Wow Mrs. D. I love that Petoskey Stone.

It's a great specimen.

Of course, being a native Michigander, I'm prejudiced!!!!

Thanks for sharing.

Hey I am from MI too.
Anyhow I am not as educated as others here but have you looked on the RSD board or researched that. Some of the symptoms you have make me think of that. Maybe because of how I developed RSD and also how they thought I had tts but I did not.The treatment of rsd can be very different too like no cold for sure or those icy hot creams. As for docs who deal with nutrition. I saw a holistic doc who did and supplements. I would not see this doc again because I felt he was more about getting money and a salesman but another may be more about education.
Good luck and feel better

Thank you,. Daniella. I'll have to take a look over there...

I hear you on some drs. and feeling like it's about the $ for supplements. That's what I'm trying NOT to go for...

In case Mrs. D reads this, I found out my B6 levels were 'high' at 40.1. I'm wondering if that is affecting how I 'feel' at all...

Cher

Very pretty crystals, mrsD! I just collect souvenier shotglasses, which suddenly seems rather soulless by comparison.

Mrs. D, I found this part very interesting that you wrote:


My folates are 'high' according to the lab. They are 57.6 My lab references normal ranges as going up to 24.

So are you saying that it's possible that my high folates are making my B12s look higher than they are, and that I may actually potentially be deficient in B12, which could be 'helping' to bring on these symptoms?

I thank God for people like you, that are trying to help us out. Thank you. I am a stranger, and yet you are ready and willing to help. Much appreciated.

Oh, and that was interesting info about transfats and head size. Though I craved doughnuts in pregnancy, I did not get them often. BUT my babies all have 'good size' heads--to put it politely. =)

If you are taking vitamins, then lab ranges are not going to say much unless they show very low.

Typically in people with low B12, folate will be elevated if NO vitamins are being used. Elevated folate is called the folate trap, when methyl groups cannot be used on B12 because it is lacking, the folate goes up and traps the methyls. (a complex biochemical situation).
This is one explanation...which is hard to follow:
http://www.dach-liga-homocystein.org...eure/falle.htm

Many of our foods are now fortified with folate, so you don't have to be taking vitamins to show a high reading for it. Folate is not typically low in people now in US because of the food fortification.

Serum levels of vitamins are not really good indicators for anything unless very low. Higher levels don't mean much. The nutritional/enviromental doctors use Spectracell tests which measure things in the red blood cells. Costs more, and insurance usually doesn't cover it. It is the same with magnesium. Only really low levels mean much with it also.

What you should do is get a MMA test, to see if you have adequate B12. This test measures a specific chemical that only B12 can lower. If B12 is not working (say you are using cyano form) the MMA will be elevated. If MMA is normal than then your B12 is adequate at least for that task. Some doctors think MMA is more sensitive and some facilities are switching to it and bypassing serum B12 entirely.

B12 supplements are not harmful.. so it is not critical anyway, if you take extra. That's what I would do.

Interesting, well, I was wondering if my folates are high because I take a prenatal vitamin, and some other things I take I think have folic acid.
They are the same thing, right?

YOu mentioned methyls. I have MSM. Have not been taking it regularly, but this afternoon I took a dose. Do you think it could be helpful? Safe either way? I'm wondering about dosage... it says to take 2- 4 tablets daily...

TIA.

ps Daniella, I looked at what RSD is. It doesn't sound like something I have. But I could be wrong...

Thanks for mentioning, though...:)

MSM is not harmful...

the methyls we are discussing in regards to methylation of folate and B12 use specific enzymes to move the methyl group around... these are DNA controlled and called MTHFR enzymes.

The best source of methyl groups is glycine or trimethylglycine.
These are recommended to improve homocysteine levels, which go up when folate and B12 fail. Betaine is the common name, also the trimethylglycine is similar.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trimethylglycine

Foods high in glycine are root veggies, like beets. (Betaine comes from beets, and is named after them).

I never found MSM useful for myself... but it does lend itself to stronger nails and nicer hair, if you want that effect. ;)

Any yes, your prenatals would be 1mg of folic acid each.

hmmm...I could use some nail help, so since I have them in my cupboard and they're not harmful--why not...

Not a fan of beets AT all.
I'll have to look into these other terms you use.

I hope to get in touch with my neurologist tomorrow and get his thoughts on things as well.

Thank you again.