MonkaR wrote:Yes, I did have my Vitamin B12 & D levels checked as well. B12 was recorded at 301 ng/L (Standard range 211- 911 ng/L). D was recorded at 24 ng/mL (standard range 20-50 ng/mL). Even though my levels are within the standard range, I have added supplemental B12 and D vitamins to my daily multi-vitamin intake.
Your B12 & D levels are low – considered frankly deficient by some people. Lab reference ranges, especially for B12, are established locally with the mean value of
all the people having the test (and adding 2 standard deviations).
I urge you to read the book,
Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses by Sally M. Pacholok, RN, BSN, and Jeffrey J. Stuart, D.O. (This may be available at your library.):
http://b12awareness.org/could-it-be-b12 ... diagnoses/
On page 11:
There is much controversy as to what constitutes a normal result for this test [serum vitamin B12 test]. Because of this controversy, this test is often used in conjunction with other markers of B12 deficiency (MMA, Hcy, and more recently the HoloTc).
… We believe that the "normal" serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/mL to at least 450 pg/mL because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) below 550 pg/mL.
At this time, we believe normal serum B12 levels should be greater than 550 pg/mL.…
We commonly see patients with clinical signs of B12 deficiency who are not being tested. Others who are being tested are not being treated because their serum B12 falls in the gray zone [between 200 pg/mL and 450 pg/mL]. This error results in delayed diagnosis and an increased incidence of injury.
The lab reference ranges in the US are generally considered to be set too low. In Japan, any B12 result below 500 is considered deficient and treated as such.
Your B12 result (at 301 ng/mL) falls in the gray zone described by Pacholok and Stuart. B12 injections given in the offices of US doctors are in the form of
cyanocobalamin, which must be decyanated first before the body can use it. Supplementation in the form of
methylcobalamin or
hydroxocobalamin is preferable because they are more bioavailable. (Oral sublingual tablets are readily absorbed by some people, not all people.)
Your serum D level (at 24 ng/mL) is below the 40-60 ng/mL range recommended by the California-based GrassrootsHealth. (I urge you to review their website at
http://www.GrassrootsHealth.net) There are some experts promoting recommendations for people with neurological symptoms to reach and maintain levels of 80-100 ng/mL.
A deficiency of either vitamin B12 or vitamin D can lead to neurological symptoms. Be aware that there are individual dose-related responses: the
same dose of D3 supplement will
not achieve the same degree of increase in each person's blood level – each person's response varies. Vitamin D tests are necessary every 3-6 months to monitor the efficiency of absorption.
, fighting daily to keep my life together and moving forward, and sincerely just wanting to have some answers finally. Everything I see on demyelination of the CNS leads to MS... has anyone else had the diagnoses of demyelination of the CNS before being told finally they have MS?