Sally M. Pacholok > Quotes

“COULD IT BE B12 DEFICIENCY? The neurological symptoms of B12 deficiency that occur in young and middle-aged people are very similar to those in older people. They include the following: • Numbness, tingling, or burning sensations of the hands, feet, extremities, or truncal area, often misdiagnosed as diabetic neuropathy or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) • Tremor, often misdiagnosed as essential tremor or pre-Parkinson’s disease • Muscle weakness, paresthesias, and paralysis, sometimes attributed to Guillain-Barré syndrome • Pain, fatigue, and debility, often labeled as “chronic fatigue syndrome” • “Shaky leg” syndrome (leg trembling) • Confusion and mental fogginess, often misdiagnosed as early-onset dementia • Unsteadiness, dizziness, and paresthesias, often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis • Weakness of extremities, clumsiness, muscle cramps, twitching, or foot drop, often misdiagnosed as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) • Psychiatric symptoms, such as depression or psychosis (covered in greater length in the next chapter) • Visual disturbances, vision loss, or blindness In contrast, a doctor ignorant about the effects of B12 deficiency can destroy a patient’s life. The”
― Sally M. Pacholok, Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses

“For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1,000 pg/ml.”
― Sally M. Pacholok, Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses

“APPENDIX U: TREATMENT COST FOR INJECTABLE B12 Vitamin B12(hydroxocobalamin) 1,000 mcg/ml (30ml) vial costs approximately $36.00 per year for treatment 1,000 MCG = 1MG = 1ML INJECTED = $1.20 • Initial 7 injections daily or every other day then; • Maintenance: 1 ml IM or SC every 2 weeks = 24 ml per year or 0.5 ml SC every week = 24 ml per year • Syringes with needles (quantity 30): 1 ml syringe with 25 gauge needle costs 29 cents each or $8.70 per year (we recommend using 27 gauge needle) or insulin syringe with needle • 1 box of 100 insulin syringes with needles costs $28.56 and lasts over three years • Injectable hydroxocobalamin (1,000mcg/ml) is manufactured by Abraxis BioScience, Phoenix, AZ 85043, USA, and distributed by Watson Pharma, Inc.”
― Sally M. Pacholok, Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses