For some, brain fog is what happens when you drink too much cough medicine or stay up late at night.  For others, people with vitamin B12 deficiency, pernicious anemia, or fibromyalgia, brain fog is part of everyday life.  In fact, many people who experience brain fog have had it all their lives, and don’t remember a time when they didn’t have trouble remembering numbers, responding with clever banter, or finding their way out of a parking lot…

This is Part I of Brain Fog, which focuses on causes and symptoms.  Part II is Brain Fog: 20 ways to deal

What is brain fog?

Brain fog is a lot easier to describe than it is to define, since scientists are not sure exactly what causes it, and most doctors don’t recognize it as a medical condition, but rather a symptom of other illnesses.

Here are some terms people use to describe their brain fog:

• Mental fuzziness or confusion that is caused by a primary illness, condition, or other stimuli like food, drugs, or lifestyle habit
• Cognitive dysfunction
• Fibro haze
• Brain drain
• Brain farts
• Space case
• Stupid- This is wrong! Having brain fog does not mean that you are less intelligent than others are.  It only means that you have a real disorder with real symptoms, and brain fog is one of them.

What are the symptoms of brain fog?

Most people who suffer brain fog say that they feel tired all the time, even after getting a good night’s rest. But there are lots of other seemingly unrelated symptoms that indicate brain fog besides feeling like you always have a dark cloud over your head.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of brain fog:

1. Fatigue
2. Short-term memory loss- forgetting recent reminders, shopping lists, things you talked about a few days ago
3. Difficulty with math- adding in your head, sequencing, remembering numbers
4. Forgetting what you were going to say in conversation
5. Difficulty concentrating or focusing while reading
6. Difficulty recalling words that should be on the tip of your tongue
7. Low attention span
8. Easily confused
9. Getting lost easily, even in familiar places
10. Difficulty thinking clearly
11. Difficulty with multitasking
12. Difficulty solving problems
13. Depression
14. Anxiety
15. Low spatial awareness- stepping on others’ feet, for example
16. Absentmindedness
17. Low learning curve
18. Difficulty learning new skills
19. Low energy
20. Loss of creativity

What causes brain fog?

Since brain fog is not really a medical or psychiatric term, we likewise don’t have a specific answer as to what causes it.  Brain fog is linked with lack of sleep, dementia, chronic pain, brain disorders, vitamin deficiencies, and unusual blood flow to the brain.

Here are 20 conditions and illness known to cause brain fog:

1. Fibromyalgia (FMS)
2. Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
3. Vitamin B12 deficiency
4. Pernicious anemia
5. Lupus
6. Migraines
7. Meniere’s disease
8. Menopause
9. Anxiety
10. Depression
11. Diabetes
12. Multiple sclerosis
13. Graves’ disease-hyperthyroidism
14. Chronic thyroiditis (Hashimoto’s disease)- hypothyroidism
15. Adrenal fatigue
16. Sjogren’s Syndrome
17. Insomnia
18. Medical reaction
19. Allergy
20. Lyme disease

Please tell us…

Do you have anything to add to this article?  We would love to know!

Read more about vitamin B12 and your brain:

Brain Fog: 20 ways to deal

Here’s Your Brain on B12 Deficiency- Memory Loss and Aging

How to keep Vitamin B12 Deficiency from Shrinking your Brain

Tired of being Tired all the Time…It’s Tiring!

7 Reasons You Have Brain Fog…And What to do About It

Sources:

Brain Fog/Fibro Fog in Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Migraine and Brain Fog Tips and Tricks

What is Brain Fog?

Chronic fatigue syndrome is more than just simple exhaustion- it makes you feel sluggish, cranky, and confused, even if you’ve had plenty of sleep and have no reason to feel so tired.  Chronic fatigue occurs with illnesses like vitamin B12 deficiency, fibromyalgia, and celiac disease.  So, is chronic fatigue syndrome just a symptom telling you that something’s not right, or is it a separate disease of its own?

What is chronic fatigue syndrome?

To quote the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is “a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that may be worsened by physical or mental activity.”

People with CFS wake up feeling tired, wiped out, as if they have just finished running in a marathon, even though they have not even gotten up from bed.  Because CFS sometimes includes pain symptoms, people think it is similar to fibromyalgia.  It’s not- Almost all people with fibromyalgia suffer from fatigue, but not all CFS sufferers experience chronic pain. (Read more about fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia- Is there a Difference?)

How is chronic fatigue syndrome diagnosed?

Determining CFS can be complicated, as there are currently no diagnostic tests available.  Before a doctor can diagnose CFS, he has to use the process of elimination to exclude all other possible illnesses.

• The patient must have been suffering from chronic fatigue for longer than six months, despite having normal sleeping habits.
• The patient must not be suffering with any mental illness that has fatigue as a main symptom.
• The patient must have at least four of the qualifying symptoms for chronic fatigue syndrome.

What are the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome?

People with chronic fatigue syndrome suffer from mental and physical pain that interfere with daily life.  For some, CFS means losing the ability to care for oneself or dependents, not having the energy to do simple tasks, and facing skepticism from friends, family, and other acquaintances who think it’s all “in your head.”

The following symptoms enable a physician to give a proper diagnosis of CFS:

• Short-term memory loss
• Frequent sore throat
• Muscular pain
• Unusual headaches
• Sore lymph nodes
• Joint pain where no inflammation is evident
• Fatigue that is not relieved by sleep
• Severe exhaustion following even minimal physical activity, requiring a full day’s recuperation
• Severe mental exhaustion following exams, or other mental exercises

Other symptoms that may occur with CFS but do not influence diagnoses include:

• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Brain fog (confusion)
• Chills
• Depression and anxiety
• Visual impairments
• Hypersensitivity to foods, scents, sounds, or light
• Fainting
• Difficulty maintaining balance

What causes chronic fatigue syndrome?

The exact cause of CFS is unknown, but scientists theorize the following possibilities:

• Virus infection
• Vitamin deficiency (such as vitamin B12 deficiency)
• Autoimmune disorder
• Hormonal imbalance
• Hypotension (low blood pressure)

What are the best treatments for chronic fatigue?

The primary goal in treating patients with CFS is to provide relief from the debilitating symptoms, since there is no cure for the actual disease itself.  Unfortunately, finding the right treatment is just as complicated as diagnosing it- it’s a long process that requires time, patience, and a willingness to try new strategies.

Here are some popular options for treating chronic fatigue syndrome:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)- psychotherapeutic counseling
• Graded Exercise Therapy (GET)- gradual physical exercise
• Alternative medicine- acupuncture, vitamin B12 supplements, progressive relaxation, yoga, massage, and aquatic therapy
• Visiting a support group for CFS
• Antidepressants
• Treatments for orthostatic instability, the inability to remain in an upright position

Please tell us…

If you have chronic fatigue syndrome, do you also suffer from fibromyalgia?  Have you had your vitamin B12 levels tested?  Please feel free to share your opinions on this article.

Share the love!

Do you know anybody who might benefit from knowing more about CFS?  Please pass this article on by sharing it on Facebook or emailing a link to our site.

Thank you!

Read more about chronic fatigue:

9 Conditions that Mimic Fibromyalgia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Tired of being Tired all the Time…It’s Tiring!

Sources:

CDC – Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

Images, from top:

TRFPhotograph, rubber bullets, Shiny Things, dan taylor, donjd2

Rickets and scurvy aren’t the only types of vitamin deficiencies; many vitamin deficiencies such as vitamin B12 deficiency (eg: pernicious anemia) and vitamin D deficiency cause debilitating symptoms like nerve damage, depression, heart disease, and memory loss.  In some cases, you can develop a vitamin deficiency even while eating a healthy diet of lean meats, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods.

Vitamin A (Retinol) deficiency

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble nutrient that can be found in animal-based products and plant-based foods like Romaine lettuce, carrots, yams, cantaloupe, and peaches.  Vitamin A is crucial for good vision, cell production, and healthy development in the womb.  In today’s age, vitamin A deficiency is rare.  Unless you specifically avoid eating foods that contain vitamin A and beta-carotene, you will probably not get this vitamin deficiency.

Symptoms of vitamin A deficiency are:

• Dry eyes
• Skin rashes
• Night blindness
• Diarrhea

People at risk for vitamin A deficiency are:

• Alcoholics
• People who are not able to digest fat due to an illness; individuals with celiac disease, cystic fibrosis, or cholestasis should have their vitamin A levels checked routinely.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) deficiency

Thiamine is a B vitamin that is essential for boosting energy, building muscle, and sustaining a healthy nervous system.  Thiamine deficiency causes Beriberi disease, an illness that causes gastrointestinal disorders, peripheral neuropathy, heart disease, and muscular pain.

Symptoms of vitamin B1 deficiency are:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• Stomach cramps
• Difficulty digesting carbohydrates

People at risk for vitamin B1 deficiency are:

• People from countries who eat polished white rice that has been stripped of nutritious rice bran as a staple food item
• Pregnant or lactating mothers
• People with chronic diarrhea
• People with liver disease
• Alcoholics

9 Conditions that Mimic Fibromyalgia and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) deficiency

Vitamin B2 deficiency is almost unheard of in of itself.  Usually, is somebody has vitamin B1 deficiency, they are also suffering from various other nutritional deficiencies at the same time, such as vitamin D deficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency.

Symptoms of vitamin B2 deficiency are:

• Fatigue
• Stomach problems
• Painful cracks and sores at the corners of your mouth
• Tired eyes
• Swollen tongue
• Sore throat
• Hypersensitivity to light

People at risk for vitamin B2 deficiency are:

• People from poorer populations or underdeveloped countries who do not have access to nutritionally dense foods
• Alcoholics
• People with chronic diarrhea, such as Crohn’s disease

Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) deficiency

Vitamin B6 is one of many essential B vitamins; vitamin B6 aids in cognitive development and maintaining the nervous system. Vitamins B6, B12, and B9 work together to lower homocysteine levels, a hormone that increases your risk for heart disease.

Symptoms of vitamin B6 deficiency are

• Muscular feebleness
• Short-term memory loss
• Depression
• Difficulty concentrating

Vitamin B6 is rare, but the following individuals are sometimes at risk:

• The elderly
• Pregnant women
• Women taking oral birth control

Vitamin B9 (Folic acid) deficiency

Folic acid, or folate, is a B vitamin that is crucial for production of DNA and RNA during fetal development, infancy, and adolescence.  Folic acid also works together with vitamin B12 to produce red blood cells and assist in iron absorption.

Symptoms of vitamin B9 deficiency are:

• Fatigue
• Sore tongue
• Gum disease
• Shortness of breath
• Diarrhea
• Short-term memory loss
• Reduced appetite

People at risk for vitamin B9 deficiency are:

• Alcoholics
• Pregnant women
• People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• People with celiac disease

Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) deficiency

Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs in animal-based foods like beef, chicken, fish, shellfish, eggs, cheese, and milk.  Vitamin B12 is essential for energy, healthy DNA, red blood cell production, cognitive functioning, and a health nervous system.  Vitamin B12 deficiency differs from other kinds of malnourishment in that it can occur even when nutritional guidelines for vitamin B12 consumption are being met.

Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are:

• Fatigue
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Short-term memory loss
• Difficulty concentrating
• Painful tingling in the hands and feet
• Sore, red tongue
• Frequent clumsiness and stumbling

People at risk for vitamin B12 deficiency are:

• Individuals who eat a vegan diet
• Diabetics taking metformin
• GERD sufferers or pregnant women taking protein pump inhibitors (PPIs)
• People with pernicious anemia who lack intrinsic factor
• People who suffer from gastrointestinal symptoms, such as Crohn’s disease, colitis, migraines, fibromyalgia, gluten intolerance, or celiac disease
• People who have had gastric bypass surgery
• Any individuals who have had surgery involving the removal of the ileum
• The elderly
• Alcoholics

Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) deficiency

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin found in tomatoes, citrus fruits, broccoli, and potatoes. Vitamin C is crucial for healing wounds, growing cell tissue, protecting your body from free radicals, and for maintaining healthy bones and teeth.  Long ago, vitamin C deficiency caused scurvy, which caused swollen bleeding gums, fatigue, and lowered immune system.

Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency are:

• Dry hair
• Gingivitis
• Dry, flaking skin
• Slow healing from wounds and bruises
• Nosebleeds
• Proneness to infections

People who are at risk for vitamin C deficiency are:

• Cigarette smokers

Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient that is stored in your body and produced with exposure to sunlight.  Vitamin D is essential for aiding calcium in bone production, preventing cancer, and protecting your immune system.  Rickets is caused by vitamin D deficiency in children.  Other illnesses linked with vitamin D deficiency are osteoporosis, breast, colon, and skin cancer, obesity, hypertension, seasonal affective disorder (SAD), diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease.

Symptoms of long-term vitamin D deficiency are:

• Depression
• Weak bones
• Frequent stumbling
• High blood pressure

People at risk for vitamin D deficiency are:

• People who live in cold, rainy northern countries with little exposure to sunlight
• People of dark skin color
• Infants
• People who cover their bodies completely with dark garments, even while outdoors
• The elderly

Vitamin E deficiency

Vitamin E is a fatty antioxidant that occurs in many foods and oils. Vitamin E is essential for protecting your body from illnesses like cancer and heart disease, while also promoting healthy aging and red blood cell production.

Symptoms of vitamin E deficiency are:

• Muscular feebleness
• Irregular eye movements
• Visual impairment
• Frequent stumbling

People at risk for vitamin E deficiency are:

• Individuals with cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis, and cholestasis who cannot digest fat molecules

Please tell us…

Have you been suffering from severe fatigue, memory loss, and general loss of energy? Has this been building up for months, or years? If so, you might have vitamin B12 deficiency.  One simple blood test can help your doctor diagnose if your B12 levels are low, and then you will be one step closer to feeling like the real you!

Please share this article with your friends- spread the love!

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency:

Balance your B12, Balance your Nerves

Vitamin B12 Deficiency and Movement Disorders- How They Relate

Lupus and Vitamin B12 Deficiency- What’s the Connection?

Sources:

Complementary and Alternative Medicine Index (CAM)

Images, from top:

gamene, LifeSupercharger, sushi♥ina, andi.vs.zf, Pink Sherbet Photography

You might be surprised to know that vitamin B12 deficiency can cause symptoms like depression, fatigue, and anxiety. Vitamin B12 benefits your body in many ways, and when you don’t get enough, you can start to feel sluggish, nervous, and depressed, in addition to suffering many neurological disorders.  Sometimes, depression from B12 deficiency mimics clinical depression, interfering with a proper diagnosis.

Do you have vitamin B12 deficiency?

The only way to be certain if your B12 levels are low is by getting a blood test.  This will indicate if you need more vitamin B12, even if it doesn’t necessarily explain why your B12 levels are lower than normal.

Here are some typical signs of vitamin B12 deficiency that “masquerade” as mental illness:

• Chronic fatigue
• Anxiety
• Depression that lingers
• Sleep difficulties
• Paranoia
• Aggressiveness
• Hallucinations

Neurological symptoms of B12 deficiency include:

• Painful tingling in your legs, hands, and feet
• Frequent clumsiness and tripping
• Altered sense of taste
• Sore tongue
• Vision problems

How many types of depression are there?

Here are some of the most common types of depression:

Major depressive disorder: The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) characterizes major depression as a “combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once-pleasurable activities.” Most people who suffer from major depression will experience several episodes of depression in their lives, but it is possible to experience it only once.  With major depressive disorder, medication is required for treatment of symptoms.

Dysthymic disorder: Dysthymia is depression that lingers over several years.  With dysthymia, depression is less severe than major depression, and not as likely to interfere in one’s ability to work or study.  Still, dysthymic disorder causes feelings of sadness and disquiet.  People with dysthymia may suffer from episodes of major depression, as well.

Minor depression: Minor depression is diagnosed when one has a short interval of depression over a few weeks.  Minor depression itself is not debilitating, but untreated may escalate into major depression.

Bipolar disorder: Manic-depressive illness is less common than major depression, and involves swift mood changes that alternate from exhilarating highs to deep depression.

Psychotic depression: Depression that accompanies other forms of severe mental illness, such as hallucinations or delusions, is called psychotic depression.

Postpartum depression: About 10%-15% of women suffer from postpartum depression after giving birth, which is caused by shifting hormones and overwhelming lifestyle changes.

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): During the winter months, it is common for some people to suffer from seasonal affective disorder because of decreased exposure to sunlight.  Still, antidepressants and psychotherapy are more effective at treating SAD than light therapy.

Depression from vitamin deficiency: Vitamin B12 deficiency and folate deficiency are directly linked to some incidences of depression.  According to NIMH, “depression and poor response to antidepressant medication have been linked to deficiency in the vitamins folate and B12.”

In other studies, elevated homocysteine levels were associated with increased risk for depression.  Vitamin B12 and folate supplementation, which decrease homocysteine levels in the blood, were instrumental in treating depression.

Can Elevated Homocysteine (Low B12) cause Mental Illness?

What’s the connection between vitamin B12 and depression?

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is necessary for various biological functions, such as DNA synthesis, red blood cell distribution, protection of the nervous system, and lowering of homocysteine levels.  In addition, vitamin B12 also helps your brain maintain healthy cognitive functioning. When vitamin B12 levels are low, your brain suffers.  You begin to experience severe short-term memory loss, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and mental illness symptoms like depression, anxiety, paranoia, feelings of hostility, and moodiness.

What is vitamin B12, and why is it so important?

Where can I get more vitamin B12?

Vitamin B12 food sources include meat, fish, milk, and egg products. However, if you suffer from pernicious anemia or other autoimmune disorders, you probably cannot digest vitamin B12 from foods, and must supplement with sublingual vitamin B12 or vitamin B12 shots.  An alternative method of taking vitamin B12 is the vitamin B12 patch, which does not require a prescription, and carries the same amount of vitamin B12 as a weekly B12 shot.

Please tell us…

If you suffer from depression, have you had your B12 levels checked, as well? If you currently take vitamin B12 supplements, do you take them orally, through B12 injections, or by using the vitamin B12 patch?

Let us know how we’re doing…

Please comment below, and share our page with your friends!

Read more about vitamin B12 deficiency and depression:

Eating Your Way Out of Depression with B-12

Tired of being Tired all the Time…It’s Tiring!

Vitamin Deficiencies can drive you Crazy- Seriously! Part 1

Sources:

Effectiveness of Vitamin Supplementation in Treating People With Residual Symptoms of Schizophrenia

NIMH- Depression

Treatment of depression: time to consider folic acid and vitamin B12- PubMed, NCBI

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:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Barrett’s esophagus
• Dyspepsia
• Gastrinomas
• Zollinger-Ellison syndrome
• Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)
• Peptic ulcer disease (PUD)
• Stress gastritis prevention.

The 20 Do’s and Don’ts of the GERD Diet

What are possible adverse effects of PPIs?

Severe vitamin B12 deficiency

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 gastrointestinal disorders and anybody who has had gastric bypass or other gastrointestinal surgery.

Gastrointestinal Surgery for Crohn’s (IBD) and B12 Warnings

Osteoporosis

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.

Gut Bugs:Winning the Bacteria Battle

Community-acquired pneumonia

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.

12 Healthy Heart Habits, Including Vitamin B12 Supplements

Please tell us…

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:

Leaky Gut Syndrome Symptoms and Causes

Absorbing Vitamin B12, a Metabolic Gastrointestinal Journey

5 Ways to Prevent Diverticulosis-Diverticulitis Gastro Illness

Sources:

Proton Pump Inhibitor Use Linked to Clostridium Difficile Infection

Proton Pump Inhibitors Should Have Black-box Warnings, Group Tell FDA

Long-term Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy and Risk of Hip Fracture- JAMA

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease- NEJM

Acid Blockers Linked to Pneumonia Risk

Everybody knows about Alzheimer’s disease; did you know that dementia from vitamin B12 deficiency can happen before you hit old age?  Vitamin B12 deficiency and pernicious anemia are common causes of dementia. And so do many other diseases and conditions.

What is dementia?

Dementia is a brain disorder that causes you to lose thinking skills like memory, reasoning, language, and social awareness.  Dementia is a progressive condition- the symptoms of dementia only worsen with time.  Degenerative dementia is permanent, meaning that the brain damage that caused dementia is irreversible. Some kinds of dementia can be reversed if the cause is caught in time; such is the case with a brain tumor.  Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most notable types of degenerative dementia.

Adult ADHD Could Lead to Dementia

What are the symptoms of dementia?

The most common symptoms of dementia are:

• Short-term memory loss: While dementia patients don’t usually have difficulty remembering things from their childhood with crystal-clear vision, they are likely to forget messages, conversations, or doctor’s appointments from the previous day…or hour.
• Moodiness: Alzheimer’s disease patients may shift through moods in the blink of an eye- one minute content, the next minute expressing deep anger, and rage.  Paranoia and depression are common traits of elderly individuals suffering from dementia.  Often, people with dementia lose interest in things like hobbies and social clubs that they used to enjoy.  In some cases, they may become antisocial and exhibit bad behavior in public.
• Difficulty communicating: People with dementia tend to have circular conversations, immediately forgetting what they spoke of a moment ago, and returning to the same topic.  They also have trouble recalling everyday words, as their vocabulary skills have decreased significantly. 
• Decreased perception skills: Dementia patients have great difficulty understanding new or foreign concepts.
• Inability to multi-task
• Cognitive decline: Senior citizens with dementia have trouble thinking abstractly, figuring amounts, and using logic.
• Tendency to lose things
• Hallucinations
• Loss of self-awareness

Aging begins at 45- Tips on how to Prevent Early Memory Loss

What causes dementia?

Dementia is caused by various illnesses and injuries, including:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Stroke (Vascular dementia)
• Dementia with Lewy bodies
• Huntington’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Parkinson’s disease
• Pick’s disease
• Progressive supranuclear palsy
• Brain tumor
• Head injury
• Chronic alcoholism
• Vitamin B12 deficiency (Pernicious anemia)
• Certain cholesterol-lowering medications

How do doctors diagnose dementia?

If your doctor suspects dementia, he will have to review the patient’s medical history and order various physical exams before he diagnoses dementia.  Additionally, any underlying medical conditions that may contribute to dementia symptoms will be reviewed, such as low levels of vitamin B12 or history of depression.

The most common tests used to diagnose dementia are:

• Neurological exam (mental status examination)
• MRI brain scan
• Vitamin B12 blood test
• Ammonia blood test
• Blood chemistry test
• Thyroid test
• Toxicology screening for alcohol
• Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis
• Electroencephalograph (EEG)
• Head CT
• Urinalysis

Treatments for dementia

Depending on the cause of dementia, your physician might prescribe one of the following treatments for dementia:

• Vitamin B12 supplements, if vitamin B12 deficiency symptoms are the cause of dementia.
• Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor, for dementia with Lewy bodies
• Antipsychotics
• Mood stabilizers
• Stimulants
• Donepezil (Aricept)
• Rivastigmine (Exelon)
• Galantamine (Razadyne/Reminyl)
• Memantine (Namenda)

Brainy People are high on B12, according to Brain Health Study

Please tell us…

Do you or a family member suffer from short-term memory loss, chronic fatigue, or depression and anxiety? You could be suffering from B12 deficiency.  Other symptoms of low B12 levels include painful tingling or numbness in hands and feet, sore red tongue, unusual clumsiness, and tinnitus ear ringing.

Please share your experiences with our community, and let us know if you found this article helpful.

Thanks for sharing!

Read more about vitamin B12 and the brain:

Here’s Your Brain on B12 Deficiency- Memory Loss and Aging

How to keep Vitamin B12 Deficiency from Shrinking your Brain

Vitamin B12- How much do you need?

Sources:

Dementia- PubMed Health

What is dementia?  Alzheimer’s Society

Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B12

Images, from top:

digital cat , Rosino, GabrielaP93, Colin_K

The immune system is a complex network of cells, and when things go wrong- as with autoimmune diseases, allergies, or immunodeficiency disorders- the results can be debilitating at best…or deadly, at worst.  Sometimes, telling the difference between various immune disorders can be confusing.  Like, what’s the difference between gluten hypersensitivity and celiac disease? Find the answer below…

The immune system

Your immune system is a busy place- it’s made up of your lymph nodes, tonsils, thymus, bone marrow, and parts of your digestive system.  The immune system’s main purpose in life is to protect your body from dangerous antigens, which could be anything from bacteria or cancer cells to viruses and toxic chemicals.  (Sometimes, even somebody else’s blood or saliva can be labeled by your immune system as an antigen.)

Once your immune system picks up the scent of an antigen, it goes into attack mode, producing antibodies to destroy the “alien invader.”   Not only that, but your immune system also sends white blood cells to gobble up the offending flu virus, germ, contaminant, or mutant cell.

Except when it doesn’t.  Because sometimes, the immune system doesn’t react the way it’s expected to.  When that happens, it’s called an immune system disorder.

There are many types of immune disorders, including allergies, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiency disorders.

Allergy and Hypersensitivity

When your immune system has an inappropriate response to a perfectly safe substance, then that is called an allergic reaction, or hypersensitivity.  An example of an inappropriate reaction can be an overreaction to laundry detergent.  With chronic allergies, your immune system is trigger-happy, reacting to numerous stimuli by producing histamines, causing uncomfortable and sometimes fatal allergic reactions like swelling, hives, congestion, diarrhea, vomiting, and headache.

People don’t usually inherit specific allergies.  Still, if your parents (or at least, your mother) suffer from allergies, then you are likely prone to allergic reactions, as well.

Things people are allergic to:

• Pets
• Food
• Medicine
• Dust
• Mold
• Pollen
• Insect bites

Celiac and B12- Celiac Disease and Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune diseases occur when your body attacks healthy cells in your body, mistaking them for antigens.  There are over 80 kinds of autoimmune diseases, and they can affect any part of your body. Symptoms of autoimmune diseases often come and go; flare-ups cause debilitating chronic pain, and brief periods of remission offer some respite.  While the disease itself can’t always be cured, the symptoms can be treated.

Common autoimmune diseases:

• Pernicious anemia (vitamin B12 deficiency)
• Crohn’s disease
• Celiac disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Type 2 diabetes
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Immunodeficiency disorders

Unlike autoimmune diseases or allergies, where the immune system is intact (albeit malfunctioning), immunodeficiency disorders occur when certain parts of the immune system are missing or deficient.  Usually, an immunodeficiency disorder involves insufficient or malfunctioning white blood cells, or not enough antibodies.

AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is an example of an immune deficiency disorder caused by a human immunodeficiency virus- HIV.  Some immunodeficiency disorders are inherited, as well.

AIDS with B12 Deficiency

What’s the difference between an allergy, and autoimmune disorder, and an immune deficiency?

When you have allergies, it is because your body overreacts to otherwise harmless stimuli, causing uncomfortable and sometimes harmful symptoms.

When you have an autoimmune disease, your body essentially attacks itself, causing damage to your digestive system, respiratory system, or muscles, for example.

An immunodeficiency disorder is when your body stops protecting you from foreign stimuli like viruses, toxins, bacteria, or tumors.

Did you figure out the difference between gluten sensitivity and celiac disease? With celiac disease, gluten triggers an autoimmune response that causes serious harm to your digestive system.  People who have celiac disease must cut all gluten products from their diet.  If eating starchy bread, cakes, or crackers gives you a stomachache, that doesn’t mean you have celiac.  You might have gluten intolerance, which means that your body produces histamines whenever it detects gluten in your system.

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Read more about autoimmune disorders here:

6 Degrees of Vitamin B12- B12 Deficiency and Autoimmune Disease

Vitamin B12 Deficiency- 4 Causes, 1 Solution

Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency- Historically Fatal, Still Formidable

Sources:

Autoimmune Diseases

Immunodeficiency disorders

Allergies

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Esther Gibbons, taliesin, jeltovski,  Trygve.u

Vitamin B12 deficiency causes pernicious anemia, which creates horrible symptoms like painful tingling in your hands and feet, numbness, chronic fatigue, memory loss, depression, and even chronic clumsiness.  What’s really behind all these debilitating symptoms, you wonder?  Deranged DNA…

You’re mad, I tell you- Mad!

Pernicious anemia (PA) tends to creep up on you, like a scary monster in a B movie.  You might not even realize you have B12 deficiency until you start noticing weird symptoms.  Your hands and feet fall asleep on you while you sit at your computer.  It feels like thousands of fire ants are crawling up your legs. Sometimes, you could swear that your mouth was on fire, like you ate a red chili pepper.

Only you didn’t…

Then PA attacks your brain, causing brain fog.  You struggle to find the right words in conversation, left hanging while you awkwardly try to remember what you were trying to say.  You walk into a room and immediately forget what you came in for.  You forget to buy things on your mental shopping list.  You wake up feeling drugged, exhausted, even though you had plenty of sleep the night before.

If you didn’t have your name printed clearly for you on your driver’s license, you just might forget it…

Pernicious Anemia and B12 Deficiency- Historically Fatal, Still Formidable

Pernicious anemia is Abby-normal

Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disorder in which your body interferes with production of a very necessary protein- intrinsic factor.  Intrinsic factor is produced in your stomach, and you need it to digest vitamin B12 (cobalamin). Without intrinsic factor, your body cannot extract vitamin B12 from food sources like beef, chicken, fish, and eggs.  Instead, the vitamin B12 just passes through your intestines, without ever entering the blood stream.

Say goodbye to B12…

DNA production goes awry

If pernicious anemia sounds frightening, it’s because it does wicked things to your body.  You need vitamin B12 for many important bodily functions, like protecting the nervous system, enhancing cognitive development, and maintaining adequate supplies of energy.

Most importantly, your red blood cells need vitamin B12 for DNA synthesis.  With pernicious anemia, DNA synthesis in the red blood cells comes to a standstill, while RNA synthesis keeps chugging along.

And then, things get really weird…

Franken-DNA is born

The result is microcytic anemia, a type of megaloblastic anemia causing enlarged red blood cells.  Not only are your blood cells too big to function normally, but they are also deformed.  Your poor large red blood cells remain trapped inside your bone marrow, unable to leave because they have grown enormous in size.

Remember Alice, trapped in the White Rabbit’s house?  Yeah, it’s kind of like that.

Hey, where’re all the red blood cells at?

Trapped in your bone marrow!  And your body needs red blood cells to transport oxygen throughout the body.  But with vitamin B12 deficiency, very few red blood cells manage to escape their “prison” in your bones, because they are too big to exit. Your red blood cell levels go way down, and you start to feel tired, anxious, and wiry.

It’s because you are not getting enough oxygen.

Top Ten Signs of a Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Treating macrocytic anemia

Managing macrocytic anemia is simple enough if you know what’s causing it.  Pernicious anemia from low B12 levels is just one cause.  Other causes of enlarged red blood cells are alcoholism and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), among others.  With alcoholism, B12 deficiency symptoms can still be the underlying cause of macrocytic anemia.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can be treated with vitamin B12 supplements.  However, if your body can’t digest vitamin B12 because of lack of intrinsic factor, then you will have to use vitamin B12 supplements that bypass the digestive system and go directly into the bloodstream.

Examples of vitamin B12 supplementation used for pernicious anemia are routine B12 shots, sublingual B12 pills, and vitamin B12 patches.  The B12 shots require a doctor’s prescription, and can be painful, as they have to be inserted into thick muscular tissue.  B12 pills and vitamin B12 patches are readily available over-the-counter (OTC).  Many patients have reported a burning sensation while using sublingual B12 tablets that dissolve under the tongue.  No discomfort or irritation is reported with usage of the vitamin B12 patch.

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Have you noticed any of the symptoms described?  If you know anybody who exhibits any of these symptoms, please share this information with them.

Read more about pernicious anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency

Pernicious Anemia: Your 13 Most Frequently Asked Questions, Answered!

Painful Tingling in Hands and Feet- What’s Up with That?

Sources:

Macrocytosis

Macrocytosis: What causes it?

Macrocytosis and Macrocytic Anaemia

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twm1340, Purestock

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.

Balance your B12, Balance your Nerves

Exercises that relieve hand and wrist pain

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.

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Read more about painful tingling in the hands and feet symptoms

Myokymia is not a Hawaiian Island- Eyelid Twitching and Eye Spasms

Sore Burning Tongue, Dry Mouth, and Weird Tastes- What’s the Cause?

Painful Tingling in Hands and Feet- What’s Up with That?

Sources:

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Physical Therapy: Hand/Wrist Exercises

Hand Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Diabetes Pain

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Juliana Coutinho, bb_matt, Sebastian Anthony, Pink Sherbet Photography

 
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.

Vitamin B12 for Weight Loss- Why it Works

Spanish study follows fried-food lovers

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.

The Best- and Worst- Cooking Oils for Heart Health

Must be something in the oil

What’s the catch, you ask?  It’s this:

• 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!

Read more about vitamin B12 and your heart:

12 Healthy Heart Habits, Including Vitamin B12 Supplements

B Vitamins prevent Cardiovascular Disease- B6, B12 and Folate

Sources:

Consumption of fried foods and risk of coronary heart disease: Spanish cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study

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bochalla, Darwin Bell, cogito ergo imago, stevendepolo