The new scoop on B12

Sometime back in the last century I tried out a new doctor who appealed to me because he was both an M.D. and "holistic." Before we had even gotten to the part where I have to drop my drawers, he was insisting upon sticking a needle in my arm and injecting me with vitamin B12.

I must have been complaining about being tired which is my usual headline when chatting with my physician. "This is what you need; it will make you feel oh so good," he said with a voice tone that made feel like we were doing something illicit.

I soon learned that B12 shots were all the rage with rock stars and others who needed their energy restored after fabulous jet-set adventures. Despite the injection, I was still as tired as ever. I am also suspicious that anything Mick Jagger does to keep his mojo working is probably some pact with the devil and should be avoided.

I didn't continue with those shots nor with that doctor.

Fast forward to this century. Trolling for interesting Healthspan tidbits, I come across an amazing piece of news: Vitamin B12 has grown up from being a cure for Saturday Night Fever to looking promising as a remedy for allergies.

This caught my eye as I have also been reading that allergies are on the march in older folks, as reported in last week's New York Times. Twice as common as they were in our parent's generation, allergies now afflict 30 million or more Americans. The results of a major study were definitely impressive. The allergy sufferers on the B12 regimen were able to cut their sneezy symptoms up to half of those in the placebo group.

This is no small accomplishment. Vitamin B12 is safe at any level and there are none of the side effects associated with antihistamines, such as tiredness and dryness. Perhaps most impressive is that the positive anti-allergenic effects of vitamin B12 last for months, unlike Claritin which is good to go for only a day or two.

And for you needle-phobes, this study got its results using sublingual lozenges.

I asked nutritional expert Wendy Allen, Ph.D., about this seemingly miraculous vitamin.

"Vitamin B12 is important for our health for two main reasons: It strengthens our nervous system and is essential in the formation of healthy red blood cells, which transports oxygen to the cells and removes wastes. It also increases the body's metabolism. Consequently, a regular user of B12 may feel less stressed and more energy."

Healthspan adviser Dr. Dennis Baker sounded more dubious about using this vitamin as an energy booster when he told me, "In clinical practice, vitamin B12 is often requested for this purpose. It is often injected as a placebo. Then they feel better --miraculous!"

According to Dr. Baker, the classic condition of vitamin B12 deficiency is called pernicious anemia. "The primary use of vitamin B12 injections is in people who are constitutionally unable to absorb B12 from the gut. Very often however, even those who appear to be incapable of absorption can take large oral doses and overcome the poor transport across the GI lining."

Other causes of malabsorption are advancing age, alcohol consumption and reduced dietary intake. Vegetarians need to be particularly aware of getting enough of this vitamin, either through supplements or foods fortified with B12.

Wendy Allen points out that there are many good food sources for getting B12. Meat, dairy, fish, eggs, nutritional yeast, fortified breakfast cereals and certain types of algae like seaweed (eat your sushi). Also some fermented soya products can do the trick, as well as sunflower mayonnaise and mixed-veggie burgers.

Dr. Michael O.L. Seabaugh, a Cape Girardeau native, is a clinical psychologist who lives and works in Santa Barbara, Calif. Contact him at mseabaugh@semissourian.com.