Sunday, 27 September, 2009

1. By Don Coyote. Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @08:59am:

   Apparently, that big thumbnail moon indicates a high B12 vitamin level. No moons and your level is too low.
2. By Evil Klown. Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @09:05am:

   I'll bet I could eat 100 of those.
3. By . Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @09:07am:

   That sandwich is Lilliputian.
   
   I can see a hostess trying out a couple of those sandwiches for a party.
4. By . Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @10:17am:

   a Little Mac!
5. By . Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @01:50pm:

   I just learned something about vitamin B12. Really?Drak
6. By . Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @02:51pm:

   I was hospitalized for B12 and folic acid deficiency anemia many years ago and was on B12 shots for about seven years, I think, before I just quit taking them. When diagnosed, my B12 level was 32; normal was 300-800. But, according to my doctor then, the range is way off and B12 deficiency is very common, particularly in older people. He prescribed B12 and folic acid for every older patient he had - including nursing home residents.
   
   As for the fingernail moons, the thumbs don't count for much; it's the moons on your other eight nails that tell the story. If they've disappeared, you need B12 supplementation - simple as that. Interestingly, they usually do disappear with age - just like the B12 levels drop with age. Big ridges in the fingernails are another sign of B12 deficiency; there are many others - if your nails are questionable, you should Google the whole story.
7. By Don Coyote. Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @02:55pm:

   Really. Ridges on your fingernails (running parallel to your fingers)are another indicator of having a problem with your B12 uptake. Interesting bunch of symptoms including neuropathy.
8. By . Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @02:58pm:

   Because I was so incredibly sick - in my 30s - from this, I take it very seriously. In my case, it was years of taking Dilantin that brought it about, but again, it seems to be something we just fall into, to a lesser degree, as we get older.
   
   You used to have to take B12 by injection, but no longer. I've started taking it again - and boy, is this a breeze - sublingual B12: Just a flat little pill that you put under your tongue and let it dissolve - and it's fruit flavored without a hint of vitamin taste. Get a high dosage - at least 1,000 mg - because your body throws off all that it can't use - no worries about getting too much.
   
   And take an oral folic acid supplement - or at least a multivitamin with folic acid in it. Taking just B12 can mask a folic-acid deficiency and that's not good. BTW, folic acid is the one that they finally figured out caused brain and spinal defects in newborns, so prenatal vitamins are full of it; who's to say it doesn't affect old brains also?
9. By . Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @02:59pm:

   I LOVE that little-bitty sandwich! Now I want to try to make one.
10. By Don Coyote. Comment posted 27-Sep-2009 @02:59pm:

    Pardon me, Mary. Typing away, got distracted by a possible flat tire on a mountain bike rescue drama, and made a cup of coffee while replying to #5. I'm heading to the health food store tomorrow to address my own B12 shortcomings.
11. By . Comment posted 28-Sep-2009 @03:21am:

    Can I get that on Pumpernickel?

Original content © 2009, John Walkenbach