This week I thought it would be interesting to send you the main points of an article that Dr. Burce West M.D. wrote in his Health Alert Newsletter in regards to B vitamin deficiency. His article is just some food for thought and it ties in with last week's article I did on processed foods.

Dr. West feels that what we consume can induce violent and irrational behavior. He feels that we may never get a handle on violence in this country unless we examine and understand nutritional deficiencies and, in particular, the conditions associated with deficiency of B vitamins.

This is what he goes on to say:

1. A deficiency of B vitamins can create serious psychological disorders.
2. Many people with B vitamin deficiencies are being treated by psychiatrists when what they are more in need of is a nutritional supplement. (I know a group practice of therapists that use nutrition as their main adjunct to their counseling and have gotten many patients off their anti-depressants, etc.)
3. Many children in this country eat a diet that is devoid of vitamin B. As stated last week, processed foods deplete more than just B vitamins.
4. The "enriching" of processed foods with synthetic vitamin B "fractions" like thiamine (which is vitamin B1) does little to resolve the deficiency. A vitamin fraction is only a part of the complete vitamin.
5. The single most common emotional symptom of vitamin B deficiency is a recurring feeling that something dreadful is about to happen.
6. Other emotional symptoms associated with vitamin B deficiency are:
   • moods of depression
   • insomnia
   • finding it harder and harder to cope
   • chronic headaches

Dr. West was doing some research and found this comparison of vitamin B deficiency and psychiatric problems in a biochemistry textbook.

Symptoms of Vitamin B Deficiency

• fears
• fatigue
• depression
• paranoia
• confusion
• hostility
• rage
• anxiety

Symptoms of Neuropsychiatric Disorders

• morbid fears
• severe fatigue
• depression
• paranoia
• confusion
• anger
• suicidal tendencies

Ideally, everyone should be eating foods rich in B vitamins which would include such foods as: unrefined cereal grains, whole wheat, oatmeal, peanuts, organic meats, most vegetables (raw), fish, eggs, unprocessed cheese, liver, soy beans, wheat germ, walnuts, and brewers yeast.

Dr. West feels, and I agree that we would be more socially responsible as a society if some of these foods were served in schools, health care facilities, corporate facilities, and even in jails.

We recommend that, since teenagers tend to have the worst diets, that you supplement their diet with Cataplex B which is a full complex of natural B vitamin, which we carry from Standard Process Labs. It goes a long way in smoothing out the years of raging hormones.

The B vitamins are generally responsible for how well we handle the stresses in our lives. If you are having some of the symptoms that are mentioned above, supplementing with an all natural B vitamin may be an inexpensive place to begin. Do not run out to any store and buy a synthetic B vitamin. Some even say all natural and they really aren't. Synthetic supplementation will simply not give you the desired effect.

If you have any questions, please call me at the office or e-mail me.