[DannyT]

curious what the ideal range for b-12 in blood serum is.

[mrsD]

The current (outdated) range is :
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/...cle/003705.htm

However, good doctors use the lower cut off of 400pg/ml.

B12 passes into the spinal fluid and CSF in the brain passively by osmosis, so that higher blood levels result in more entering the brain. Low spinal values in the CSF of B12 have been found in MS patients and fibromyalgia patients.

It is best to use methyl form of B12 (methylcobalamin) because the MTHFR mutation is quite common, and results in nonconversion of other cobalamins to methyl active form.

Therefore you want a value above 1000. (most labs cannot test higher than 2000pg/ml).

[DannyT]

Thanks for the quick response. I will be supplementing again as I tested around 600.

Any danger in going too high?

What about a good range for folate in brain recovery?

[mrsD]

less than 4mcg/L is considered deficiency. Most people do not have low folate as folic acid is added to US foods.

However if you have the DNA mutation in MTHFR enzymes you could be low in folate. Using methylfolate therefore is a good idea for those patients. NeuroTalk members are increasingly having this DNA testing done and many are showing up with variants in the MTHFR system (errors in methylation). You might consider having this done to see if your slow healing is due to this genetic error.

[DannyT]

I tested at 19.6 so I don't think I have the mutation of that gene.

[mrsD]

I believe that high folate in the blood tests all the forms of folic acid. High folate is also a sign of low B12 in some patients.

I'd cover all your bases and use the methylfolate anyway.

Testing is only vaguely reliable for nutrients, it is not perfect.

Most vitamins in our food and supplements are INactive, and need further chemical alteration in order to work within our human metabolism.

http://www.amazon.com/Jarrow-Formula...w+methylfolate

One of these a day should be enough.

[KnockedOutMom]

I recently tested low B-12 and started taking 1000mcg of methylcobalamin B12 sublingual but it did nothing so I upped it to 3000-5000 for a month and it really made a difference in how I felt. I lowered it again and don't feel as good. It really helped with my PCS symptoms.