A Practical Suggestion For Vitamin Deficiencies

Each time any of us takes a vitamin pill or eats a mouthful of Corned Flakes, we're shown on the label what vitamins and nutrients are to be found in either the vitamin or the food.  Commercials on TV taut the benefits of products such as breakfast cereal or nutritional shakes by proclaiming that they have a 100%, or more, of the "Recommended Daily Allowance" (RDA) of vitamins and minerals that we all need.

However, how many of us understand the significance of the RDA's?   It's important to note that these recommendations were originally made by the federal government many decades ago.  They represent the minimum requirement for healthy people so that they don't get sick.  One needs to understand and/or remember that it was not that long ago that children had rickets from Vitamin D deficiency (an example) and that adults got goiters from a deficiency of iodine in the diet.  What does that have to do with ME/CFS/CFIDS and fibromyalgia?

It's quite obvious that people suffering from these "maladies" (ME/CFS and fibro) can be very sick, so much so that they can't work outside the home, do house work, or be involved in many family affairs, such as raising children. Clearly, these patients are not healthy and therefore the RDA's do not apply to them.  They have to heal and try to recover from the ravages of these conditions and likely need more nutrients than are suggested by the RDA's.  In an ideal world such patients would get their blood tested to see if they have vitamin  and/or nutritional deficiencies, as I addressed not too long ago in the post talking about Vitamin B-12 levels.

However, there are many potential vitamins that need to be assayed and the cost of doing so is prohibitive for all too many people.  Furthermore, it's becoming more difficult to find reputable laboratories which will test for Vitamin B-1 (thiamine), B-2 (riboflavin), B-5 (pantothenic acid),B-6 (pyridoxine), biotin, Vitamins A, C, K, and many, many others. (Vitamin D is an exception because it's so "in" these days!)

In talking to my rheumatologist, he gave me a relatively easy formula to follow.  He finds, in his mostly fibromyalgia practice, that giving his most challenging patients high doses of vitamins daily helps in their management.  Taking a readily available multi-vitamin THREE time a day, not once a day, is usually very beneficial.  His reasoning?  His patients are ill and require far more nutrients than their healthy counterparts. One multi-vitamin pill is probably sufficient for healthy people to prevent them from becoming ill.

Two multi-vitamins a day, however, are for those who are "under the weather," or only mildly affected by these conditions.  Three multi-vitamins a day are for those severely afflicted.

He warned me that over-the-counter vitamin pills contain a  mixture of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, D and K, which can accumulate in the body and become toxic if the levels get too high.  For such patients, he recommends a vitamin preparation containing all the B vitamins and Vitamin C, which are water-soluble vitamins, and do not accumulate, but rather are flushed out of the system if levels get a bit too high.  He assured me that this strategy can be quite helpful since correcting nutritional deficiencies helps the patient respond to the other treatments prescribed.

Of course, all the "normal" disclaimers apply.  One should always check with one's doctor!  Furthermore, this is a very basic approach to health but having said that, no treatment - no matter how sophisticated!- will work as intended if the patient is deficient in one or more vitamins.  Food for thought: pun intended!

As always, I hope everyone's doing their very best - only better!  Ciao and paka.


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