Conference: B12 Lecture, Dr. Dommissee -- Notes

[Guest guest]

11/12/05 " Vitamin B12: Difficulties and Obstacles in Treating B12

Deficiency " -- Dr. Dommisse, MD --

(website: http://www.Dommisse.com)

INTRO

Eating a diet rich in animal protein is not a guarantee, because B12

deficiency is often due to a deficiency in absorption. There is rich

documentation in the literature on B12 deficiency and the therapeutic

value of the nutrient but it is " pooh-poohed " as being inferior to

$300 million 6-week double-blind randomized placebo-controlled studies

that will probably never be done because of the lack of comparative

profitability of B12.

INTRO AND HISTORY

Vitamin B12 is a vitamin, which is a micronutrient that is necessary

for the utilization of macronutrients, and also has functions of its

own.

1850 - 's Pernicious Anemia was first described in 1850 by

which was inevitably fatal until the discovery that liver

could treat it.

1905 - J. W. Langden found that B12 deficiency leads to neurological

deficits that are *independent* of anemia and blood level deficiency.

In 2005, B12 is still seen in the mainstream as an anemia-related

blood deficiency only.

1948 - The molecule isolated, and discovered to be a hemoglobin-like

molecule with cobalt at the center rather than iron. The original

isolation technique used cyanide, which formed cyanocobalamin, which

is NOT the natural form of B12. The natural forms are

hydroxycobalamin and methyl cobalamin. Methyl cobalamin crosses the

blood brain barrier (BBB).

CAUSES OF DEFICIENCY

Deficiency is more common in vegans proportionally, but most

deficiency occurs in omnivores.

B12 is absorbed in the ileum, but must be liberated in the stomach by

intrinsic factor, which is secreted by the parietal stomach cells and

frees the protein-bound cobalamin. Hydrochloric acid (HCl) is also

necessary for this process.

--->autoimmune diseases in which the stomach parietal cells are

attacked lead to minimal absorption around ~1%. In these cases it is

treatable withlarge oral doses of B12.

--->Chron's disease or surgical ressection of the ileum leads to ~0%

absorption and INJECTION IS MANDATORY.

SYMPTOMS OF B12 DEFICIENCY

***Anemia***

------>lower number of macrocytes in blood, but larger macrocytes

------>some changes in white blood cells

------>reversed by B12 treatment

(this is largely understood in the maintream)

(other causes includes deficiencies in folic acid, B6, vitamin C,

thyroid hormone, and manganese.)

***Neurological***

------>can be independent of anemia

------> " normal " blood levels in US set for advanced pernicious anemia

at its irreversible stage, which occurs at much lower serum levels

than guarantee against neurological effects. (sidebar: Japanese set

normal levels of B12 2.5 times higher than the US and have little

Alzheimer's. also true of thyroid hormone levels and thyroid

diseases, where diagnosis is more strict in Japan and iodine intake is

100 (?!) times higher than US.)

------>dementia/Alzheimer's

------>depression, bipolar 1,2, paranoia/halucinatory psychotic episodes, rage

------>takes *much longer* to reverse with B12 treatment -- damage to

nerve cells must be restored, rather than increasing daily production

of blood cells

(failure to diagnose aggravated by to low acceptable serum levels and

by length of time required for B12 therapeutic treatment

***Physical***

------>occur independent of anemia

------>fatigue, independent of anemic fatigues (resembles chronic

fatigue syndrome [CFS])

------>fibromyalgia

------>peripheral neuropathy (tingling, I think in hands and feet)

------>spinal chord degeneration through demylenation leading to

paralysis and ataxia (resembles MS with similar MRI reading)

------>B12 *may* be necessary for microtubules, and deficiency may

play role in the development of neurfibrilary tangles seen in

Alzheimer's disease [side-note of my own observation: deficiency

elevates homocysteine which is correlated with Alzheimer's (McCully,

personal communication), also see my article

http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Cholesterol-Alzheimers.html for

an explanation of neurfibrilary tangles and other physical

manifestations of Alzheimer's)

------>osteoperosis (B12 is necessary for bone renewal)

------>Immune disorders, such as AIDS, cancer, CFS, infections

B12 DEFICIENCY IS AGGRAVATED BY

***factors inhibiting the methylation of cobalamin***

--excess copper

------>from: plumbing, multivitamins containing doses higher than 500 mcg

--deficient zinc

***factors causing the production of analogues that compete with B12***

--liver damage including from alcohol (mostly unknown)

FACTORS CONFOUNDING DIAGNOSES

--not reversed by restoring blood level alone

--actual cell damage repair may take up to 1 year if ever

IDEAL BLOOD LEVELS

*Minimum* 1000pg/mL

*Ideal* 2000 pg/mL

------>may be expressed in ng/L in which case the numbers remain the same

------>may be expressed in pmol/L in which case a conversion factor of

1.3 must be applied (not sure which way!)

SIDE EFFECTS OF B12 THERAPY

--Acne only, at high doses

CASE HISTORIES

Dr. Dommisse mentioned numerous case histories, most of which I didn't

record, but included a mother with a 5-year-old child in October 1976,

Portsmouth, VA, who was suicidaal, had psychotic episodes and

depression, which were reversed by B12 injections.

OBSTACLES TO TREATMENT

-- " Evidence-based medicine " -- the idea that something must be proven

in a $300 million dollar double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled

trial before it can be used in medicine. The popularity of

pharmaceutical drugs which DO meet this standard because of their

profitability and the willingness of producers to spend money on these

trials has raised the bar to one that many natural therapies can't

meet.

-- In some cases doctors have gotten their licensed revoked for using

B12 injections without making sure the B12 level was at some

officially " low " serum level

-- Within the natural/holistic school of medicine there is a tendency

against doing blood work. E.g. Weil.

-- A lack of appreciation for the long timeline that both B12

deficiency is required to do damage and that is taken for B12 therapy

to reverse problems

-- Lack of appreciation for the independence of neurological and

physical effects from the anemic effects

WHAT DR. DOMMISSE *CAN'T* CLAIM IN THE STATE OF ARIZONA

Dr. Dommisse spent $250,000 defending himself against the AZ State

Medical Board (or Board of Medicine?) for making " unsupported claims "

including claims about the benefit of B12 for preventing or reversing

the early stages of Alzheimer's and dementia. Poetic justice: one

doctor who testified against him is now retired with dementia.

Dr. Dommisse can NOT claim in the state of Arizona that:

-- Alzheimer's disease is prevented with B12 treatments if caught early enough

-- Mercury and aluminum can cause B12 deficiency

-- Deficiencies of vitamins E and C can lead to dementia, as can

deficiencies in thyroid hormone, sex and growth hormones, and

phosphoserine, but B12 deficiency is responsible for 60% of dementia

A FEW MORE THINGS:

--Deficiency of B12, along with B6, folate, and ***glycine*** raises

homocysteine which leads to a variety of diseases

--alpha-tocopherol supplements are worse than nothing, and inhibit

gamma-tocopherol.

RECOMMENDED READING

--_Rackateering in Medicine: Suppression of Alternatives_ by

--Dr. Roth Health Care Foundation website on pharmaceuticals:

http://www.dr-roth-health-foundation.org

--_Could it be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses_ by Sall Pecalok

(sp?), RN and

--

Dioxins in Animal Foods:

A Case For Vegetarianism?

Find Out the Truth:

http://www.westonaprice.org/envtoxins/dioxins.html