B12

[Guest guest]

Vitamin B12 only comes from bacteria manufacturing it, there is no

other source of it. There is no B12 in plants, though there may be

some on them as a result of there being some of the bacteria which

make B12 on the plants, though the source of the B12 is the

bacteria, and the bacteria is from the soil. If one is concerned

about getting enough of the bacteria which manufacture B12, one can

eat a bit of soil, either directly or by eating produce with a bit

of soil left on it.

 

Animal products only have B12 because the bacteria in the animal's

body produced it, just like the bacteria produce it in our bodies.

Animal products are toxic in the human body. Eating animal products

to try to get B12, or for any other reason, actually results in

depletion of B12 and other nutrients, since the body must use up

extra nutrients to deal with the toxifying effects of substances in

our bodies which are incompatible with our physiology. Consequently,

it is generally the consumers of animal products who have actual B12

deficiencies.

 

The bacteria which make B12 live in our bodies, and consume our

waste products. The bacteria's resultant metabolic processing of our

body's wastes includes the byproduct called cobalamin, which is

known as B12. The bacteria who symbiotically take up residence in

our bodies and make B12 for our use, come from the soil, and from

breastmilk, and which live in our mouths, upper intestines, and

lower intestines. We don't need endless supplies of bacteria, they

multiply very nicely if we don't kill them off or deplete them by

consuming anti-biotics, including " natural " anti-biotics, or any

other toxic substances, including " supplements " . Apparently they are

never totally wiped out in our bodies, and they re-colonize rapidly,

so we really don't need to worry about getting more bacteria into

our bodies.

 

Sources such as pills of ferment known as vitamin B12 pills, or

injections of it in the form of vitamin B12 shots, or eating

fermented food such as vinegar or sauerkraut or lactobacillus etc.,

may give us more bacteria, but then of course these substances are

also toxifying our bodies because they are ferment, which is toxic

in the body. Ingesting soil is probably not a problem, even though

soil itself is inorganic--in Nature we would ingest a bit of soil

anyway when eating, so it's probably just fine for setting people's

minds at ease about B12.

 

Therefore, we naturally have ample supplies of bacteria. So where's

the " deficiency " ? Plenty of bacteria results in plenty of B12

produced in the body. So there is no " deficiency " of the bacteria

which produce B12—plenty of bacteria in the body means plenty of

B12. When we already have a colony of bacteria in our bodies, we are

already producing B12, plenty of it, it is not an issue. It is NOT

that we do not have enough B12 in our bodies!

 

But the scare does not end there. There is continually circulated

the old story that supposedly the bacteria in our lower intestines

are " too far down " , so the B12 is too low in the body to be

absorbed. However, that idea was disproved decades ago, though the

old story still makes the rounds, to scare the daylights out of

vegans. And since the bacteria which make B12 also live in the mouth

and the upper intestines, we don't need to rely on the colonic

bacteria for it.

 

Though the idea that people cannot absorb the B12 because the

bacteria which make it are " too far down " is false, the problem

indeed is that people are not absorbing B12! There are factors

involved in B12 absorption by the body. The most prominent factor

involved in B12 absorption or uptake by the body, is IF--

the " intrinsic factor " . IF is produced by gastric parietal mucous

membranes—the stomach lining. The IF, and the B12 produced in our

bodies by the bacteria, MUST meet and join, in order for the B12 to

be absorbed, in a usable form, by the body! It makes no difference

how much B12 we have in our bodies. If the body is not producing IF,

we cannot absorb and use the B12!

 

There are other factors in B12 absorption, such as the presence of

cobalt in the body--B12 is called " cobalamin " , from the

word " cobalt " , so cobalt is necessary for the successful production

by the bacteria of B12. Folic acid may also need to be present. But

of course, these are just some of the nutrients necessary for B12

production and absorption. It is a symbiotic symphony of functions

in the body, and taking one isolated substance, such as pills of B12

consisting of ferment, does not help anything. It is merely

palliative, and actually masks our real problem, as well as prevents

the body from being able to fix it. If we are eating a diet of our

natural foods of nothing but fresh raw fruits, veggies, nuts, and

edible seeds, then we are getting all we need of minerals and

nutrients, and the body will want to repair its absorption of all of

them.

 

The MMA test is a urine test, which one can purchase on-line, if one

is concerned about their B12 level. A urine test for B12 levels is

reputed to be more reliable than a blood test. Quoting from a site

offering the MMA test: " Megaloblastic (pernicious) anemia is a rare

disorder in which the body does not absorb enough vitamin B12 from

the digestive tract, resulting in an inadequate amount of red blood

cells (RBCs) produce...Megaloblastic (pernicious) anemia results

from a lack of intrinsic factor in gastric secretions (a substance

needed to absorb vitamin B12 from the gastrointestinal tract).

Vitamin B12 deficiency results. The Schilling test is performed to

detect vitamin B12 absorption. In the Schilling test, vitamin B12

levels are measured in the urine after the ingestion of radioactive

vitamin B12. With normal absorption, the ileum (portion of the small

intestine) absorbs more vitamin B12 than the body needs and excretes

the excess into the urine. With impaired absorption, however, little

or no vitamin B12 is excreted into the urine. "

 

What is important with regard to B12 is the ABSORPTION AND USE of it

by the body, in addition to its production by the bacteria.

Absorption is impaired in a weak, toxic body. Our bodies need to

clean out, and heal, and repair themselves, in order for optimal

functioning to be restored. It doesn't matter if we have oceans of

B12 in our bodies, the amount of B12 we have, or the amount of

bacteria which produce it, are not the issue. What matters is how

much we absorb, because if we can't absorb it--and even if we did

absorb it, our cells cannot use it, even if it is stored in the

body. Even testing the urine for B12 levels is rather pointless, as

it can't tell us how much is being absorbed and used. The amount of

B12 in our bodies is irrelevant, what is relevant is how much of it

our bodies absorb, take up, use. This is what people simply cannot

understand, in all the hysteria over purported B12 " deficiencies " .

 

In actuality, we need so little B12, it's ridiculous, something like

one quarter teaspoon over an entire lifetime. And on top of it, our

bodies recycle B12! Once they absorb it, take it up, and use it,

they re-use it, over and over. And of course that's on top of the

B12 that the bacteria in our bodies continually produce. But if the

body is toxic, the B12 CANNOT be optimally absorbed and used by the

body. The body is sluggish, weak, enervated, and the cells are

starved and weakened by toxic debris, so the body is not producing

IF, which is essential to the absorption of B12. Additionally, the

body's delivery of B12 to the cells is greatly attenuated.

 

Some people are so toxic that they produce almost no IF at all, and

they go for B12 shots to jab B12 right into their bloodstream. The

shots, or " supplements " of B12 do no good because the body is not

absorbing and using them, and in fact those sources are simply

further toxifying and thereby weakening the body. The effects of

pills or shots of B12, just as with all pills, potions, powders,

shots, are palliative, not nutritional. They are NOT fixing a

deficiency, and they do not address the cause.

 

People have been taught to associate symptoms with

purported " deficiency " of some isolated vitamin or mineral, or a few

selected isolated vitamins or minerals, and to be perpetually

alarmed about such symptoms, because everyone thinks they are

wasting away and dying from a lack of these vitamins, minerals, or

other substance. The scare over B12 causes the most hysteria among

vegans, because they are not palliating with animal products. Vegans

especially have been taught to be continually paranoid if they don't

palliate, because they have been thoroughly indoctrinated that

symptoms equal " deficiency " , especially of B12.

 

The scare over B12 is particularly absurd. A long laundry list of

symptoms have gotten labeled as indicative of a " deficiency " of B12,

including tons of nebulous psychological conditions. It has become

fashionable to attribute almost any sort of real or imagined

malaise, whether physical or psychological, whether mild or acute,

to B12 " deficiency " , to the point where virtually all the raw and/or

vegan gurus, one by one, have caved into the B12 scare, exhorting

all vegans to take those B12 pills for " insurance " against

B12 " deficiency " , some even alleging that they had B12 " deficiency "

before they took the pills of ferment, and having been " saved " by

the pills, though they eschew all other " supplements " , totally

illogically and baselessly attributing " salvation " to the palliative

pills.

 

Nothing could be further from the truth. Symptoms are NOT a sign of

deficiency, they are a sign that the body is trying to repair a

problem, in this case the absorption of nutrients, including B12.

Symptoms are the manifestation of cleansing and healing occurring,

the tangible manifestation of the healing that is going on inside

the body, all of which is self-generated, as that is how true

healing is accomplished. Yet people have been taught to associate

various symptoms, including neurological numbness or pain, fainting,

even coma, with B12 " deficiency " . However, all these symptoms are

simply efforts on the part of the body to force the person to lie

down and rest, because the body must have complete rest in order to

effect extraordinary healing and cleansing. Why do people sometimes

begin to get these symptoms after they've gone raw vegan? Because

once the overwhelming influx of toxins into the body ceases, the

body recovers enough vitality to very aggressively launch a thorough

cleansing and healing, in order to repair and revitalize itself, and

for that the body needs complete rest. The body lets us know in no

uncertain terms via acute symptoms, and extreme fatigue which forces

us to rest, when it needs to fast. The healthier our bodies and the

more vitality we have, the more aggressively the body will insist on

laying us flat so it can restore itself via fasting to optimal

health.

 

Rest is the essence of fasting. The body cleanses and heals itself

continually, all the time, and it can do so to the degree that it

has recovered vitality, and that it is not continuously re-toxified

with non-foods or non-optimal foods. Fasting is not beneficial nor

desirable when the body is hungry and asymptomatic. But when the

body begins to launch into extraordinary cleansing and healing,

which it manifests by symptoms, usually acute symptoms, and lack of

hunger, then it is demanding a fast. When we fast, properly, the

body can do the necessary very profound cleansing, healing, and

repair, because then it is given the circumstances to do so. And

that means giving it TOTAL REST. Of course the body is inwardly not

resting, it is working very hard. But with a true fast, water only,

laying down with eyes closed and no activity, total rest, we are

giving the body the circumstances to be able to accomplish its work

of repairing our absorption, as well as countless other functions.

We are getting out of the way, we stop imposing activity upon the

body, when the body tells us by symptoms, and by a lack of real

hunger, that it needs a total rest to be able to cleanse, heal,

repair.

 

The body during a long fast repairs the absorption of nutrients--

each cell has a chance to cleanse and repair, so B12 absorption is

corrected by the body. Our bodies know how to restore optimal

function to themselves. No substance, no matter how highly touted,

no matter how natural, nothing, can heal the body. Forget

about " cleanses " and " juice fasts " and other gimmicks—they are not

nutrition and they are not fasting, and they are of no benefit. Only

the body can heal and cleanse and repair itself, and no substance

can force it to do so. We need to either actually eat and nourish

our bodies, or else we need to completely fast. The body lets us

know when it needs to fast, and that is water only, and complete

rest. The body alone can heal and repair its functions, and all it

asks of us is to get out of the way, and let it do its work. But we

should not impose a fast on the body--the body will let us know, by

symptoms, and a lack of hunger, when it wants to fast, and that is

when a fast is beneficial to the body.

 

The condition of " pernicious anemia " is generally considered

synonymous with, and the tangible result of, a " deficiency " of

B12. " Pernicious anemia " is a problem of absorption. " Pernicious

anemia " is generally also accompanied by " iron deficiency

anemia " . " Iron deficiency anemia " is associated with a deficiency of

red blood cells, as well as hemoglobin, which is the essential

component of erythrocytes, or red blood cells. Healthy erythrocytes

are rich with hemoglobin (which in turn is dependent upon iron

absorption), which makes them plump up to take in and transport

oxygen to the cells, whereas lack of hemoglobin results in

starvation of the cells for oxygen. One of the results of a long

fast when the body indicates that it is ready, is that the levels of

erythrocytes and hemoglobin shoot through the roof, so that cells

can once again be nourished optimally.

 

Please only do a fast under the supervision of a competent fasting

professional. If one chooses to fast on their own, then they need to

be fully informed about fasting, and one must be prepared to take

full responsibility for one's own health. Before undertaking a fast,

please read about fasting, in the books by Herbert Shelton, please

get yourself fully informed. Some books on fasting, by Dr. Herbert

Shelton: " Fasting Can Save Your Life " ,

" The Science and Fine Art of Fasting " .

 

Please also visit Dr. Bernarr's site on which he has excellent

articles about fasting. There is no one I know of that can even come

close to Dr. Bernarr's thorough understanding of fasting and health.

Dr. Bernarr also has on his site a revealing article about B12. His

site is http://www.healself.org.

 

For another excellent, well-researched article on B12, by Dr. Gina

Shaw, please visit http://www.living-

foods.com/articles/b12issue.html.

 

Here are a couple of quotes that I previously posted on this list:

 

http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/vegansources

" Streptomyces griseus, a bacterium once thought to be a yeast, was

the commercial source of vitamin B12 for many years. The bacteria

Propionibacterium shermanii and Pseudomonas denitrificans have now

replaced S. griseus. At least one company, Rhone Poulenc Biochimie

of France, is using a genetically engineered microorganism to

produce B12. "

 

http://www.pamrotella.com/health/b12.html

" B12 is called cobalamin due to its central cobalt atom, and is a

water-soluble vitamin with a very low recommended daily intake

requirement, about 2-3 micrograms per day. Vitamin B12 is stored in

the liver, kidneys, and muscle tissue, and most B12 (65-75%) is

reabsorbed by the body instead of excreted.

 

Bacteria are the B12 producers on which both plants and animals

rely. And in humans, that bacteria doesn't necessarily come from

plants -- the mouth, upper intestine, and lower intestine all

contain bacteria that produce B12. However, it's unknown if enough

B12 to meet the daily requirement comes from internal sources of

B12. More likely, they produce some, and the rest comes in with

food and water consumed.

 

All of the Vitamin B12 in the world ultimately comes from bacteria.

Neither plants nor animals can synthesize it. But plants can be

contaminated with B12 when they come in contact with soil bacteria

that produce it. Animal foods are rich in B12 only because animals

eat foods that are contaminated with it or because bacteria living

in an animal's intestines make it. "

-- From The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family

(1996), Virginia Messina, MPH, RD, & Mark Messina, PhD p. 102

 

Info on the chemistry of vitamin B12 can be found at:

http://www.tlchm.bris.ac.uk/motm/vitb12/b12.htm

 

Zsuzsa