medications, and an acidic environment, it can become a health hazard leading to urinary tract infections, yeast infections, prostate problems, allergies and cancer.

After treating H Pylori, I would recommend the following protocol:
Any antibiotic means killing good bacteria. To repopulate the 'gut' with bididus, lactobacillus, etc., use a good probiotic. I recommend Optiflora, a triple encased 'pearl' that actually gets past the hydrochloric acid of the stomach, to repopulate the colon with good bacteria.

If you don't go the medical route with antibiotics, in my researched opinion, I would do the 18 day Hulda Clark parasite cleanse, then MMS, then the gentle Colon Cleanse (request by email: pamcohenmsw@gmail.com), and then make sure you are on your own health program: good diet, exercise with 20-30 min. of sun, and natural food supplements. There are good, better and best in this department, dependent on your budget. We do not get all the nutrients we need from our diets, and when we are deficient, our bodies need more to catch up.
A Wellness Survey is sent by request, to show deficiencies in nutrients by symptomology. (pamcohenmsw@gmail.com)

Here's the address for Mercola's B-12 article:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/15/Common-Hidden-Cause-of-Low-Energy-Brain-Fog-and-Blindness.aspx

Excerpt:
“Vitamin B12 fuels many of your body’s most important functions, literally from your head to your feet. Among them:
proper food digestion and absorption
healthy nervous system function
formation of red blood cells
proper circulation
healthy immune system function
mood regulation
mental clarity, concentration, memory function
Your body was simply not built to function without a sufficient supply of vitamin B12 throughout its lifetime. I can’t overemphasize the importance of insuring you are getting adequate B12.
What are the Odds YOU are B12 Deficient?
The above article primarily addresses B12 deficiency in the elderly, but you shouldn’t assume you are not at risk just because you’re under a certain age or eat foods containing vitamin B12.
It’s true if you’re over 50 or a vegan/vegetarian, your chances of being vitamin B12 deficient are higher than average. But no matter your age or diet, if your body isn’t absorbing the B12 you’re giving it, you, too, could be lacking in this vitally important nutrient.
Surprising Causes of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
Since vitamin B12 is present in natural form only in animal sources of food, strict vegetarians and vegans are very high on the list of those who can expect to be B12 deficient.
Other sources of vitamin B12 deficiency include:
Inadequate production of stomach acid -- The older you are, the less able your stomach is to produce the hydrochloric acid necessary to release B12 from the food you eat.
Long-term use of antacid/antiulcer drugs -- Since hydrochloric acid is a requirement for the absorption of vitamin B12, it follows that if you’re taking an antacid, your stomach won’t be able to digest B12 out of your food. This class of drugs includes H2-receptor antagonists like Zantac and Tagamet, and proton pump inhibitors like Nexium and Prilosec.
Use of the drug metformin for Type 2 diabetes -- Use of metformin (brand names include Glucophage, Glucophage XR, Fortamet, Riomet, and Glumetza) may inhibit your B12 absorption, especially at higher doses.
Infection with H. pylori bacteria -- If you suffer from a chronic Helicobacter pylori infection, you might be B12 deficient.
Coffee consumption -- Four or more cups of coffee a day can reduce your B vitamin stores by as much as 15 percent.
Gastric bypass surgery
Exposure to nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
And the LEADING cause of vitamin B12 deficiency: food-cobalamin malabsorption syndrome -- This condition results when your stomach lining loses its ability to produce intrinsic factor, a protein that binds to vitamin B12 and allows your body to absorb it into your bloodstream at the end of your small intestine.”