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Let’s talk about the the 3 Hidden Vitamin Deficiencies common nutritional deficiencies in Sciatica , as well as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome .
Now sciatica can really be a pain in the butt , literally .
Common deficiencies in sciatica and carpal tunnel syndrome
You have this pain that goes right on the back of the leg , and it can really affect someone if they’re sitting or driving , and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be a big issue .
And sometimes people go for surgery when in fact , they probably didn’t need to do that .
So today , I’m gonna discuss 3 common nutritional deficiencies .
And they involve the b vitamins , Vitamin b 1 , Vitamin b 6 , and Vitamin b 12 .
So we’re gonna discuss , a little bit on how to differentiate if your problem is more of a Vitamin b 6 deficiency , or a Vitamin b 12 deficiency , or aVitamin b 1 .
But these 3 vitamins are intimately involved in the nervous system and especially sciatic nerve and carpal tunnel syndrome , which is pain or numbness , in your wrist .
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 benefits
- • Helps build the myelin sheath
- • Helps produce neurotransmitters
- • Helps protect sensory nerve integrity
- • Helps increase nerve conduction and velocity
- • Is involved in the metabolism of the nervous system
Vitamin B6 deficiency causes:
- • Taking the wrong form of vitamin B6 in large amounts
- • Gut inflammation
- • Celiac disease
- • Crohn’s disease
- • Age
- • Certain medications
- • Alcohol
- • Birth control pills
- • Certain genetic variations
- • Smoking
- • Diabetes
- • Excess coffee consumption
It’s important to take the active form of vitamin B6, pyridoxal-5-phosphate (P5P)
So I want to just dive right in .
Let’s first start with vitamin b 6 .
It’s called Pyredoxin .
Now there’s different forms of Vitamin b 6 .
Pyredoxin is the inactive form it has to convert to another form to be active .
The active form is called Pyridoxal 5 Phosphate or P5P .
This happens in the liver , but you have to realize how important Vitamin b 6is in a lot of problems including the nervous system , because it is involved in over a 160 different enzymes .
Those are enzyme pathways .
So you can have all sorts of problems , but today we’re gonna focus more on the nerve , problems that can occur .
Now Vitamin b 6 helps to make myelin sheath .
That’s one thing it does .
Myelin sheath is the coating around the nerve , and when you lose that coating , the nerve stops working .
You start having symptoms like burning , numbness , tingling , pain , because that nerve keeps everything going , keeps the nerves flowing .
And so the protein that builds myelin , which is a type of fat insulation , is dependent on Vitamin b 6 , as well as Vitamin b 6 helps produce neurotransmitters .
Those nerve communications that travel through the nervous system , which is a little different than hormones .
Hormones travel through the blood .
As far as b6 is concerned , the 2 big ones are serotonin and dopamine .
Vitamin b 6 is especially important in protecting the nerve integrity , specifically the sensory nerves .
Okay ?
More than the motor nerves .
So there’s 2 types of nerves .
1 that controls the muscle movement , and there’s also the sensory nerve that’s has everything to do with pain and different sensations .
Like it can produce burning pain or numbness or which is the lack of pain .
Anything that you can feel is more of a sensory nerve .
And one big one is sciatica , and another one is carpal tunnel syndrome .
So I remember in practice , I had a machine that measured how fast the sensory nerves traveled through your arms .
It’s called conduction nerve velocity testing , and we would check these sensory nerves .
And unfortunately , back then I had no clue about Vitamin b 6 and other vitamins , and how they can greatly affect the nerves .
So Vitamin b 6 helps increase the conduction of the nerves , the velocity of nerves , how fast the nerves transmit nerve signals .
Vitamin b 6 is also involved in the metabolism of the nervous system as well , and Vitamin b 6 can also affect the nerves of the eyes , and if you’re deficient you can get myopathy which is nearsightedness which is difficulty in seeing far away .
Vitamin b 6 deficiencies are also involved in , seizures .
So if you know anyone that has seizures , you should definitely recommend Vitamin b 6 and or have them watch this video .
Now there’s a paradox with Vitamin b 6 .
They don’t wanna talk about .
It’s a mystery .
Because in some cases when people start taking large quantities of vitamin b 6 , they end up expressing symptoms of a Vitamin b 6 deficiency .
So that’s a little bit of odd thing , but I’m gonna explain exactly why that occurs .
Apparently , these two forms of the vitamin , the inactive and the active can compete with each other .
So let’s say , for example , you start taking a lot of of the precursor to Vitamin b 6 , which is the pyridoxine , you could end up blocking the active form .
Creating a deficiency of Vitamin b 6, creating sensory nerve problems .
Now just think about this .
The RDAs , the requirements for Vitamin b 6 are very small .
It’s like 1.4 to 2.1 milligrams
Well , if you ever buy vitamin B6 in a tablet form , it comes in like 50 milligrams or a 100 milligrams or sometimes 250 milligrams , and this could be like 2,000 times more than the RDAs .
And most of the time people don’t know the difference between these two types of Vitamin b 6 , and they end up taking a lot of the inactive form , and then they end up with the Vitamin b 6 toxicity .
They actually start experiencing neurological problems , and they did not connect the dots .
So straight off the bat , if you have a Vitamin b 6 deficiency , I’m gonna recommend taking the active form not the inactive form of Vitamin b 6 .
Now the other thing you should know is that in about 36% of all supplements sold , you’ll see Vitamin b 6 as the inactive version .
So you could be unknowingly getting a lot of this Vitamin b 6 and actually creating Vitamin b 6 deficiencies without your knowledge .
So how does one become deficient in Vitamin b 6 ?
Well , by taking the wrong form of Vitamin b 6 in large amounts , Let’s see if some inflammation in your gut or some type of problem , with , celiac or Crohn’s , that could be a problem , or maybe you had your gallbladder out .
As we age , it becomes more difficult to absorb Vitamin b 6.
Certain medications , block vitamin b6 .
Alcohol will do it .
Birth control pills will cause a deficiency .
Even your genetics .
There are genetic variations that can be picked up on a gene test that can cause a weakness within your system in converting the inactive to the active as well as just the absorption of Vitamin b 6 .
So in that case , you would want to take larger amounts of the active form of Vitamin b 6 to correct this problem .
So you may not be able to get b 6 from just your diet in general , depending on what you eat because , foods that are very high in b 6 are usually , animal protein foods , fish , meats , things like that .
And of course , if you were a vegan or vegetarian , you’re more susceptible to becoming Vitamin b 6 deficient .
Also , the form of , Vitamin b 6 in plants is not as bioavailable .
Now if you’re a smoker , if you’re a diabetic , you could be deficient in Vitamin b 6 .
If you drink a lot of coffee , let’s say you drink over 4 cups of coffee a day , you can be deficient in Vitamin b 6 .
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 benefits:
- • Helps support nerve regeneration
- • Helps support myelin production
- • Helps support nerve growth factors
Vitamin B12 deficiency causes:
- • Certain genetic factors
- • Lack of animal products in the diet
- • Low stomach acid
- • Excess consumption of folic acid
- • Alcohol
- • Diabetes
- • Malabsorption
- • Birth control pills
It’s important to take the natural form of vitamin B12, methylcobalamin.
The next most important vitamin involved with , nerve problems is Vitamin B12 .
I’ve done lots of articles on this topic .
It’s very , very insidious because it can sneak up on you , and by the time you know you have a b 12 deficiency , potentially could be too late because it can create some serious damage .
But when you think about b 12 , you wanna think about myelin .
Myelin sheath .
That’s that coating I just mentioned that surrounds the nerve and allows the nerve impulses to travel .
Without b 12 , you can’t make myelin .
So b 12 has everything to do with nerve regeneration , with myelin production , and with nerve growth factors .
So b twelve is very very important , and I would not recommend taking the synthetic version called Cyanocobalamin .
I would recommend taking the methyl cabolamine , which is the natural form .
Now virtually the same reasons why you are deficient in Vitamin b 6 could be the same reasons why you’re deficient in b 12 , like drinking too much alcohol , being a diabetic , having malabsorption , birth control pills , definitely genetics , which is very , very common , but there’s some other things as well .
Like for example , not having enough stomach acid .
How would you know if you don’t have enough stomach acid ?
Well , you get acid reflux , you would get GERD , you may have a gastritis .
But I think the two main reasons why people are deficient in Vitamin B1 B12 is either they don’t eat animal products .
They don’t eat red meat .
They don’t have liver .
They mainly do plant based foods or grains .
And the other reason is genetics .
I’ve been diving into DNA recently , and and boy , B12 deficiency is a common problem with so many people , and it’s such a simple problem to solve if you understand that methylcobalamin is , the form that you want to take .
But another b 12 deficiency was when someone takes a lot of folic acid that can create , a hidden b 12 deficiency .
I did a whole Topic on that , and then we have Vitamin B1 .
Vitamin B1
Vitamin B1 (thiamine) benefits:
- • Helps support blood flow to the nerves
- • Helps counter the complications of diabetes
Vitamin B1 deficiency causes:
- • Diabetes, prediabetes, and insulin resistance
- • Excess coffee consumption
- • Excess tea consumption
It’s important to take the fat-soluble version of vitamin B1, benfotiamine.
I’ve done Topic on this too .
A Vitamin B1 deficiency , usually shows up as peripheral neuropathy , and it’s usually involved with diabetes or prediabetes or someone who has really bad insulin resistance problems .
Because b one is all about , helping you metabolize carbohydrates and sugar .
So the more carbs or more sugar you eat , the more B1 you’re gonna need to metabolize that .
And so that person usually ends up with a B1 deficiency , and they start having neurological problems in the bottom of the feet , but they also can have them in the hands .
They can also have these problems in other syndromes like sciatica .
So that would be a little bit of a , differentiating factor .
Do you have a history of eating a lot of carbs ?
Do you have prediabetes ?
Then definitely include Vitamin B1 , but other things can create a Vitamin B1 deficiency too , like too much coffee , too much tea .
But Vitamin B1 is involved with supplying blood flow to the nervous system .
And without that Vitamin B1 , you basically starve off the nervous system , the blood supply and oxygen that it needs , and you can have all sorts of issues .
The type of Vitamin B1 that I would recommend would be benfotiamine , which is a fat soluble version of b one , and that will penetrate the nerves about , 25% stronger , and it’s great for , helping with the myelin sheath .
Vitamin B1 also is a powerful antioxidant , and it can counter the complications from diabetes , not just in the nerves that go to your muscles , but the nerves that go to your eyes , and also other tissues in the heart and the kidney .Vitamin B1
DATA:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887233317301959?via%3Dihub
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5988249
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6796782