InChristAlone
Member
Here are some notes from Dr. Pfeiffer's book; "Mental and elemental nutrients : a physician's guide to nutrition and health care", it's an old book, but I think it's contributions to nutrition is still relevant.
Zinc- "zinc is more precious than gold" Zinc is needed for normal growth and sexual function.
"Organic farming may (as in Europe) add the manure of animals that have been fed 250 ppm of copper in their food. Manure from animals with this amount of copper can poison the soil of the unsuspecting organic farmer!"
"The oyster is commendably high in zinc, and 100 gm of Atlantic oysters will provide 120 mg of zinc —enough for a whole week if the body could only store zinc. However, along with the zinc in the oyster there occurs copper in large amounts and cadmium in great excess if the oyster is grown in contaminated waters. This makes the oyster less desirable as a source of zinc. Under the best circumstances, the level of zinc in any modern diet may be minimal, contaminated or downright missing. Hence the need for zinc supplements."
Signs of deficiency:
Stretch marks, brittle nails with white spots, brittle hair that lacks color, severe acne, irregular menstrual cycle, late puberty, painful knee and hip joints, cold extremities with poor peripheral circulation, poor wound healing, loss of smell and taste:
"(Zinc will not work without other nutrients, including vitamin B-6.) In our clinical experience, patients with loss of taste should be given B-6 for the first two days. Otherwise, zinc alone can increase hallucinatory experiences and/or depression. Patients with loss of taste are usually severely depressed, and for a good reason: the food they eat tastes like so much sawdust."
Birth defects: nauseated pregnant women are zinc and B6 deficient and can cause stillbirths and mental retardation.
"With impotent young males who are zinc deficient, a return of sex function may take as long as four to five months of daily zinc supplementation. They may sometimes have an abnormal fear of microphallus (small penis), but with zinc and vitamin B-6 the sex organs develop to full size and the beard and axillary hair become more abundant. Masturbation or sex become more gratifying."
Childhood hyperactivity, epilepsy, diabetes, enlarged prostate, high cholesterol, psoriasis, sickle cell disease, coarse hair and eyebrows, body and breath odor, pyroluria, retinal detachment, Rye's Syndrome.
"Copper level is high and zinc is low one week before the menstrual period when women are more liable to depressive disorders...Pfeiffer and Iliev reported in 1972 that estrogens raise ceruloplasmin and serum copper and lower serum zinc."
"As with most trace metal salts, only a certain percentage of the swallowed zinc dose will be absorbed from the stomach and intestine. An excess may lead to nausea and diarrhea."
Iron- "Iron deficiency is more likely to occur in women than in men, and in teen-agers whose rapid growth may require additional iron. In pregnancy and cases of overt blood loss, the risk of deficiency is enough to merit supplements. Iron overload is most likely to occur in older men."
"Based only on hemoglobin levels, some claim that iron deficiency is our most critical nutritional problem. We believe that deficiency in B-6 and zinc is more critical. Excess tissue iron is more insidious than iron deficiency."
"Excess iron may end up in the lungs, pancreas and heart, as well as in the liver."
"The iron-overloading diseases are basically an inability of the digestive tract to screen out unneeded iron. They appear mostly in men over the age of forty, and symptoms include headache, shortness of breath, increasing fatigue, dizziness and loss of weight. The iron becomes deposited in the tissues, and in time the iron deposits give the skin a grey hue."
Manganese- "The high copper level of many schizophrenics can be reduced by dietary intake of zinc and manganese. Manganese is similar to zinc in the way it increases urinary copper excretion; a combination of zinc and manganese is more effective than either alone."
"It is necessary for bone growth and development, reproduction, lipid metabolism and the moderation of nervous irritability. Manganese is also important in the building and breakdown cycles of protein and nucleic acid (the chief carrier of genetic information). As an activator of such enzymes as arginase (required for the formation of urea) and some peptidases (which cause the hydrolysis of proteins in the intestine), manganese may also contribute to a mother's love and instinctive maternal protection of her child. (Through certain enzymes, manganese affects the glandular secretions underlying maternal instinct.) Manganese is important in the formation of thyroxin, the principle of the thyroid gland."
Required Intake: Every day a healthy person excretes approximately 4 mg of manganese; this amount is then needed in the diet for replacement of the lost manganese. Adequate intake is required for the lipid and glucose metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation (among other intrinsic biochemical processes). On normal lipid metabolism manganese has a beneficial effect, particularly in cases of atherosclerosis.
The deficiency may produce abnormalities in the pancreatic secretion of insulin, the agent which utilizes excess sugar. Thus, a diabetic condition may result. The enzymes which manganese activates are also necessary for the utilization of vitamin C, choline and other B vitamins (biotin and thiamin). Without the ability to use choline or deanol properly, the body underproduces acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. In a body deficient in acetylcholine and properly utilized B vitamins various conditions may result, among them myasthenia gravis.
Leafy vegetables and grains constitute our main sources of dietary manganese. (grape juice and maple syrup appear to be high in cronometer)
Sulfur- must come from food protein which provides four sulfur-containing amino acids— cysteine, cystine, taurine and methionine. The first three can be made in the body as long as adequate amounts of the essential amino acid methionine are contained in man's diet. Elemental sulfur will also allow the building of the first three amino acids by the tissues of the body. Vegetarians may become deficient in sulfur, particularly if they do not eat eggs.
"For those who cannot eat eggs in any form (because of sensitivity), the local druggist will, on a physician's order, fill No. 1 capsules with flowers of sulfur. This dose, taken once each day, will provide one-quarter of the daily need, or 200 mg, of pure elemental sulfur. The other 600mg can be obtained from the sulfur-containing amino acids. Even egg albumen or white of egg is higher in sulfur (1.62 percent) than casein from milk (0.80 percent) and soybean protein (0.38 percent). Muscle protein (as in beef) approaches egg white with 1.27 percent sulfur. Smelly foods such as onions and garlic contain appreciable amounts of sulfur. Indeed, the tear gas from sliced onions is a simple sulfur compound, and any blood pressure lowering effect of garlic is related to its "garlic" smell— one that is characteristic of an organic sulfur compound"
Sulfate is not the best form as humans quickly eliminate it through the bowels. DMSO could be a sulfur supplement. "The great lipid solubility of DMSO might get sulfur to the brain for the regrowth of nerves and treatment of epilepsy by allowing the brain to synthesize the stabilizing amino acid taurine."
"Taurine is a simple chemical with two carbon atoms separating a primary amino group and a sulfuric acid group. These chemical groups at both ends make taurine very water-soluble and thus hard to pass through the lipid membranes of the body. Taurine's function is to perch on cellular membranes, probably in neutralized form, and facilitate the passage of simple things such as the potassium and sodium ions and perhaps calcium or magnesium ions."
"The distribution of taurine in the human brain is similar to that of zinc and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), both of which play an important calming role in nerve action. The injection of zinc in trace doses produced stretching and yawning in Barbeau's animals, as did GABA. Because serum zinc is low and copper high in epileptics, Barbeau theorizes that seizures may occur when the zinc to-copper ratio falls suddenly in the absence of adequate taurine, which cannot reach the brain easily and must be built in the brain. He believes that oral doses of taurine may help epileptics. Taurine is a stabilizer of membrane excitability and thus could control the onset of epileptic seizures. Taurine and sulfur could be factors in the control of many disorders, including the known biochemical changes in the aging process. Disorders of the skin and nails might improve with added sulfur in our diet."
"Egg yolks, with their high sulfur content, or elemental sulfur could be used to normalize the flora or change an unwelcome yeast or fungal flora."
Selenium- occurring naturally as either a red powder or a gray crystal, is among the most poisonous elements in the universe; and yet, in pure form, it is an essential trace mineral for animals and man.
“Too much selenium, generally absorbed from inorganic salts or from organic compounds in plants, produces toxic symptoms. These include loss of hair, nails and teeth; dermatitis; lassitude and progressive paralysis. Acute poisoning causes fever (103° to 105°), increased respiratory and capillary rate, gastroenteritis, myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord and bone marrow), anorexia and even death.”
It protects from the toxic effects of the pollutant cadmium and mercury in fish, reduces the chances of cancer, and is necessary for protein synthesis.
“Good food sources of selenium include brewer's yeast, garlic, liver and eggs. Foods from animal sources are generally richer in the mineral than those from vegetable sources, so vegetarians should supplement their diet with brewer's yeast tablets to fulfill the requirement.”
Calcium- “Calcium occurs in the blood, the fluid surrounding cells, cell membranes and intracellular organelles. Calcium is of further interest in mental disease since intravenous injections were used in the early 1930s to produce lucid intervals in some schizophrenics. Those patients may have been the histadelic or high-histamine type, since only one out of five patients responded. Calcium ion is a histamine-releasing agent. “
Deficiency causes increased irritability, osteoporosis (softening of the bones), osteomalacia (another type of bone-softening disease) and rickets.
“Bed rest is bad for human physiology since calcium is lost from bones and nitrogen is lost from muscles.”
“Since older patients usually need both zinc and calcium, these should be separated. Even inositol should be separated in time from the zinc and calcium so that maximum absorption of both calcium and zinc are effected.”
“Older patients on a high protein diet develop osteoporosis while older vegetarians do not. The acid ash of the protein is responsible for the calcium loss. Obviously, hypoglycemic patients need bone meal or dolomitic calcium tablets twice a day.”
“Men, women and children (aged 1 to 10) need 800 mg of calcium daily. Infants need only 360 to 540 mg, while older boys and girls and pregnant and lactating women need 1200 mg daily. Dr. Lutwak believes 1000 mg of calcium daily in older people may completely prevent osteoporosis. As aging occurs, the body's absorption of calcium becomes less efficient. Also, excitement or depressive emotional states can markedly increase calcium loss.”
“Calcium is essential, but its interaction with other vitamins and minerals must not be overlooked. A lack of magnesium can cause calcium deposits in muscles, heart and kidney. This results in kidney stones. The use of enough vitamin B-6 to produce recall of nightly dreams will allow enough pyridoxic acid to form to prevent kidney stones of the calcium oxalate. In hyperparathyroidism, calcium is mobilized from the bones excessively. Patients with this condition may also have kidney stones, but the removal of the enlarged parathyroid gland provides prompt relief. “
“Milk is ordinarily the best source of a balanced solution of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Two glasses of milk per day should be drunk by every growing individual and every pregnant woman. One 8-ounce glass per day should be drunk by every adult, and if this rule is followed then the adult will not lose the ability to burn lactose or milk sugar.”
“Cheese is another good source of calcium. Dolomitic calcium and magnesium can be used by the adult who is sensitive to milk. Since the magnesium makes the calcium soluble, the danger of kidney stones which occurs with calcium alone is eliminated. Two 300 mg tablets A.M. and P.M. are sufficient. Bone meal provides calcium and magnesium and other minerals such as fluoride as they occur in our well-fed animals.”
“The eggshell— usually thrown out— is a splendid source of calcium and trace elements. Eggshells can be used to sweeten vinegar and lemon juice by neutralizing the acid, so that sugar is not needed. Salad dressings made from vinegar or lemon juice neutralized with egg shells need no sugar.”
Magnesium- For production and transfer of energy, muscle contraction, protein synthesis and nerve excitability. Magnesium functions as a cofactor, assisting enzymes in catalyzing many chemical reactions.
“Hypomagnesia occurs in arteriosclerosis and may lead to disturbances of heart rhythm. Dr. Janos Rigo found that a high-magnesium diet lowered blood pressure and prevented "precocious aging" of the aorta in rats with experimentally induced hypertension.”
“The symptoms of a magnesium deficiency are depression, irritability, muscle tremors and, occasionally, convulsive seizures accompanied by delirium. Adelle Davis in her book Let's Get Well states that a daily dose of 450 mg of magnesium, when used to treat thirty epileptic patients, resulted in control of the seizures so that all drugs were discontinued. (Since this appears in her chapter on vitamin B-6, we suspect that magnesium plus adequate B-6 plus a better diet might have been the effective remedy.)”
“Our kidneys are efficient in conserving magnesium. Therefore, unless one suffers from a kidney disease or loses an excessive amount of the mineral in sweat or feces, hypomagnesia is not likely to occur.”
“Can be supplemented by taking dolomite, a naturally occurring mixture of calcium and magnesium.”
Potassium- Symptoms of potassium deficiency are muscle weakness, fatigue, constipation and mental apathy. These symptoms will disappear when dietary changes provide sufficient potassium.
“Foods particularly rich in potassium are green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, citrus juice, beans, lentils, nuts, dates, prunes and fruits of all kinds. With cooked vegetables, careful conservation of the pot liquor is necessary in order to minimize the water-soluble potassium loss.”
Molybdenum- an essential trace element, important to human life. Only a judicious choice of protein foods and vegetables will ensure adequate amounts of the trace metal in the remaining caloric intake.
Can prevent dental caries and esophageal cancer. A copper overload can be corrected with molybdenum
Chromium- Glucose Tolerance Factor Essential for Burning Blood Sugar
“GTF is an organic chromium compound whose exact chemical structure is now being determined. Trivalent chromium is known to be the center of the molecule which also contains two niacin molecules (vitamin B-3) and three amino acids. These amino acids are now known to be glutamic acid and glycine and cysteine. GTF works with the hormone insulin to maintain the delicate balance between hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) conditions.”
“Chromium-containing foods with biologically active chromium are brewer's yeast, black pepper, liver, beef, whole-wheat bread, beets, beet sugar molasses, mushrooms and beer. Among these, far and away the highest in chromium content is brewer's yeast. For the patient suspected of impaired glucose tolerance, brewer's yeast tablets are an indispensable supplement to the diet.”
Copper- The Heavy-Metal Intoxicant
“The heavy metals lead, mercury and cadmium are poisons which slowly accumulate with age as a body burden, much as barnacles accumulate on a ship at sea. This body burden can shorten life by the production of hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, kidney disease, psychosis, early senility and numerous other diseases of aging. We now have sufficient evidence to incriminate a fourth metal, copper, as a culpable heavy metal.”
“Copper is essential in small amounts to form hemoglobin. This discovery was made by Dr. E. B. Hart of the University of Wisconsin in 1928, but work on the intimate metabolism of copper is proceeding slowly. Copper can be found in all iron salts and in many foods, so that adult man can be considered safe from copper deficiency. Dr. Gubler, in an excellent review published in 1956, states, "It is doubtful that an unquestioned case of copper deficiency has been reported in man. It is also extremely unlikely that copper deficiency could occur in man even on suboptimal diets." We have determined serum copper in more than seventeen hundred patients and have not found a single case of copper deficiency. In our present environment, we are satiated with copper, so that only premature infants and patients on parenteral (intravenous) feeding have shown copper deficiency. Anyone who eats and drinks gets copper!”
“Copper, and particularly ceruloplasmin (a copper-containing protein) is elevated by estrogens; therefore, the levels of copper and ceruloplasmin rise progressively during pregnancy.”
“Copper is an essential element for supporting life, but, in excess, copper can be toxic. Environmental factors can cause copper and iron overloading. The foods we eat and the water we drink affect our delicate balance, depending on the environment and the material of the water piping. The average adult ingests 3 to 5 mg per day. Since the actual adult need is closer to 2 mg per day, an accumulation may occur.”
“As a result of the installation of copper plumbing in conjunction with the slight acidity of most drinkable water, we are getting an excess of copper which may be antagonizing the zinc we obtain from food. This is most likely when water is pumped from shale or loam. In some areas of New Jersey, well water will produce pin holes in copper piping in ten years' time. The copper goes into the drinking water!”
“In subacute poisoning of rats with copper, Lai et al. have found great increases in liver copper and some deaths. The activity of a zinc-containing enzyme, lactic acid dehydrogenase, was decreased, as was that of the enzyme which destroys amines in the brain when they are no longer needed. Brain copper increased 36 percent in a six-week period, and the turnover of serotonin was apparently reduced. The adrenal glands markedly increased in weight— an index of stress.”
“Several anemias that do not respond to iron therapy have been found to be associated with high copper levels.”
“We know that during the suckling period breast milk is deficient in copper and iron; the amount of excess copper and iron stored in the infant's liver should therefore decrease in the first six months of life. At this time, the liver produces the normal copper protein, ceruloplasmin, which stores copper in the blood serum and prevents excess absorption. Similarly, ferritin, the iron-containing protein, is made. Any abnormality which results in inadequate ceruloplasmin or ferritin could allow excess copper or iron to be absorbed, which would affect the brain. Both of these metals are stimulants to the brain and might produce hyperactivity or autism, with development into adulthood being slow or failing to take place normally. Nothing in the fetal development process protects against excess copper and iron. An alternative hypothesis is that heavy metals such as lead and mercury could interfere with the synthesis of ceruloplasmin or ferritin. This theory is worthy of testing, and can be tested by the usual laboratory methods in autistic children.”
“The clinical syndromes (other than Wilson's disease) wherein elevated serum or tissue copper may be an important factor are paranoid and hallucinatory schizophrenia, hypertension, stuttering, autism, childhood hyperactivity, preeclampsia, premenstrual tensions, psychiatric depression, insomnia, senility, and possibly functional hypoglycemia.”
“Advertising campaigns promote iron-containing vitamins as a means of combating "iron-poor blood." As a result of this sales pitch, many vitamin-plus-mineral preparations predominantly contain iron and copper. We should attempt to rid the body of excess copper rather than look for new sources!”
My thoughts: I wonder how this picture has changed over the last 40 yrs? Is there less copper toxicity due to more reverse osmosis filtration? Or are we still dealing with too much copper? He doesn’t mention any use for copper supplements.
The Vitamins
Niacin- As a coenzyme, it assists in the breakdown and utilization of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The niacin-deficiency disease, pellagra, produces such symptoms as weakness, diarrhea, dermatitis and nervous-mental disorders.
“Average "normal adults" excrete 2 to 8 mg of B-3 daily, mainly as the niacinamide methochloride. This excretion product uses carbon atoms or methyl groups, and this may be in part the mode of action of large doses of niacin since excess methylation may produce hallucinogenic substances.”
“Niacin helps in the oxidation of sugars and is essential to proper brain metabolism. In this way, it also helps regulate the blood sugar level in the hypoglycemic patient. In 1966, Pfeiffer and Iliev discovered the possible role of histamine in the schizophrenias and noted that niacin, in conjunction with other vitamins, raised blood histamine and thus helped to relieve such symptoms as paranoia, hallucinations and other misperceptions. Schizophrenic patients who are high in histamine or have pyroluria (mauve factor) are not benefited by niacin therapy. Niacin is also effective in treating some alcoholics, many of whom are basically schizophrenic.”
“Niacin, as an acid, competes with release of free fatty acids and thus helps keep blood cholesterol down. It has been used in large doses (i.e., 3 or 4 gm daily) to treat fat-induced hyperlipemia, hypercholesterolemia and occlusive vascular disease. Dr. Edwin Boyle, Research Director of the Miami Heart Institute, has used niacin in more than a thousand cases. In one group of 600 patients, insurance company actuarial mortality tables predicted 62 deaths over a ten-year period. Among these patients, all of whom took large doses of niacin during the period, only 6 deaths occurred.”
“Sixty milligrams of tryptophan yields 1 mg of niacin, and tryptophan may provide all of the daily niacin requirements if only small amounts are required. However, the need for niacin, as for all vitamins, can vary greatly from individual to individual. The RDA or minimum daily requirement (MDR) can be misleading in this sense. For someone on a 2,000-calorie diet, the National Research Council recommends 13.2 mg of niacin or niacin equivalent; yet the histapenic schizophrenic may require two hundred times this amount as a bare minimum. This niacin dependent patient cannot rely simply on the niacin or tryptophan content of his food. He must supplement his intake with niacin tablets.”
Vitamin C- “Aside from its possible beneficial effects on head colds, vitamin C is known to be essential for many biochemical functions and, more recently, has been found to have an antianxiety effect (as shown by the quantitative EEG) which has proven advantageous in the biochemical treatment of the schizophrenias. Vitamin C also mobilizes heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury and allows their excretion by the kidneys.”
“Citrus juice free of copper or iron contamination provides the highest level of vitamin C activity. Patients who have high levels of copper or iron in their blood have the lowest levels of vitamin C and need a larger intake.”
“During stress, C is depleted from the tissues, particularly the adrenal cortex. Dietary supplementation with vitamin C will prevent stress reactions such as those which may occur if an animal is exposed to cold for a prolonged period. In general, vitamin C seems to operate as an antistress factor, enabling the organism to adapt to rapid environmental changes.”
“Recent studies have shown vitamin C to be necessary for cholesterol regulation. Dr. Constance Spittle has reported that she noticed that her own serum cholesterol was lowered from 230 to 140 mg percent when she took vitamin C. She then did a clinical study on various groups of individuals. In nor-mal, healthy patients, aged twenty-five, cholesterol levels tended to fall when 1 gm of C per day was added to an otherwise normal diet. In atherosclerosis patients, however, serum cholesterol increased in the weeks with vitamin C supplements, possibly due to the mobilization of the arterial cholesterol. She suggests that atherosclerosis may be a long-term deficiency (or negative balance) of vitamin C which permits cholesterol levels to build up in the arterial system.”
“Dr. Sherry Lewin feels that depression of blood cholesterol, as well as the more rapid conversion into bile acids, may be a direct effect of ascorbic acid. Results have indicated that as adrenocortical activity increases, the concentration of ascorbic acid and cholesterol in the adrenal gland decreases. Thus, it appears that ascorbic acid may be involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones from cholesterol.”
“Commenting on the beneficial effect of ascorbic acid in patients, Vanderkamp states: "All patients who received the vitamin in large doses made definite clinical improvement, predominantly in the area of socialization. The patients expressed a feeling of well-being. The anxious, tense facial expressions were replaced with a smile and friendliness. The patients stated that they did not feel so spacially constrained. Those who were shy, reclusive, and withdrawn began to participate in ward activities, in conversations with other patients, and ward personnel." The pioneer work of Hoffer and Osmond has demonstrated the same results and, more recently, vitamin C has been made a vital component of all nutrient therapy. In the schizophrenic this extra vitamin C is needed to get rid of the accumulated copper.”
“Thiamine and ascorbic acid have an antianxiety or sedative effect, characterized by a significant decrease in the mean energy content (MEC) of the EEG…..The effect of vitamin C at 3 grams lasts for a full six hour test period and it was the most effective substance at the dosage used. Vitamin C is now used in the general nutrient therapy program to treat patients who show excess copper or nervousness.”
Inositol-Phytic acid is inositol hexaphosphate when every OH group is attached to a phosphate group. Phytic acid occurs in cereals and prevents the absorption of zinc and other trace metals from the gastrointestinal tract.
“Abrahamson administered a preparation containing inositol, choline, methionine, liver extract and vitamin B-12 to eighty-six elderly patients with hyper-high serum cholesterol and found significant reduction in the cholesterol levels and an improvement in the health of the patients. Sherber and Levites used a mixture of inositol and choline in sixteen patients with high serum cholesterol and observed lowering of the levels.”
“We at the Brain Bio Center have studied the effect of inositol on the quantitative brain waves of both patients and normals. These studies show inositol to have a typical antianxiety effect similar to that of Librium or meprobamate.”
“We have used inositol in schizophrenics, in hypoglycemics and in patients who have a high serum copper and a low serum zinc. While the phosphate ester of inositol impedes
absorption of zinc, the pure inositol favors absorption. Inositol is sedative and solves many insomnia and anxiety problems. Inositol may also reduce stress-elevated blood pressure.”
Vitamin B6- The recommended daily allowance of B-6 for healthy, unstressed individuals is determined in part by the amount of protein ingested. For adult men and women it is 2.0 mg per day, for adolescents 1.4 to 2.0 mg per day and for infants 0.2 to 1.2 mg. The stressed individual may require much more because the kryptopyrrole molecule removes both B-6 and zinc from the body. Since B-6 is an important intermediary in amino acid metabolism, those individuals whose diets are high in protein should receive additional B-6. The RDA is a basal level recommendation; more B-6 may also be needed by those with inborn errors of metabolism that make them B-6 dependent. The 2 mg per day needed by the adult may be obtained by drinking a quart of milk or eating a pound of meat or unprocessed wheat. Processing the wheat removes the B-6. Other sources of B-6 are whole grains, organ meats and other meats. Because this vitamin is water-soluble, excesses are excreted via the urine so that toxic levels are never reached. Pyridoxic acid occurs in the urine of patients who take any excess of B-6. This is a harmless excretion product.
“A specific B-6 phosphate reaction in the brain is the removal of the acid group from glutamic acid to form gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a calming chemical and a possible neural transmitter. Deficiency of B-6 may cause seizures due to the inability of this calming chemical to be formed in adequate amounts.”
“Diets deficient in B-6 fed to laboratory animals produced convulsions, accumulation of cystathianine in numerous organs, dermatitis (skin lesions), nervous symptoms and blood disorders. Human deficiency symptoms include convulsions, hyperirritability, abnormal auditory acuteness, seborrhea-like skin lesions and decreased growth rate.”
“We have postulated that dream recall can serve as a yardstick to measure brain B-6 deficiency. If the dose of B-6 is too large or mainly taken with the evening meal, then dreams become so vivid that the patient is awakened from sleep all night long”
“Pregnant patients who develop nausea and vomiting should be treated with both vitamin B-6 and zinc.”
Vitamin B12- chemically a most complex vitamin, contains an atom of cobalt in its center. The structure of this vitamin is similar to that of hemoglobin (with iron at its center) and to that of chlorophyll (the green pigment responsible for photosynthesis in plants) with a central magnesium atom. The several forms of B-12 are called cobalamins. All are active, but hydroxycobalamin is the most active.
“Vitamin B-12 is transported throughout the body by se- rum proteins in the blood and is stored in many, if not all, body tissues— especially the liver, kidney, stomach, muscle and brain. The liver is the main storage site and in good nutritional states contains 2 to 5 mg, enough to last three to five years. Vitamin B-12 is essential for the functioning of all cells, and it performs many diverse and important activities in the organism.”
“Vitamin B-12 deficiency, which may result in pernicious anemia, is usually caused by a defect of absorption— i.e., lack of the intrinsic factor or small bowel malabsorption of vitamin B-12. Megaloblastic anemia from vitamin B-12 can also develop three to five years after surgical removal of the part of the stomach that produces the IF or the part of the ileum in the small intestine where the vitamin is absorbed. Megaloblastic anemias resulting from inadequate absorption of vitamin B-12 and folic acid may also be symptomatic of malabsorption syndromes such as celiac sprue.”
Symptoms of deficiency:
“rapid heart beat, cardiac pain, shortness of breath, edema (swelling) of the face, general jaundice and intense brown discoloration around the small joints, weakness and fatigue as a consequence of the anemia (when present), inflammation of the tongue, loss of hair, lack of appetite, loss of weight, disturbed digestion, diarrhea, and neurological disturbances such as peripheral neuritis, spinal cord changes, intermittent numbness and tinglings in arms and legs, diminished tendon reflexes, unsteady gait, weakness of fine movements of hands, intolerance to noise or light, optic atrophy, auditory hallucinations, impaired memory and ability to learn and concentrate, confusion with paranoid delusions, mental depression, and psychoses. As mentioned, anemia is not always present in B-12 deficiency, and lesions of the ner-vous system may occur before the anemia is evident and may progress even after the anemia has been corrected. Conversely, neurological symptoms are not always seen in pernicious anemia patients. About 80 percent of pernicious anemia patients show some neurological involvement, and about 60 percent have personality changes. "Schizophrenia" with onset in middle or old age is usually B-12 deficiency.”
Folic acid- (folacin, folate, pteroylglutamic acid) has three chemical components: a pteridine grouping; PABA, a B-complex vitamin; and glutamic acid, an amino acid. Folic acid is bright yellow in color, slightly soluble in water, easily oxidized in an acid medium and easily destroyed by sunlight and heat. Much of the folic acid in foods can be lost by storage at room temperature and by normal cooking.
“Deficiency leads to megaloblastic anemia. Folate also performs an important function in the biosynthesis and transfer of single carbon units such as the methyl group. These processes result in the making of methylated compounds such as choline and other lipotropic substances previously discussed. The transfer of a methyl group is also essential to one of the components of DNA. Folate is essential to the functioning of our brains, in that it is selectively concentrated in the spinal fluid and extracellular fluids. Folate is necessary for the synthesis of purines, which are the constituents of nucleic acids, the components of the cellular nucleoproteins DNA and RNA. Methionine, the synthesis of which depends upon folate and B-12, participates in many further transmethylation reactions in the brain and other areas. Folate and other pteridine derivatives also function as coenzymes in the biosynthesis of norepinephrine and serotonin, substances which are believed to be brain neurotransmitters (between-nerve-cell-communicators). Considerable evidence indicates that alterations in norepinephrine levels in the brain, possibly in conjunction with serotonin and dopamine, may play a part in the etiology of manic-depressive disorders. Folic acid appears to be crucial for mental and emotional health, but little is yet known as to the exact mechanism.”
“The best sources include liver, kidney, yeast, and deep-green leafy vegetables (spinach, watercress, kale, parsley, escarole, etc.). Other good food sources area sparagus, broccoli, lentils, lima beans, peanuts, other legumes,mushrooms, whole-grain cereals, lean beef, veal and egg yolks. Notably low in folate are root vegetables, light-green vegetables, corn, rice, dairy products and pork. Eggs are not especially rich, but the folacin of eggs, liver and yeast is better absorbed than that from other sources.”
“Folate deficiency usually produces irritability, forgetfulness and mental sluggishness. In addition, the deficiency may produce cheilosis, a condition characterized by lesions at the corners of the mouth, which was observed by Dr. G. Rose to be alleviated by folate administration.”
“Folate deficiency has also been re- ported in geriatric patients with mental disorders; their most common mental symptoms were apathy, withdrawal, lack of motivation and depression.”
“Again, we must stress the close relationship between folic acid and vitamin B-12. In pernicious anemia, caused by lack of vitamin B-12 in the body, the patient is often also deficient in folic acid.”
“Folic acid in oral doses greater than 5 mg per day is apt to produce muscle restlessness, myoclonic (muscle) jerking, and occasionally seizures (convulsions).”
Histapenia needs folic acid and 1 mg per month B12 via injection. Niacin can be brought down to normal dosages with this. Zinc is needed for histamine storage as well.
Histadelia needs anti-folates, calcium, methionine and the trace metal nutrients (zinc and manganese).
Vitamin B1- Thiamin was the first member of the B complex to be chemically identified. Thiamin performs several functions, one of the most important of which is related to carbohydrate metabolism. It is involved to a lesser extent in the metabolism of fats and amino acids. Thiamin aids digestion and elimination by helping to maintain muscle tone in the digestive tract, is necessary for normal growth and good appetite, and is essential to a healthy nervous system.
“Humans need approximately half a milligram of thiamin per thousand calories consumed; athletes and laborers therefore need more than the usual amounts. Diets high in fats and proteins require somewhat less; however, a minimum allowance of at least 1.0 mg is recommended for all adults.”
“Whole-grain cereals originally are rich in thiamin, but most of the vitamin is lost in the polishing of rice and the refining of flour. Americans obtain about a third of their thiamin from enriched-grain cereal foods; the remainder comes from poultry, fish, meats (lean pork and liver are especially high), legumes, egg yolks and milk. Brewer's yeast and wheat germ, with their concentration of Bcomplex vitamins, are also good sources and should be used more frequently by Americans. Vegetables and fruits may also make a significant contribution to vitamin B-l intake if large quantities are consumed and not overcooked.”
“The storage in the body of thiamin is not very great, and tissues are rapidly depleted during a deficiency. Eating sugar, smoking and drinking alcohol further deplete thiamin.”
“Beriberi is the most severe form of vitamin B-l deficiency. Adult beriberi, resulting from a prolonged thiamin deficit, is fatal if not corrected. The predominant symptoms are debility, severe weight loss, plugged hair follicles, gastrointestinal disturbances, nervous disturbances, weak and sore muscles, paralysis of the lower and sometimes upper limbs, enlarged liver, and swollen and weak heart with palpitations, difficult breathing and possibly cardiac failure. "Wet" beriberi is mainly characterized by edema (water-swelling of the tissues) and cardiac failure; "dry" beriberi is distinguished by weakness, emaciation and multiple neuritic symptoms.”
“The symptoms of mild thiamin deficiency are vague and can be attributed to other problems, so that diagnosis is often difficult. Most commonly, the individual experiences fatigue, insomnia, headaches, numbness, neuritis, aching, burning sensation in hands and feet, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea and loss of appetite, weight and strength. Mental symptoms include apathy, confusion, emotional instability, irritability, depression and fear of impending disaster. Often the mental changes are prominent after only a few days of deprivation and are not accompanied by the symptoms or signs of neuritis.”
“We have not seen any benefit in the schizophrenic when megadoses of 500 mg are given twice a day”
Vitamin B2- Riboflavin, an orange-yellow fluorescent biochemical, was discovered in 1879. Because this fluorescent pigment or "flavin" was first found in milk, it was designated as "lactoflavin."
“Riboflavin (B-2) is essential to normal growth and tissue maintenance. B-2 goes into the formation of some enzymes and assists in the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates, the three energy-generating food constituents.”
“The recommended daily allowance of riboflavin is 0.8 to 2.6 mg for adults. The individual need will be increased by hyperthyroidism, fevers, stress of injury or surgery, and malabsorption. People in those parts of the world where the diet consists mostly of starches have the ability to synthesize riboflavin in their gastrointestinal tracts, but the bacteria that accomplish this synthesis are inhibited by fat and protein.”
Milk is the largest source. Organ meats and other dairy products are also significant. In addition, eggs, some other meats, poultry, fish, yeast, wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, legumes and nuts supply important amounts. Cereals and flours do not naturally contain much riboflavin, but through being enriched, they make significant contributions of riboflavin to the diet.
“Signs of B-2 deficiency are cheilosis and inflammation of the tongue and cornea. Other symptoms are a purple-red colored tongue; dermatitis around the nose, forehead and ears; eye fatigue, oversensitivity to light, blurred vision, and bloodshot eyes. The ocular manifestations are often among the earliest warnings of riboflavin deficiency.”
“B-2 deficiency can produce trembling, dizziness, insomnia and mental sluggishness, this vitamin is not believed to be as important in mental health as the B vitamins pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, folic acid, niacin, thiamin and pantothenic acid. No specific need for excess riboflavin has been found in stress or in any mental disease. Riboflavin in doses of 10 mg is quite adequate”
Vitamin B5- Pantothenic acid was isolated and synthesized in 1940 by the chemist Roger Williams of Texas. Its key role in metabolism is suggested by its occurrence in all living cells, and thus its name was derived from the Greek word for "everywhere," panthos.
“It is essential for energy metabolism, for fat and cholesterol synthesis, for antibody formation and for the building of acetylcholine in the nervous system. This vitamin has been found to restore abnormally gray hair to its original color in test rats, but the same has not been found for humans. (Yet some claim pantothenic acid deficiency may result in premature graying of hair.) We have found zinc and sulfur deficiency to be more important in the graying of hair.”
“The human requirement for pantothenic acid is not known, but a dose of 5 to 10 mg daily is considered sufficient for adults and children; more is probably needed after an injury, after antibiotic therapy or during the stress of severe illness. Since pantothenic acid is synthesized in all animal and plant cells, it is available to us in all foods, but the largest quantities of this vitamin are found in meat, poultry, fish, wholegrain cereals and legumes. We also obtain some pantothenic acid from fruits, vegetables and milk. Little of the vitamin is lost with ordinary cooking procedures, except in acid and alkaline solutions.”
“Deficiency is seen only in conjunction with severe multiple B-complex deficiencies. The deficit identifies itself through loss of appetite, indigestion, abdominal pain, respiratory infections, peripheral neuritis with cramping pains in the arms and legs, burning sensations in the feet, and adrenal insufficiency. The brain is one of the areas of highest pantothenic acid concentration in the body. As with almost all the B vitamins, mental symptoms accompany the deficiency—in this case, insomnia, fatigue, sullenness and mental depression. Pantothenic acid deficiency may be related to the nervous disease and psychosis seen in some alcoholics. However, when diets are deficient in pantothenic acid, this deficiency is accompanied by others. Therefore, it is probably not legitimate to attribute the alcoholic's neuropathy solely to any single deficit. “
“Our usual dose in the histapenic patient is 30 mg per day taken in the morning. This dose causes a rapid rise in the blood histamine level. “
Biotin- Biotin, like thiamin, is a sulfur-containing vitamin which acts as a coenzyme of a number of enzymes responsible for many reactions in the body. It is required in the food-energy cycles, in the synthesis of fatty acids and amino acids and in the manufacture of glycogen, our means of storing energy in the liver. It is also essential for the introduction of carbon dioxide in the formation of purines, constituents of DNA and RNA.
“The requirement for this vitamin in man has not been established, but it is estimated at about 150 mcg per day in adults. The average diet provides about 150 to 300 mcg daily. Small quantities of biotin are found in many foods; good food sources include egg yolk, organ meats, yeast, legumes and nuts. Cereal grains, muscle meats and milk contain very small amounts. Biotin is also synthesized by intestinal bacteria, in amounts considerably greater than the diet supplies.”
“The symptoms of biotin deficiency are similar to those of thiamin deficiency. They include scaly dermatitis, loss of appetite, nausea, pallor of both skin and mucous membranes, muscle pains, lassitude and increased sensory sensitivity. The individual will usually show a lowered hemoglobin level, a raised blood cholesterol level and a greatly decreased urinary excretion of biotin.”
“We have studied large doses of biotin in both normals and patients. Extra biotin increases the kryptopyrrole excretion in pyroluric patients, and Donald Irvine has found that sterilization of the gut with antibiotics will eliminate the KP excretion. In pyroluria we may be dealing with an overproduction of biotin or with an abnormal form of biotin, since we know that the synthesis of hemoglobin involves the use of biotin as a co-enzyme.”
Vitamin A- Vitamin A and the carotenes are transported in the blood in a fat-protein complex. Vitamin E is known to prevent the oxidation of fats and is needed for adequate A uptake. Mobilizing vitamin A from the liver stores depends upon adequate protein nutrition and possibly on sufficient dietary zinc. Without plentiful dietary zinc, vitamin A accumulates in the liver due to inadequate mobilization from liver to plasma.
“Liver reserves and blood levels of vitamin A vary widely and are generally higher for men than for women. But the blood level of vitamin A remains high even when liver storage is exhausted, so that serum levels are markedly affected only in extreme hypervitaminosis A or extreme hypovitaminosis A. In general, the American diet supplies the body with equal amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene.”
Sources are fish and animal livers, cod and shark liver oil, egg yolk, butter, margarine, milk, cream and milk products. Primarily beta-carotene, is synthesized in plants and can be converted to vitamin A in the body. The richest sources are apricots (fresh and dried), yellow, red and green vegetables, carrots, beets, beet greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peaches, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe.
“American corn-fed chickens have yellow skin, especially since synthetic B-carotene is now added to most commercial chicken feed to make the egg yolk a deep yellow and the skin of the dressed chicken yellowish. We suspect that the meat from such chickens is high in carotene; we have observed yellow palms in hypoglycemic patients who subsist on a high protein diet and eat the cheap American chicken as their main source of protein.”
“Vitamin A combined with calcium carbonate has been used successfully to prevent severe sunburn in susceptible individuals. (Pyridoxine and zinc also help.) Rats pretreated with vitamin A can withstand cold stress and the stress of steroid administration better than those deficient in A; and, when all other essential nutrients except A are present in the diet of laboratory animals, the growth of these animals is stunted compared to that of controls.”
“The fat-solubility of vitamin A renders it toxic if taken in large quantities. The MDR (minimum daily requirement) is 1,500-4,500 IU for children and 5,000 IU for adults.”
“Xerophthalmia, a manifestation of a greater degree of deficiency, is characterized by burning, itching, inflamed eyelids, and mucus in the corners of the eye and in the cornea. Literally, it means "dry eyes"; the lacrimal duct glands fail to secrete, producing inflammation of the conjunctiva and the cornea. Keratomalacia, a progression of xeropthalmia, produces severe degeneration and perforation of the cornea, resulting in permanent blindness. People working in extremely bright or dim light, such as typists, seamstresses or miners, need more vitamin A because such extremes cause more of the vitamin to be used up.”
“Intoxication with vitamin A has been reported in doses as low as 50,000 IU per day. The symptoms are red discoloration of the gums, craving for food, itchy skin, muscle stiffness, bursitis, headaches from increased intracranial pressure and lack of appetite. Pseudotumor cerebri, or vitamin A-induced benign increased intracranial pressure, may occur in individuals taking high doses for dermatologic reasons. Fisher has reported cases of hypercalcemia due to hypervitaminosis A with ingestion of 150,000 IU daily to mitigate acne, even though no hyperactivity of the parathyroid glands was present. Body size is a factor in toxic symptoms. Acute hypervitaminosis A syndrome consists of nausea, vomiting, skin peeling, intense headaches, vertigo, irritability, drowsiness, seizures and, eventually, coma. A six-year-old girl suffering from chronic hypervitaminosis A developed hepatic (liver) dysfunction and hypertension associated with clinical and structural evidence of liver damage.”
Vitamin D- Among the normal physiological functions of vitamin D is its ability to regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract— it is believed that vitamin D renders the intestinal mucosa more permeable to these minerals. Due to its regulation of calcium uptake, vitamin D is also important to the calcification of bones and teeth. Delayed dentition or malformation of teeth can result from inadequate ingestion of vitamin D.
“Hypovitaminosis D causes inadequate absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract and faulty mineralization of bone and tooth structures resulting in skeletal malformation. Rickets is characterized by bowed legs, restlessness, irritability and lowered inorganic phosphorus.”
Deficiency also causes tetany which is remedied by calcium and vitamin D.
“Hypervitaminosis D may be seen in individuals ingesting 1,800 IU or more. Toxicity symptoms are: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, excessive urination and uncontrolled nocturnal urination. As hypervitaminosis D becomes more severe, kidney damage and calcification of arteries and soft tissues may occur. Too much vitamin D deposits calcium and phosphorus released from the body's bony tissues in the walls of blood vessels, in the heart, in kidney tubules, and in bronchial passages. Adequate vitamin C may prevent the occurrence of these symptoms.”
“The toxicity of vitamin D has clearly been encountered in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Large doses have been used in the past, with the result that patients had calcium deposited in all of their main arteries. Deposition in the arteries of the kidney results in renal shutdown, elevated blood pressure and, sometimes, death. Large doses of vitamin D should not be used, for they may lead to disease which can be fatal! “
Vitamin E- There are now four known tocopherols —alpha, beta, gamma and delta— all of which have physiological activity in the human being and the laboratory animal. The alpha form is the most active and is the one that is generally being referred to when the term "vitamin E" is used.
“The tocopherols are the main antioxidants present in unsaturated fats that protect the fats from becoming rancid. No harm results from taking polyunsaturated fats in natural substances—wheat germ, safflower oil, sunflower oil or soybeans —but if large doses of unsaturated fats are taken, vitamin E should also be taken to protect against oxidation.”
“The best sources of E are the vegetable oils from seeds —such as wheat germ oil, peanut oil and cottonseed oil. Green leafy vegetables, milk and eggs contain significant amounts, as do meats.”
“Since storage is quite effective, depletion in the total absence of dietary intake is very slow.”
“It appears to have a primary role as a lipid antioxidant, preventing the accumulation of free radicals within cells. Vitamin E is required for the synthesis of co-enzyme Q, a factor in the respiratory chain that releases energy from carbohydrates and fats. Vitamin E has been shown to lower the levels of abnormal dienes in the blood and raise the level of antioxidant activity. Thus, the presence of abnormal fractions is reduced by vitamin E. The conjugated dienes presumably lead to the formation of toxic peroxidized fats, which can cause injury to the liver. Rat studies with administered vitamin E and selenium lead to the conclusion that selenium does not appear to influence the absorption or retention of vitamin E and does not affect the plasma level, but that it may modify its distribution in the tissues. Other studies have indicated that vitamin E works with traces of selenium in preventing certain types of liver pathology and red cell hemolysis.”
“Vitamin E has been reported to reduce the side-effects from certain pain-relieving drugs such as codeine, morphine and aminopyrine. Vitamin E also apparently is involved with the enzymatic actions which are essential for smooth detoxification of many drugs. A relationship exists with vitamin A, in that adequate amounts of vitamin E allow greater storage of vitamin A. Vitamin E spares, and reduces the requirement for, vitamin A. Goodson and Bolles, upon administering vitamin E or a placebo to subjects suffering from periodontal disease, found a significant decrease in the fluid around the teeth of patients receiving vitamin E.”
Protects against porphyria and the pollutant ozone. Reported to be effective for leg muscle cramps and decreasing breast tenderness premenstrually. Also for a painful vascular condition where blood flow to the limbs is decreased. It is hailed as therapeutic for stretch marks, wrinkles and blemishes.
Vitamin K- This quinone-type vitamin consists of a number of re- lated compounds: K-l (phylloquinone) was first isolated from alfalfa; K-2 is normally found in fish meal but is also produced in the intestine by bacterial synthesis. Both are fat-soluble, resistant to heat, and easily destroyed by irradiation, acids and alkalies.
“Vitamin K is regularly produced by bacteria in the lower intestinal tract and requires normal bile for absorption. A large amount is excreted in the feces, but limited stores are maintained in the liver. Variation in intestinal synthesis and in diet has made an estimation of an RDA impossible. Individuals whose diets contain milk and unsaturated fats and are low in refined carbohydrates need not concern themselves with vitamin K deficiency. Yogurt eaters will increase the necessary intestinal bacteria and more vitamin K will be produced.”
“The best natural sources of vitamin K are the green leaves of plants (spinach, kale, cabbage and cauliflower) and liver. The normal physiological function of vitamin K is the formation of prothrombin and other clotting proteins by the liver. High levels of vitamin K indicate good coagulation ability; a deficiency causes an increased tendency to hemorrhage.”
“The body's ability to manufacture its own vitamin K, with the aid of proper diet, means that there is relatively little vitamin K deficiency or overdosage.”
Zinc- "zinc is more precious than gold" Zinc is needed for normal growth and sexual function.
"Organic farming may (as in Europe) add the manure of animals that have been fed 250 ppm of copper in their food. Manure from animals with this amount of copper can poison the soil of the unsuspecting organic farmer!"
"The oyster is commendably high in zinc, and 100 gm of Atlantic oysters will provide 120 mg of zinc —enough for a whole week if the body could only store zinc. However, along with the zinc in the oyster there occurs copper in large amounts and cadmium in great excess if the oyster is grown in contaminated waters. This makes the oyster less desirable as a source of zinc. Under the best circumstances, the level of zinc in any modern diet may be minimal, contaminated or downright missing. Hence the need for zinc supplements."
Signs of deficiency:
Stretch marks, brittle nails with white spots, brittle hair that lacks color, severe acne, irregular menstrual cycle, late puberty, painful knee and hip joints, cold extremities with poor peripheral circulation, poor wound healing, loss of smell and taste:
"(Zinc will not work without other nutrients, including vitamin B-6.) In our clinical experience, patients with loss of taste should be given B-6 for the first two days. Otherwise, zinc alone can increase hallucinatory experiences and/or depression. Patients with loss of taste are usually severely depressed, and for a good reason: the food they eat tastes like so much sawdust."
Birth defects: nauseated pregnant women are zinc and B6 deficient and can cause stillbirths and mental retardation.
"With impotent young males who are zinc deficient, a return of sex function may take as long as four to five months of daily zinc supplementation. They may sometimes have an abnormal fear of microphallus (small penis), but with zinc and vitamin B-6 the sex organs develop to full size and the beard and axillary hair become more abundant. Masturbation or sex become more gratifying."
Childhood hyperactivity, epilepsy, diabetes, enlarged prostate, high cholesterol, psoriasis, sickle cell disease, coarse hair and eyebrows, body and breath odor, pyroluria, retinal detachment, Rye's Syndrome.
"Copper level is high and zinc is low one week before the menstrual period when women are more liable to depressive disorders...Pfeiffer and Iliev reported in 1972 that estrogens raise ceruloplasmin and serum copper and lower serum zinc."
"As with most trace metal salts, only a certain percentage of the swallowed zinc dose will be absorbed from the stomach and intestine. An excess may lead to nausea and diarrhea."
Iron- "Iron deficiency is more likely to occur in women than in men, and in teen-agers whose rapid growth may require additional iron. In pregnancy and cases of overt blood loss, the risk of deficiency is enough to merit supplements. Iron overload is most likely to occur in older men."
"Based only on hemoglobin levels, some claim that iron deficiency is our most critical nutritional problem. We believe that deficiency in B-6 and zinc is more critical. Excess tissue iron is more insidious than iron deficiency."
"Excess iron may end up in the lungs, pancreas and heart, as well as in the liver."
"The iron-overloading diseases are basically an inability of the digestive tract to screen out unneeded iron. They appear mostly in men over the age of forty, and symptoms include headache, shortness of breath, increasing fatigue, dizziness and loss of weight. The iron becomes deposited in the tissues, and in time the iron deposits give the skin a grey hue."
Manganese- "The high copper level of many schizophrenics can be reduced by dietary intake of zinc and manganese. Manganese is similar to zinc in the way it increases urinary copper excretion; a combination of zinc and manganese is more effective than either alone."
"It is necessary for bone growth and development, reproduction, lipid metabolism and the moderation of nervous irritability. Manganese is also important in the building and breakdown cycles of protein and nucleic acid (the chief carrier of genetic information). As an activator of such enzymes as arginase (required for the formation of urea) and some peptidases (which cause the hydrolysis of proteins in the intestine), manganese may also contribute to a mother's love and instinctive maternal protection of her child. (Through certain enzymes, manganese affects the glandular secretions underlying maternal instinct.) Manganese is important in the formation of thyroxin, the principle of the thyroid gland."
Required Intake: Every day a healthy person excretes approximately 4 mg of manganese; this amount is then needed in the diet for replacement of the lost manganese. Adequate intake is required for the lipid and glucose metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation (among other intrinsic biochemical processes). On normal lipid metabolism manganese has a beneficial effect, particularly in cases of atherosclerosis.
The deficiency may produce abnormalities in the pancreatic secretion of insulin, the agent which utilizes excess sugar. Thus, a diabetic condition may result. The enzymes which manganese activates are also necessary for the utilization of vitamin C, choline and other B vitamins (biotin and thiamin). Without the ability to use choline or deanol properly, the body underproduces acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. In a body deficient in acetylcholine and properly utilized B vitamins various conditions may result, among them myasthenia gravis.
Leafy vegetables and grains constitute our main sources of dietary manganese. (grape juice and maple syrup appear to be high in cronometer)
Sulfur- must come from food protein which provides four sulfur-containing amino acids— cysteine, cystine, taurine and methionine. The first three can be made in the body as long as adequate amounts of the essential amino acid methionine are contained in man's diet. Elemental sulfur will also allow the building of the first three amino acids by the tissues of the body. Vegetarians may become deficient in sulfur, particularly if they do not eat eggs.
"For those who cannot eat eggs in any form (because of sensitivity), the local druggist will, on a physician's order, fill No. 1 capsules with flowers of sulfur. This dose, taken once each day, will provide one-quarter of the daily need, or 200 mg, of pure elemental sulfur. The other 600mg can be obtained from the sulfur-containing amino acids. Even egg albumen or white of egg is higher in sulfur (1.62 percent) than casein from milk (0.80 percent) and soybean protein (0.38 percent). Muscle protein (as in beef) approaches egg white with 1.27 percent sulfur. Smelly foods such as onions and garlic contain appreciable amounts of sulfur. Indeed, the tear gas from sliced onions is a simple sulfur compound, and any blood pressure lowering effect of garlic is related to its "garlic" smell— one that is characteristic of an organic sulfur compound"
Sulfate is not the best form as humans quickly eliminate it through the bowels. DMSO could be a sulfur supplement. "The great lipid solubility of DMSO might get sulfur to the brain for the regrowth of nerves and treatment of epilepsy by allowing the brain to synthesize the stabilizing amino acid taurine."
"Taurine is a simple chemical with two carbon atoms separating a primary amino group and a sulfuric acid group. These chemical groups at both ends make taurine very water-soluble and thus hard to pass through the lipid membranes of the body. Taurine's function is to perch on cellular membranes, probably in neutralized form, and facilitate the passage of simple things such as the potassium and sodium ions and perhaps calcium or magnesium ions."
"The distribution of taurine in the human brain is similar to that of zinc and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), both of which play an important calming role in nerve action. The injection of zinc in trace doses produced stretching and yawning in Barbeau's animals, as did GABA. Because serum zinc is low and copper high in epileptics, Barbeau theorizes that seizures may occur when the zinc to-copper ratio falls suddenly in the absence of adequate taurine, which cannot reach the brain easily and must be built in the brain. He believes that oral doses of taurine may help epileptics. Taurine is a stabilizer of membrane excitability and thus could control the onset of epileptic seizures. Taurine and sulfur could be factors in the control of many disorders, including the known biochemical changes in the aging process. Disorders of the skin and nails might improve with added sulfur in our diet."
"Egg yolks, with their high sulfur content, or elemental sulfur could be used to normalize the flora or change an unwelcome yeast or fungal flora."
Selenium- occurring naturally as either a red powder or a gray crystal, is among the most poisonous elements in the universe; and yet, in pure form, it is an essential trace mineral for animals and man.
“Too much selenium, generally absorbed from inorganic salts or from organic compounds in plants, produces toxic symptoms. These include loss of hair, nails and teeth; dermatitis; lassitude and progressive paralysis. Acute poisoning causes fever (103° to 105°), increased respiratory and capillary rate, gastroenteritis, myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord and bone marrow), anorexia and even death.”
It protects from the toxic effects of the pollutant cadmium and mercury in fish, reduces the chances of cancer, and is necessary for protein synthesis.
“Good food sources of selenium include brewer's yeast, garlic, liver and eggs. Foods from animal sources are generally richer in the mineral than those from vegetable sources, so vegetarians should supplement their diet with brewer's yeast tablets to fulfill the requirement.”
Calcium- “Calcium occurs in the blood, the fluid surrounding cells, cell membranes and intracellular organelles. Calcium is of further interest in mental disease since intravenous injections were used in the early 1930s to produce lucid intervals in some schizophrenics. Those patients may have been the histadelic or high-histamine type, since only one out of five patients responded. Calcium ion is a histamine-releasing agent. “
Deficiency causes increased irritability, osteoporosis (softening of the bones), osteomalacia (another type of bone-softening disease) and rickets.
“Bed rest is bad for human physiology since calcium is lost from bones and nitrogen is lost from muscles.”
“Since older patients usually need both zinc and calcium, these should be separated. Even inositol should be separated in time from the zinc and calcium so that maximum absorption of both calcium and zinc are effected.”
“Older patients on a high protein diet develop osteoporosis while older vegetarians do not. The acid ash of the protein is responsible for the calcium loss. Obviously, hypoglycemic patients need bone meal or dolomitic calcium tablets twice a day.”
“Men, women and children (aged 1 to 10) need 800 mg of calcium daily. Infants need only 360 to 540 mg, while older boys and girls and pregnant and lactating women need 1200 mg daily. Dr. Lutwak believes 1000 mg of calcium daily in older people may completely prevent osteoporosis. As aging occurs, the body's absorption of calcium becomes less efficient. Also, excitement or depressive emotional states can markedly increase calcium loss.”
“Calcium is essential, but its interaction with other vitamins and minerals must not be overlooked. A lack of magnesium can cause calcium deposits in muscles, heart and kidney. This results in kidney stones. The use of enough vitamin B-6 to produce recall of nightly dreams will allow enough pyridoxic acid to form to prevent kidney stones of the calcium oxalate. In hyperparathyroidism, calcium is mobilized from the bones excessively. Patients with this condition may also have kidney stones, but the removal of the enlarged parathyroid gland provides prompt relief. “
“Milk is ordinarily the best source of a balanced solution of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. Two glasses of milk per day should be drunk by every growing individual and every pregnant woman. One 8-ounce glass per day should be drunk by every adult, and if this rule is followed then the adult will not lose the ability to burn lactose or milk sugar.”
“Cheese is another good source of calcium. Dolomitic calcium and magnesium can be used by the adult who is sensitive to milk. Since the magnesium makes the calcium soluble, the danger of kidney stones which occurs with calcium alone is eliminated. Two 300 mg tablets A.M. and P.M. are sufficient. Bone meal provides calcium and magnesium and other minerals such as fluoride as they occur in our well-fed animals.”
“The eggshell— usually thrown out— is a splendid source of calcium and trace elements. Eggshells can be used to sweeten vinegar and lemon juice by neutralizing the acid, so that sugar is not needed. Salad dressings made from vinegar or lemon juice neutralized with egg shells need no sugar.”
Magnesium- For production and transfer of energy, muscle contraction, protein synthesis and nerve excitability. Magnesium functions as a cofactor, assisting enzymes in catalyzing many chemical reactions.
“Hypomagnesia occurs in arteriosclerosis and may lead to disturbances of heart rhythm. Dr. Janos Rigo found that a high-magnesium diet lowered blood pressure and prevented "precocious aging" of the aorta in rats with experimentally induced hypertension.”
“The symptoms of a magnesium deficiency are depression, irritability, muscle tremors and, occasionally, convulsive seizures accompanied by delirium. Adelle Davis in her book Let's Get Well states that a daily dose of 450 mg of magnesium, when used to treat thirty epileptic patients, resulted in control of the seizures so that all drugs were discontinued. (Since this appears in her chapter on vitamin B-6, we suspect that magnesium plus adequate B-6 plus a better diet might have been the effective remedy.)”
“Our kidneys are efficient in conserving magnesium. Therefore, unless one suffers from a kidney disease or loses an excessive amount of the mineral in sweat or feces, hypomagnesia is not likely to occur.”
“Can be supplemented by taking dolomite, a naturally occurring mixture of calcium and magnesium.”
Potassium- Symptoms of potassium deficiency are muscle weakness, fatigue, constipation and mental apathy. These symptoms will disappear when dietary changes provide sufficient potassium.
“Foods particularly rich in potassium are green leafy vegetables, wheat germ, citrus juice, beans, lentils, nuts, dates, prunes and fruits of all kinds. With cooked vegetables, careful conservation of the pot liquor is necessary in order to minimize the water-soluble potassium loss.”
Molybdenum- an essential trace element, important to human life. Only a judicious choice of protein foods and vegetables will ensure adequate amounts of the trace metal in the remaining caloric intake.
Can prevent dental caries and esophageal cancer. A copper overload can be corrected with molybdenum
Chromium- Glucose Tolerance Factor Essential for Burning Blood Sugar
“GTF is an organic chromium compound whose exact chemical structure is now being determined. Trivalent chromium is known to be the center of the molecule which also contains two niacin molecules (vitamin B-3) and three amino acids. These amino acids are now known to be glutamic acid and glycine and cysteine. GTF works with the hormone insulin to maintain the delicate balance between hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemic (high blood sugar) conditions.”
“Chromium-containing foods with biologically active chromium are brewer's yeast, black pepper, liver, beef, whole-wheat bread, beets, beet sugar molasses, mushrooms and beer. Among these, far and away the highest in chromium content is brewer's yeast. For the patient suspected of impaired glucose tolerance, brewer's yeast tablets are an indispensable supplement to the diet.”
Copper- The Heavy-Metal Intoxicant
“The heavy metals lead, mercury and cadmium are poisons which slowly accumulate with age as a body burden, much as barnacles accumulate on a ship at sea. This body burden can shorten life by the production of hardening of the arteries, high blood pressure, kidney disease, psychosis, early senility and numerous other diseases of aging. We now have sufficient evidence to incriminate a fourth metal, copper, as a culpable heavy metal.”
“Copper is essential in small amounts to form hemoglobin. This discovery was made by Dr. E. B. Hart of the University of Wisconsin in 1928, but work on the intimate metabolism of copper is proceeding slowly. Copper can be found in all iron salts and in many foods, so that adult man can be considered safe from copper deficiency. Dr. Gubler, in an excellent review published in 1956, states, "It is doubtful that an unquestioned case of copper deficiency has been reported in man. It is also extremely unlikely that copper deficiency could occur in man even on suboptimal diets." We have determined serum copper in more than seventeen hundred patients and have not found a single case of copper deficiency. In our present environment, we are satiated with copper, so that only premature infants and patients on parenteral (intravenous) feeding have shown copper deficiency. Anyone who eats and drinks gets copper!”
“Copper, and particularly ceruloplasmin (a copper-containing protein) is elevated by estrogens; therefore, the levels of copper and ceruloplasmin rise progressively during pregnancy.”
“Copper is an essential element for supporting life, but, in excess, copper can be toxic. Environmental factors can cause copper and iron overloading. The foods we eat and the water we drink affect our delicate balance, depending on the environment and the material of the water piping. The average adult ingests 3 to 5 mg per day. Since the actual adult need is closer to 2 mg per day, an accumulation may occur.”
“As a result of the installation of copper plumbing in conjunction with the slight acidity of most drinkable water, we are getting an excess of copper which may be antagonizing the zinc we obtain from food. This is most likely when water is pumped from shale or loam. In some areas of New Jersey, well water will produce pin holes in copper piping in ten years' time. The copper goes into the drinking water!”
“In subacute poisoning of rats with copper, Lai et al. have found great increases in liver copper and some deaths. The activity of a zinc-containing enzyme, lactic acid dehydrogenase, was decreased, as was that of the enzyme which destroys amines in the brain when they are no longer needed. Brain copper increased 36 percent in a six-week period, and the turnover of serotonin was apparently reduced. The adrenal glands markedly increased in weight— an index of stress.”
“Several anemias that do not respond to iron therapy have been found to be associated with high copper levels.”
“We know that during the suckling period breast milk is deficient in copper and iron; the amount of excess copper and iron stored in the infant's liver should therefore decrease in the first six months of life. At this time, the liver produces the normal copper protein, ceruloplasmin, which stores copper in the blood serum and prevents excess absorption. Similarly, ferritin, the iron-containing protein, is made. Any abnormality which results in inadequate ceruloplasmin or ferritin could allow excess copper or iron to be absorbed, which would affect the brain. Both of these metals are stimulants to the brain and might produce hyperactivity or autism, with development into adulthood being slow or failing to take place normally. Nothing in the fetal development process protects against excess copper and iron. An alternative hypothesis is that heavy metals such as lead and mercury could interfere with the synthesis of ceruloplasmin or ferritin. This theory is worthy of testing, and can be tested by the usual laboratory methods in autistic children.”
“The clinical syndromes (other than Wilson's disease) wherein elevated serum or tissue copper may be an important factor are paranoid and hallucinatory schizophrenia, hypertension, stuttering, autism, childhood hyperactivity, preeclampsia, premenstrual tensions, psychiatric depression, insomnia, senility, and possibly functional hypoglycemia.”
“Advertising campaigns promote iron-containing vitamins as a means of combating "iron-poor blood." As a result of this sales pitch, many vitamin-plus-mineral preparations predominantly contain iron and copper. We should attempt to rid the body of excess copper rather than look for new sources!”
My thoughts: I wonder how this picture has changed over the last 40 yrs? Is there less copper toxicity due to more reverse osmosis filtration? Or are we still dealing with too much copper? He doesn’t mention any use for copper supplements.
The Vitamins
Niacin- As a coenzyme, it assists in the breakdown and utilization of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. The niacin-deficiency disease, pellagra, produces such symptoms as weakness, diarrhea, dermatitis and nervous-mental disorders.
“Average "normal adults" excrete 2 to 8 mg of B-3 daily, mainly as the niacinamide methochloride. This excretion product uses carbon atoms or methyl groups, and this may be in part the mode of action of large doses of niacin since excess methylation may produce hallucinogenic substances.”
“Niacin helps in the oxidation of sugars and is essential to proper brain metabolism. In this way, it also helps regulate the blood sugar level in the hypoglycemic patient. In 1966, Pfeiffer and Iliev discovered the possible role of histamine in the schizophrenias and noted that niacin, in conjunction with other vitamins, raised blood histamine and thus helped to relieve such symptoms as paranoia, hallucinations and other misperceptions. Schizophrenic patients who are high in histamine or have pyroluria (mauve factor) are not benefited by niacin therapy. Niacin is also effective in treating some alcoholics, many of whom are basically schizophrenic.”
“Niacin, as an acid, competes with release of free fatty acids and thus helps keep blood cholesterol down. It has been used in large doses (i.e., 3 or 4 gm daily) to treat fat-induced hyperlipemia, hypercholesterolemia and occlusive vascular disease. Dr. Edwin Boyle, Research Director of the Miami Heart Institute, has used niacin in more than a thousand cases. In one group of 600 patients, insurance company actuarial mortality tables predicted 62 deaths over a ten-year period. Among these patients, all of whom took large doses of niacin during the period, only 6 deaths occurred.”
“Sixty milligrams of tryptophan yields 1 mg of niacin, and tryptophan may provide all of the daily niacin requirements if only small amounts are required. However, the need for niacin, as for all vitamins, can vary greatly from individual to individual. The RDA or minimum daily requirement (MDR) can be misleading in this sense. For someone on a 2,000-calorie diet, the National Research Council recommends 13.2 mg of niacin or niacin equivalent; yet the histapenic schizophrenic may require two hundred times this amount as a bare minimum. This niacin dependent patient cannot rely simply on the niacin or tryptophan content of his food. He must supplement his intake with niacin tablets.”
Vitamin C- “Aside from its possible beneficial effects on head colds, vitamin C is known to be essential for many biochemical functions and, more recently, has been found to have an antianxiety effect (as shown by the quantitative EEG) which has proven advantageous in the biochemical treatment of the schizophrenias. Vitamin C also mobilizes heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury and allows their excretion by the kidneys.”
“Citrus juice free of copper or iron contamination provides the highest level of vitamin C activity. Patients who have high levels of copper or iron in their blood have the lowest levels of vitamin C and need a larger intake.”
“During stress, C is depleted from the tissues, particularly the adrenal cortex. Dietary supplementation with vitamin C will prevent stress reactions such as those which may occur if an animal is exposed to cold for a prolonged period. In general, vitamin C seems to operate as an antistress factor, enabling the organism to adapt to rapid environmental changes.”
“Recent studies have shown vitamin C to be necessary for cholesterol regulation. Dr. Constance Spittle has reported that she noticed that her own serum cholesterol was lowered from 230 to 140 mg percent when she took vitamin C. She then did a clinical study on various groups of individuals. In nor-mal, healthy patients, aged twenty-five, cholesterol levels tended to fall when 1 gm of C per day was added to an otherwise normal diet. In atherosclerosis patients, however, serum cholesterol increased in the weeks with vitamin C supplements, possibly due to the mobilization of the arterial cholesterol. She suggests that atherosclerosis may be a long-term deficiency (or negative balance) of vitamin C which permits cholesterol levels to build up in the arterial system.”
“Dr. Sherry Lewin feels that depression of blood cholesterol, as well as the more rapid conversion into bile acids, may be a direct effect of ascorbic acid. Results have indicated that as adrenocortical activity increases, the concentration of ascorbic acid and cholesterol in the adrenal gland decreases. Thus, it appears that ascorbic acid may be involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones from cholesterol.”
“Commenting on the beneficial effect of ascorbic acid in patients, Vanderkamp states: "All patients who received the vitamin in large doses made definite clinical improvement, predominantly in the area of socialization. The patients expressed a feeling of well-being. The anxious, tense facial expressions were replaced with a smile and friendliness. The patients stated that they did not feel so spacially constrained. Those who were shy, reclusive, and withdrawn began to participate in ward activities, in conversations with other patients, and ward personnel." The pioneer work of Hoffer and Osmond has demonstrated the same results and, more recently, vitamin C has been made a vital component of all nutrient therapy. In the schizophrenic this extra vitamin C is needed to get rid of the accumulated copper.”
“Thiamine and ascorbic acid have an antianxiety or sedative effect, characterized by a significant decrease in the mean energy content (MEC) of the EEG…..The effect of vitamin C at 3 grams lasts for a full six hour test period and it was the most effective substance at the dosage used. Vitamin C is now used in the general nutrient therapy program to treat patients who show excess copper or nervousness.”
Inositol-Phytic acid is inositol hexaphosphate when every OH group is attached to a phosphate group. Phytic acid occurs in cereals and prevents the absorption of zinc and other trace metals from the gastrointestinal tract.
“Abrahamson administered a preparation containing inositol, choline, methionine, liver extract and vitamin B-12 to eighty-six elderly patients with hyper-high serum cholesterol and found significant reduction in the cholesterol levels and an improvement in the health of the patients. Sherber and Levites used a mixture of inositol and choline in sixteen patients with high serum cholesterol and observed lowering of the levels.”
“We at the Brain Bio Center have studied the effect of inositol on the quantitative brain waves of both patients and normals. These studies show inositol to have a typical antianxiety effect similar to that of Librium or meprobamate.”
“We have used inositol in schizophrenics, in hypoglycemics and in patients who have a high serum copper and a low serum zinc. While the phosphate ester of inositol impedes
absorption of zinc, the pure inositol favors absorption. Inositol is sedative and solves many insomnia and anxiety problems. Inositol may also reduce stress-elevated blood pressure.”
Vitamin B6- The recommended daily allowance of B-6 for healthy, unstressed individuals is determined in part by the amount of protein ingested. For adult men and women it is 2.0 mg per day, for adolescents 1.4 to 2.0 mg per day and for infants 0.2 to 1.2 mg. The stressed individual may require much more because the kryptopyrrole molecule removes both B-6 and zinc from the body. Since B-6 is an important intermediary in amino acid metabolism, those individuals whose diets are high in protein should receive additional B-6. The RDA is a basal level recommendation; more B-6 may also be needed by those with inborn errors of metabolism that make them B-6 dependent. The 2 mg per day needed by the adult may be obtained by drinking a quart of milk or eating a pound of meat or unprocessed wheat. Processing the wheat removes the B-6. Other sources of B-6 are whole grains, organ meats and other meats. Because this vitamin is water-soluble, excesses are excreted via the urine so that toxic levels are never reached. Pyridoxic acid occurs in the urine of patients who take any excess of B-6. This is a harmless excretion product.
“A specific B-6 phosphate reaction in the brain is the removal of the acid group from glutamic acid to form gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), which is a calming chemical and a possible neural transmitter. Deficiency of B-6 may cause seizures due to the inability of this calming chemical to be formed in adequate amounts.”
“Diets deficient in B-6 fed to laboratory animals produced convulsions, accumulation of cystathianine in numerous organs, dermatitis (skin lesions), nervous symptoms and blood disorders. Human deficiency symptoms include convulsions, hyperirritability, abnormal auditory acuteness, seborrhea-like skin lesions and decreased growth rate.”
“We have postulated that dream recall can serve as a yardstick to measure brain B-6 deficiency. If the dose of B-6 is too large or mainly taken with the evening meal, then dreams become so vivid that the patient is awakened from sleep all night long”
“Pregnant patients who develop nausea and vomiting should be treated with both vitamin B-6 and zinc.”
Vitamin B12- chemically a most complex vitamin, contains an atom of cobalt in its center. The structure of this vitamin is similar to that of hemoglobin (with iron at its center) and to that of chlorophyll (the green pigment responsible for photosynthesis in plants) with a central magnesium atom. The several forms of B-12 are called cobalamins. All are active, but hydroxycobalamin is the most active.
“Vitamin B-12 is transported throughout the body by se- rum proteins in the blood and is stored in many, if not all, body tissues— especially the liver, kidney, stomach, muscle and brain. The liver is the main storage site and in good nutritional states contains 2 to 5 mg, enough to last three to five years. Vitamin B-12 is essential for the functioning of all cells, and it performs many diverse and important activities in the organism.”
“Vitamin B-12 deficiency, which may result in pernicious anemia, is usually caused by a defect of absorption— i.e., lack of the intrinsic factor or small bowel malabsorption of vitamin B-12. Megaloblastic anemia from vitamin B-12 can also develop three to five years after surgical removal of the part of the stomach that produces the IF or the part of the ileum in the small intestine where the vitamin is absorbed. Megaloblastic anemias resulting from inadequate absorption of vitamin B-12 and folic acid may also be symptomatic of malabsorption syndromes such as celiac sprue.”
Symptoms of deficiency:
“rapid heart beat, cardiac pain, shortness of breath, edema (swelling) of the face, general jaundice and intense brown discoloration around the small joints, weakness and fatigue as a consequence of the anemia (when present), inflammation of the tongue, loss of hair, lack of appetite, loss of weight, disturbed digestion, diarrhea, and neurological disturbances such as peripheral neuritis, spinal cord changes, intermittent numbness and tinglings in arms and legs, diminished tendon reflexes, unsteady gait, weakness of fine movements of hands, intolerance to noise or light, optic atrophy, auditory hallucinations, impaired memory and ability to learn and concentrate, confusion with paranoid delusions, mental depression, and psychoses. As mentioned, anemia is not always present in B-12 deficiency, and lesions of the ner-vous system may occur before the anemia is evident and may progress even after the anemia has been corrected. Conversely, neurological symptoms are not always seen in pernicious anemia patients. About 80 percent of pernicious anemia patients show some neurological involvement, and about 60 percent have personality changes. "Schizophrenia" with onset in middle or old age is usually B-12 deficiency.”
Folic acid- (folacin, folate, pteroylglutamic acid) has three chemical components: a pteridine grouping; PABA, a B-complex vitamin; and glutamic acid, an amino acid. Folic acid is bright yellow in color, slightly soluble in water, easily oxidized in an acid medium and easily destroyed by sunlight and heat. Much of the folic acid in foods can be lost by storage at room temperature and by normal cooking.
“Deficiency leads to megaloblastic anemia. Folate also performs an important function in the biosynthesis and transfer of single carbon units such as the methyl group. These processes result in the making of methylated compounds such as choline and other lipotropic substances previously discussed. The transfer of a methyl group is also essential to one of the components of DNA. Folate is essential to the functioning of our brains, in that it is selectively concentrated in the spinal fluid and extracellular fluids. Folate is necessary for the synthesis of purines, which are the constituents of nucleic acids, the components of the cellular nucleoproteins DNA and RNA. Methionine, the synthesis of which depends upon folate and B-12, participates in many further transmethylation reactions in the brain and other areas. Folate and other pteridine derivatives also function as coenzymes in the biosynthesis of norepinephrine and serotonin, substances which are believed to be brain neurotransmitters (between-nerve-cell-communicators). Considerable evidence indicates that alterations in norepinephrine levels in the brain, possibly in conjunction with serotonin and dopamine, may play a part in the etiology of manic-depressive disorders. Folic acid appears to be crucial for mental and emotional health, but little is yet known as to the exact mechanism.”
“The best sources include liver, kidney, yeast, and deep-green leafy vegetables (spinach, watercress, kale, parsley, escarole, etc.). Other good food sources area sparagus, broccoli, lentils, lima beans, peanuts, other legumes,mushrooms, whole-grain cereals, lean beef, veal and egg yolks. Notably low in folate are root vegetables, light-green vegetables, corn, rice, dairy products and pork. Eggs are not especially rich, but the folacin of eggs, liver and yeast is better absorbed than that from other sources.”
“Folate deficiency usually produces irritability, forgetfulness and mental sluggishness. In addition, the deficiency may produce cheilosis, a condition characterized by lesions at the corners of the mouth, which was observed by Dr. G. Rose to be alleviated by folate administration.”
“Folate deficiency has also been re- ported in geriatric patients with mental disorders; their most common mental symptoms were apathy, withdrawal, lack of motivation and depression.”
“Again, we must stress the close relationship between folic acid and vitamin B-12. In pernicious anemia, caused by lack of vitamin B-12 in the body, the patient is often also deficient in folic acid.”
“Folic acid in oral doses greater than 5 mg per day is apt to produce muscle restlessness, myoclonic (muscle) jerking, and occasionally seizures (convulsions).”
Histapenia needs folic acid and 1 mg per month B12 via injection. Niacin can be brought down to normal dosages with this. Zinc is needed for histamine storage as well.
Histadelia needs anti-folates, calcium, methionine and the trace metal nutrients (zinc and manganese).
Vitamin B1- Thiamin was the first member of the B complex to be chemically identified. Thiamin performs several functions, one of the most important of which is related to carbohydrate metabolism. It is involved to a lesser extent in the metabolism of fats and amino acids. Thiamin aids digestion and elimination by helping to maintain muscle tone in the digestive tract, is necessary for normal growth and good appetite, and is essential to a healthy nervous system.
“Humans need approximately half a milligram of thiamin per thousand calories consumed; athletes and laborers therefore need more than the usual amounts. Diets high in fats and proteins require somewhat less; however, a minimum allowance of at least 1.0 mg is recommended for all adults.”
“Whole-grain cereals originally are rich in thiamin, but most of the vitamin is lost in the polishing of rice and the refining of flour. Americans obtain about a third of their thiamin from enriched-grain cereal foods; the remainder comes from poultry, fish, meats (lean pork and liver are especially high), legumes, egg yolks and milk. Brewer's yeast and wheat germ, with their concentration of Bcomplex vitamins, are also good sources and should be used more frequently by Americans. Vegetables and fruits may also make a significant contribution to vitamin B-l intake if large quantities are consumed and not overcooked.”
“The storage in the body of thiamin is not very great, and tissues are rapidly depleted during a deficiency. Eating sugar, smoking and drinking alcohol further deplete thiamin.”
“Beriberi is the most severe form of vitamin B-l deficiency. Adult beriberi, resulting from a prolonged thiamin deficit, is fatal if not corrected. The predominant symptoms are debility, severe weight loss, plugged hair follicles, gastrointestinal disturbances, nervous disturbances, weak and sore muscles, paralysis of the lower and sometimes upper limbs, enlarged liver, and swollen and weak heart with palpitations, difficult breathing and possibly cardiac failure. "Wet" beriberi is mainly characterized by edema (water-swelling of the tissues) and cardiac failure; "dry" beriberi is distinguished by weakness, emaciation and multiple neuritic symptoms.”
“The symptoms of mild thiamin deficiency are vague and can be attributed to other problems, so that diagnosis is often difficult. Most commonly, the individual experiences fatigue, insomnia, headaches, numbness, neuritis, aching, burning sensation in hands and feet, indigestion, constipation, diarrhea and loss of appetite, weight and strength. Mental symptoms include apathy, confusion, emotional instability, irritability, depression and fear of impending disaster. Often the mental changes are prominent after only a few days of deprivation and are not accompanied by the symptoms or signs of neuritis.”
“We have not seen any benefit in the schizophrenic when megadoses of 500 mg are given twice a day”
Vitamin B2- Riboflavin, an orange-yellow fluorescent biochemical, was discovered in 1879. Because this fluorescent pigment or "flavin" was first found in milk, it was designated as "lactoflavin."
“Riboflavin (B-2) is essential to normal growth and tissue maintenance. B-2 goes into the formation of some enzymes and assists in the metabolism of amino acids, fatty acids and carbohydrates, the three energy-generating food constituents.”
“The recommended daily allowance of riboflavin is 0.8 to 2.6 mg for adults. The individual need will be increased by hyperthyroidism, fevers, stress of injury or surgery, and malabsorption. People in those parts of the world where the diet consists mostly of starches have the ability to synthesize riboflavin in their gastrointestinal tracts, but the bacteria that accomplish this synthesis are inhibited by fat and protein.”
Milk is the largest source. Organ meats and other dairy products are also significant. In addition, eggs, some other meats, poultry, fish, yeast, wheat germ, green leafy vegetables, legumes and nuts supply important amounts. Cereals and flours do not naturally contain much riboflavin, but through being enriched, they make significant contributions of riboflavin to the diet.
“Signs of B-2 deficiency are cheilosis and inflammation of the tongue and cornea. Other symptoms are a purple-red colored tongue; dermatitis around the nose, forehead and ears; eye fatigue, oversensitivity to light, blurred vision, and bloodshot eyes. The ocular manifestations are often among the earliest warnings of riboflavin deficiency.”
“B-2 deficiency can produce trembling, dizziness, insomnia and mental sluggishness, this vitamin is not believed to be as important in mental health as the B vitamins pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, folic acid, niacin, thiamin and pantothenic acid. No specific need for excess riboflavin has been found in stress or in any mental disease. Riboflavin in doses of 10 mg is quite adequate”
Vitamin B5- Pantothenic acid was isolated and synthesized in 1940 by the chemist Roger Williams of Texas. Its key role in metabolism is suggested by its occurrence in all living cells, and thus its name was derived from the Greek word for "everywhere," panthos.
“It is essential for energy metabolism, for fat and cholesterol synthesis, for antibody formation and for the building of acetylcholine in the nervous system. This vitamin has been found to restore abnormally gray hair to its original color in test rats, but the same has not been found for humans. (Yet some claim pantothenic acid deficiency may result in premature graying of hair.) We have found zinc and sulfur deficiency to be more important in the graying of hair.”
“The human requirement for pantothenic acid is not known, but a dose of 5 to 10 mg daily is considered sufficient for adults and children; more is probably needed after an injury, after antibiotic therapy or during the stress of severe illness. Since pantothenic acid is synthesized in all animal and plant cells, it is available to us in all foods, but the largest quantities of this vitamin are found in meat, poultry, fish, wholegrain cereals and legumes. We also obtain some pantothenic acid from fruits, vegetables and milk. Little of the vitamin is lost with ordinary cooking procedures, except in acid and alkaline solutions.”
“Deficiency is seen only in conjunction with severe multiple B-complex deficiencies. The deficit identifies itself through loss of appetite, indigestion, abdominal pain, respiratory infections, peripheral neuritis with cramping pains in the arms and legs, burning sensations in the feet, and adrenal insufficiency. The brain is one of the areas of highest pantothenic acid concentration in the body. As with almost all the B vitamins, mental symptoms accompany the deficiency—in this case, insomnia, fatigue, sullenness and mental depression. Pantothenic acid deficiency may be related to the nervous disease and psychosis seen in some alcoholics. However, when diets are deficient in pantothenic acid, this deficiency is accompanied by others. Therefore, it is probably not legitimate to attribute the alcoholic's neuropathy solely to any single deficit. “
“Our usual dose in the histapenic patient is 30 mg per day taken in the morning. This dose causes a rapid rise in the blood histamine level. “
Biotin- Biotin, like thiamin, is a sulfur-containing vitamin which acts as a coenzyme of a number of enzymes responsible for many reactions in the body. It is required in the food-energy cycles, in the synthesis of fatty acids and amino acids and in the manufacture of glycogen, our means of storing energy in the liver. It is also essential for the introduction of carbon dioxide in the formation of purines, constituents of DNA and RNA.
“The requirement for this vitamin in man has not been established, but it is estimated at about 150 mcg per day in adults. The average diet provides about 150 to 300 mcg daily. Small quantities of biotin are found in many foods; good food sources include egg yolk, organ meats, yeast, legumes and nuts. Cereal grains, muscle meats and milk contain very small amounts. Biotin is also synthesized by intestinal bacteria, in amounts considerably greater than the diet supplies.”
“The symptoms of biotin deficiency are similar to those of thiamin deficiency. They include scaly dermatitis, loss of appetite, nausea, pallor of both skin and mucous membranes, muscle pains, lassitude and increased sensory sensitivity. The individual will usually show a lowered hemoglobin level, a raised blood cholesterol level and a greatly decreased urinary excretion of biotin.”
“We have studied large doses of biotin in both normals and patients. Extra biotin increases the kryptopyrrole excretion in pyroluric patients, and Donald Irvine has found that sterilization of the gut with antibiotics will eliminate the KP excretion. In pyroluria we may be dealing with an overproduction of biotin or with an abnormal form of biotin, since we know that the synthesis of hemoglobin involves the use of biotin as a co-enzyme.”
Vitamin A- Vitamin A and the carotenes are transported in the blood in a fat-protein complex. Vitamin E is known to prevent the oxidation of fats and is needed for adequate A uptake. Mobilizing vitamin A from the liver stores depends upon adequate protein nutrition and possibly on sufficient dietary zinc. Without plentiful dietary zinc, vitamin A accumulates in the liver due to inadequate mobilization from liver to plasma.
“Liver reserves and blood levels of vitamin A vary widely and are generally higher for men than for women. But the blood level of vitamin A remains high even when liver storage is exhausted, so that serum levels are markedly affected only in extreme hypervitaminosis A or extreme hypovitaminosis A. In general, the American diet supplies the body with equal amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene.”
Sources are fish and animal livers, cod and shark liver oil, egg yolk, butter, margarine, milk, cream and milk products. Primarily beta-carotene, is synthesized in plants and can be converted to vitamin A in the body. The richest sources are apricots (fresh and dried), yellow, red and green vegetables, carrots, beets, beet greens, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peaches, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe.
“American corn-fed chickens have yellow skin, especially since synthetic B-carotene is now added to most commercial chicken feed to make the egg yolk a deep yellow and the skin of the dressed chicken yellowish. We suspect that the meat from such chickens is high in carotene; we have observed yellow palms in hypoglycemic patients who subsist on a high protein diet and eat the cheap American chicken as their main source of protein.”
“Vitamin A combined with calcium carbonate has been used successfully to prevent severe sunburn in susceptible individuals. (Pyridoxine and zinc also help.) Rats pretreated with vitamin A can withstand cold stress and the stress of steroid administration better than those deficient in A; and, when all other essential nutrients except A are present in the diet of laboratory animals, the growth of these animals is stunted compared to that of controls.”
“The fat-solubility of vitamin A renders it toxic if taken in large quantities. The MDR (minimum daily requirement) is 1,500-4,500 IU for children and 5,000 IU for adults.”
“Xerophthalmia, a manifestation of a greater degree of deficiency, is characterized by burning, itching, inflamed eyelids, and mucus in the corners of the eye and in the cornea. Literally, it means "dry eyes"; the lacrimal duct glands fail to secrete, producing inflammation of the conjunctiva and the cornea. Keratomalacia, a progression of xeropthalmia, produces severe degeneration and perforation of the cornea, resulting in permanent blindness. People working in extremely bright or dim light, such as typists, seamstresses or miners, need more vitamin A because such extremes cause more of the vitamin to be used up.”
“Intoxication with vitamin A has been reported in doses as low as 50,000 IU per day. The symptoms are red discoloration of the gums, craving for food, itchy skin, muscle stiffness, bursitis, headaches from increased intracranial pressure and lack of appetite. Pseudotumor cerebri, or vitamin A-induced benign increased intracranial pressure, may occur in individuals taking high doses for dermatologic reasons. Fisher has reported cases of hypercalcemia due to hypervitaminosis A with ingestion of 150,000 IU daily to mitigate acne, even though no hyperactivity of the parathyroid glands was present. Body size is a factor in toxic symptoms. Acute hypervitaminosis A syndrome consists of nausea, vomiting, skin peeling, intense headaches, vertigo, irritability, drowsiness, seizures and, eventually, coma. A six-year-old girl suffering from chronic hypervitaminosis A developed hepatic (liver) dysfunction and hypertension associated with clinical and structural evidence of liver damage.”
Vitamin D- Among the normal physiological functions of vitamin D is its ability to regulate the absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract— it is believed that vitamin D renders the intestinal mucosa more permeable to these minerals. Due to its regulation of calcium uptake, vitamin D is also important to the calcification of bones and teeth. Delayed dentition or malformation of teeth can result from inadequate ingestion of vitamin D.
“Hypovitaminosis D causes inadequate absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestinal tract and faulty mineralization of bone and tooth structures resulting in skeletal malformation. Rickets is characterized by bowed legs, restlessness, irritability and lowered inorganic phosphorus.”
Deficiency also causes tetany which is remedied by calcium and vitamin D.
“Hypervitaminosis D may be seen in individuals ingesting 1,800 IU or more. Toxicity symptoms are: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, excessive urination and uncontrolled nocturnal urination. As hypervitaminosis D becomes more severe, kidney damage and calcification of arteries and soft tissues may occur. Too much vitamin D deposits calcium and phosphorus released from the body's bony tissues in the walls of blood vessels, in the heart, in kidney tubules, and in bronchial passages. Adequate vitamin C may prevent the occurrence of these symptoms.”
“The toxicity of vitamin D has clearly been encountered in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Large doses have been used in the past, with the result that patients had calcium deposited in all of their main arteries. Deposition in the arteries of the kidney results in renal shutdown, elevated blood pressure and, sometimes, death. Large doses of vitamin D should not be used, for they may lead to disease which can be fatal! “
Vitamin E- There are now four known tocopherols —alpha, beta, gamma and delta— all of which have physiological activity in the human being and the laboratory animal. The alpha form is the most active and is the one that is generally being referred to when the term "vitamin E" is used.
“The tocopherols are the main antioxidants present in unsaturated fats that protect the fats from becoming rancid. No harm results from taking polyunsaturated fats in natural substances—wheat germ, safflower oil, sunflower oil or soybeans —but if large doses of unsaturated fats are taken, vitamin E should also be taken to protect against oxidation.”
“The best sources of E are the vegetable oils from seeds —such as wheat germ oil, peanut oil and cottonseed oil. Green leafy vegetables, milk and eggs contain significant amounts, as do meats.”
“Since storage is quite effective, depletion in the total absence of dietary intake is very slow.”
“It appears to have a primary role as a lipid antioxidant, preventing the accumulation of free radicals within cells. Vitamin E is required for the synthesis of co-enzyme Q, a factor in the respiratory chain that releases energy from carbohydrates and fats. Vitamin E has been shown to lower the levels of abnormal dienes in the blood and raise the level of antioxidant activity. Thus, the presence of abnormal fractions is reduced by vitamin E. The conjugated dienes presumably lead to the formation of toxic peroxidized fats, which can cause injury to the liver. Rat studies with administered vitamin E and selenium lead to the conclusion that selenium does not appear to influence the absorption or retention of vitamin E and does not affect the plasma level, but that it may modify its distribution in the tissues. Other studies have indicated that vitamin E works with traces of selenium in preventing certain types of liver pathology and red cell hemolysis.”
“Vitamin E has been reported to reduce the side-effects from certain pain-relieving drugs such as codeine, morphine and aminopyrine. Vitamin E also apparently is involved with the enzymatic actions which are essential for smooth detoxification of many drugs. A relationship exists with vitamin A, in that adequate amounts of vitamin E allow greater storage of vitamin A. Vitamin E spares, and reduces the requirement for, vitamin A. Goodson and Bolles, upon administering vitamin E or a placebo to subjects suffering from periodontal disease, found a significant decrease in the fluid around the teeth of patients receiving vitamin E.”
Protects against porphyria and the pollutant ozone. Reported to be effective for leg muscle cramps and decreasing breast tenderness premenstrually. Also for a painful vascular condition where blood flow to the limbs is decreased. It is hailed as therapeutic for stretch marks, wrinkles and blemishes.
Vitamin K- This quinone-type vitamin consists of a number of re- lated compounds: K-l (phylloquinone) was first isolated from alfalfa; K-2 is normally found in fish meal but is also produced in the intestine by bacterial synthesis. Both are fat-soluble, resistant to heat, and easily destroyed by irradiation, acids and alkalies.
“Vitamin K is regularly produced by bacteria in the lower intestinal tract and requires normal bile for absorption. A large amount is excreted in the feces, but limited stores are maintained in the liver. Variation in intestinal synthesis and in diet has made an estimation of an RDA impossible. Individuals whose diets contain milk and unsaturated fats and are low in refined carbohydrates need not concern themselves with vitamin K deficiency. Yogurt eaters will increase the necessary intestinal bacteria and more vitamin K will be produced.”
“The best natural sources of vitamin K are the green leaves of plants (spinach, kale, cabbage and cauliflower) and liver. The normal physiological function of vitamin K is the formation of prothrombin and other clotting proteins by the liver. High levels of vitamin K indicate good coagulation ability; a deficiency causes an increased tendency to hemorrhage.”
“The body's ability to manufacture its own vitamin K, with the aid of proper diet, means that there is relatively little vitamin K deficiency or overdosage.”
