Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

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Is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Caused by

Inadequate Vitamin B-6 and B-2?

 

 

 

1994 by Jack Challem, The Nutrition Reporter™

All rights reserved.

 

 

 

 

 

Ten years ago, carpal tunnel syndrome was most often seen in factory

workers, secretaries, and supermarket cashiers whose jobs required

them to repeat the same hand and wrist movements thousands of times a

day. Instead of suffering from simple soreness, CTS patients

progressively developed finger stiffness in the morning, a weakened

grip, and crippling pain in the hands and wrists.

 

 

With the widespread use of personal computers, the incidence of

carpal tunnel syndrome-referring specifically to an injured nerve in

the wrist-has soared across professions. Surgery is considered the

primary treatment among conventional physicians, just as it was 10

years ago.

 

 

But surgery doesn't treat the cause of CTS. And the mainstream

medical theory that repetitive movement causes CTS is

mere " ergonomics talk, " says John Ellis, M.D., of Mt. Pleasant,

Texas, and an expert in vitamin B-6. " There are big dollars tied up

in surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome. For $3, I can cure CTS in

better than 90 percent of patients. " 1

 

 

His $3 cure is a bottle of vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine) tablets,

available at any health food store. Indeed, several well-controlled

studies-some conducted by Ellis himself-show that severe B-6

deficiency causes CTS. Repetitive movement, however, may aggravate

the condition.

 

 

Ellis made the connection between B-6 deficiency and CTS more than 20

years ago. Women who were either pregnant or taking oral

contraceptives were known to have increased requirements for B-6, as

were diabetics. All three groups also had a higher than average

incidence of CTS.

 

 

One of Elliss patients was a 40-year-old man with hands crippled by

CTS. His diet left a lot to be desired: he skipped breakfast, ate

only a sandwich and soft drink for lunch and, for dinner, a soup made

from vegetables and hamburger. To assess his patient's B-6 intake,

Ellis measured blood levels of erythrocyte glutamic oxaloacetic

transminase (EGOT), an enzyme that reflects B-6 activity in the body.

At first, the man's EGOT levels were near rock bottom, typical of CTS

patients.

 

 

Ellis started him on 2 mg. of B-6 daily, the Recommended Dietary

Allowance. After two months, the patient's EGOT levels increased a

little and he showed " slight clinical improvement. " When Ellis

increased the dose to 100 mg daily, his patient's EGOT levels zoomed,

peaking after two months. At the same time, his CTS symptoms receded-

and completely disappeared.

 

 

Then Ellis slipped the patient an identical-looking placebo but

didn't tell him. Within days, " the patient strongly complained that

pyridoxine was no longer effective...(and) his symptoms returned. "

After resuming the B-6 supplements, his symptoms again disappeared.2

 

 

However, vitamin B-6 is not an overnight cure for CTS. Taking the

vitamin long enough is as important as taking the right dose. In

fact, Ellis learned his lesson when a six-week study failed to help

patients. " You need 90 days' running room, " he explained to Natural

Health. " It takes four to six weeks to get these enzymes loaded to

get them functioning well biochemically, and another four to six

weeks for the symptoms to recede-roughly three months.

 

 

" For 90 days, you need to take 100 mg. after breakfast and 100 mg.

after dinner, adding up to 200 mg daily. If you're a diabetic age 11

or older, you need a total of 300 mg daily. All of this has been

proved safe, including for people with diabetes or who are pregnant.

I have taken at least 50 mg. B-6 daily for 30 years, starting in

1962. A few years ago, I crept up to 100 mg daily. And over the last

two years, I began taking 300 mg daily, so I can tell a patient to

take 200 mg. daily and that it's safe. "

 

 

Although Ellis has successfully treated CTS patients with only B-6,

vitamin B-2 (riboflavin) may also help, according to Karl Folkers,

Ph.D. " People are rarely deficiency in only one nutrient, " said

Folkers, a researcher at the University of Texas Institute for

Biochemical Research, Austin, and frequent collaborator with

Ellis. " Most forms of pyridoxine are inactive. They need B-2 to be

converted to the active form, pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. " 3,4

 

 

In fact, while Folkers found B-2 helpful in reducing CTS symptoms, a

combination of B-2 and B-6 was most effective. In one case, Folkers

gave a 32-year-old man 50 mg. of B-2 for 5 months. Although the

patient's condition improved significantly, he still suffered

occasional symptoms. Then Folkers added 500 mg. of B-6 daily to the

patient's regimen. After another three months, his CTS symptoms

disappeared completely.5

 

 

While the precise biochemical link between B-6 and CTS isn't clear,

Ellis does have a general idea of how it helps. Vitamin B-6 is

essential for the body's production of 18 of the 20 most important

amino acids and for 118 known enzymes- " for life itself, " said Ellis.

He added that a B-6 deficiency reduces the effectiveness of collagen

and elastin fibrils, needed to cement tissues together. Impaired

collagen and elastin synthesis could make tissues more susceptible to

injury.

 

 

Although Ellis has not seen any side effects of high doses of B-6 in

CTS patients, there is some risk of peripheral neuropathy.

Ironically, peripheral neuropathy includes the same tingling,

numbness, and weakness characteristic of CTS. When these symptoms are

caused by excessive B-6, they do go away within a few months of

stopping the supplement. And because B-6 is a diuretic-it reduces the

edema also associated with CTS-it's probably worthwhile to add

magnesium (100 mg.) and potassium (50 mg.) supplements while taking B-

6.

 

 

Because CTS symptoms can range from simple stiffness to crippling of

the hands, it's probably best to work with a physician. However,

Ellis has no qualms about people treating themselves, as long as they

try B-6 for the requisite 90 days. He insists it's safe.

 

 

" The problem (CTS) will continue as long as people eat overcooked,

over-baked, canned, bottled, packed foods that are deficient in B-6, "

Ellis said. " We need to change how we eat. People need more B-6. "

 

 

1 Telephone interview, February 4, 1993.

2 Folker, K, and Ellis, J, Annals of the New York Academy of

Sciences, 1990;585:295-301

3 Telephone interview, February 4, 1993.

4 Pyridoxal 5'-phosphate is pronounced " pyridoxal 5-prime phosphate. "

5 Folkers, K, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,

1984;81:7076-78.

 

 

 

 

 

This article originally appeared in Natural Health magazine. The

information provided by Jack Challem and The Nutrition Reporter™

newsletter is strictly educational and not intended as medical

advice. For diagnosis and treatment, consult your physician.