These Certain Musings

Poor short term memory. Apathy and irritability. Weakness and trouble sleeping. Restlessness and fatigue. Depression.

All of the above are symptoms commonly treated with prescription drugs—usually antidepressants, sleep aids, or a combination of them—and those prescriptions all carry well-known side effects that can impair daily living. But those symptoms might also point to a problem that’s much easier to address, and the solutions don’t cause potentially addictive and life-threatening problems: low levels of B vitamins.

Alas, few patients get a recommendation for, let alone information about, these essential nutrients.

The body requires B vitamins to turn food into energy, maintain the nervous system, support the heart and other muscles, and sustain healthy immune system function. Each B vitamin performs numerous functions. Without good levels of Thiamine (B1), the body doesn’t convert the carbohydrates of food into usable energy, and doesn’t deal well with stress. When Niacin (B3) is low, the nervous, circulatory, and digestive system suffers. Deficiencies of B6 reduce the body’s ability to produce serotonin, leading to depression, and melatonin, leading to poor sleep regulation. Low levels of B12 leads to fatigue, numbness in the fingers and toes, hair loss, weakness, and depression.

If you want to read more, check out the rest of the post at Well4Real.