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While having a B12 deficiency is not common, many people do still have it. There are several reasons that could cause someone to have a B12 deficiency. It could be that you have a dietary deficiency. This is common with people who have strict vegetarian diets. This is due to not eating meats, eggs, fish or dairy products which are high in B12. Other causes are from those who have had removal of part of their stomach, overgrowth of bacteria, you could be lacking a protein in their stomach that allows them to process B12 from food.
A lesser known cause would be for those people who have multiple sclerosis or MS. This is due to the nerve damage that occurs with MS. The B12 is needed to make repairs. Since the damage is happening on a continual basis the B12 gets depleted trying to fix the ongoing damage.
There are other conditions that can cause this as well. Chronic alcoholism, Cohn’s disease, celiac disease, parasitic infections, or even long-term use of antacids can add to the B12 deficiency. When you look at all of these possible causes the number of people really starts to increase.
Since B12 helps with energy a deficiency may have you feeling like you just can’t get going and that side hustle is suffering. Plus if your help isn’t good that will cost you more money. We can’t have that.
Symptoms to look for
Now that you know causes you need to know what symptoms to look for if you have any of these conditions. Keep in mind that you may not have all of these symptoms.
- Fatigue, lack of energy
- Problems concentrating
- Loss of appetite
- Shortness of breath, mainly with exertion as with exercise
- Itchy or tingling tongue
- Sharp tingling or stabbing pain in the palm of one or both hands and feet
- Eye twitching, usually in just one eye
- Tingling down back of one or both thighs
- Rapid heartbeat or palpitations
- Diarrhea
- Irritability
- Depression
- Muscle weakness
While this list is extensive there could be other issues with prolonged deficiency. There could be issues such as dementia or even psychosis. This is not something that you want to left without treatment.
Talk to your doctor
You need to document what your symptoms are so that when you go to your doctor they have a good idea of what you are experiencing. This information is needed along with any other issues that you may be having. You not only want them to determine if you have a B12 deficiency, but also what is causing it. You may have had another condition that you didn’t even know about.
One thing to keep in mind is that you could still be experiencing symptoms of a deficiency while only being borderline low for B12. Many doctors will overlook a possible deficiency if you are within range. Be sure that you ask about this if you believe that a B12 deficiency is affecting you.
I almost forgot the best part of this. You can get this bottle of B12 and it can be as cheap and about $8 a month. What a great cheap price for something that can make a real difference in your life.
