The Primary Care Provider's Role in Diagnosing and Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis
Dr Eric Berg Warns Of Vitamin B6 Deficiency Symptoms 'very Few People Know About'
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin involved in many bodily functions, including promoting brain health and improving mood.
Unfortunately, your body cannot produce enough vitamin B6, so you must get this nutrient from foods or supplements.
As vitamin B6 deficiency can lead to a whole host of health problems, symptoms awareness is front and centre.
You may have heard of signs like rashes around your nose, cracks or rashes around your mouth, anaemia, or numbness in your hands and your feet.
While these are all considered tell-tale signs of B6 deficiency, Dr Eric Berg highlighted lesser-known symptoms to spot.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the doctor said: "Here are the symptoms very few people know about that are related to B6 deficiency."
1. InflammationThe doctor explained that inflammation, especially of the gut, can be one of the warning signs.
2. Inability to control polyunsaturated fatty acidsDr Berg shared the water-soluble vitamin helps control polyunsaturated fatty, including corn oil, soy oil, canola or cottonseed oil.
He added that if you can't metabolise these, it could lead to rashes.
3. Deficiency of neurotransmittersVitamin B6 is involved in making neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
The doctor said: "So [deficiency] can affect your mood, it can affect having addictions, it can affect your general state of nerve communication."
4. Inability to convert ALA to DHAThe doctor explained that without B6, you might not be able to convert alpha-lipoic acid (ALA), found in the likes of walnuts, to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which could lead to more inflammation.
5. Selenium function doesn't workVitamin B6 is necessary to make selenium work, which is involved in lots of bodily processes. Therefore, B6 deficiency could lead to all sorts of other deficiencies related to a lack of selenium, Dr Berg explained.
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If your body can't convert tryptophan to niacin, this could be another sign that you're deficient in B6.
7. Hair lossAnother red flag that can be raised as a result of vitamin B6 deficiency is hair loss, according to the expert.
8. Higher risk of seizuresThe doctor also noted that a lack of B6 could be linked to seizures. "If you know anyone who has seizures, you should make sure they are consuming enough B6," he said.
9. High homocysteine levelsB6 also lowers homocysteine levels and high levels can affect your heart in a "negative way", Dr Berg explained.
The doctor said: "Let's say someone is deficient in B6 and they also have a problem with their gut microbiome, they are greatly more susceptible to having autism than if they just had a B6 deficiency and they had good microbes."
The doctor explained that a portion of B6 doesn't come from what you eat but from your microbiome.
"If you know anyone with autism, make sure they are taking the active form of B6 - P-5-P - as well as taking a good probiotic," he added.
11. Increased risk of gut pathogensThe last lesser-known sign could be problems with gut pathogens, as vitamin B6 helps regulate or suppress these pesky organisms.
Dr Eric Berg Reveals The First Sign Of A Magnesium Deficiency Before Other Problems Arise
On his YouTube channel, Dr Eric Berg revealed the first sign of a potential magnesium deficiency.
As magnesium is needed biochemically in the creation of ATP, which is the body's currency for energy, fatigue is the first sign of a magnesium deficiency.
Dr Berg listed other indications of a magnesium deficiency such as cramping and twitching to arrhythmia of the heart.
A magnesium deficiency could also lead to increased insulin resistance, insomnia, and even depression.
What causes a magnesium deficiency?Dr Berg said magnesium is especially potent in leafy greens – examples include kale, watercress, bok choy, arugula, collard greens, and mustard greens.
Thus, if you do not eat enough leafy greens and salads, you're likely to develop a magnesium deficiency.
He advised people to eat "seven cups of salad daily", but if you find this too difficult, then a supplement can help.
Dr Berg strongly recommends magnesium glycinate, but not magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, or magnesium carbonate.
Aside from not eating enough leafy greens and salads, another cause of magnesium deficiency is eating too many refined foods.
These are foods that contain fructose, such as table sugar, honey, and high fructose corn syrup.
Drinking too much alcohol could also lead to a magnesium deficiency as alcohol contains sugars.
Dr Berg said the more inflammation you have in the body, the less magnesium you're likely to have.
Even certain medications, including antibiotics, could lead to lower levels of magnesium in the body.
Dr Berg said that he is full of energy because he is not deficient in magnesium.
So, if you're feeling tired, you might want to eat more leafy greens to see if it improves your energy levels.
However, fatigue could be the result of many conditions and lifestyle habits.
If, at any point, you are experiencing symptoms that are strange for you, seek the advice of your doctor.
What Is Inflammation?
Inflammation is a vital part of the immune system's response to physical trauma, infection or toxins. Inflammation is the body's way of healing and repairing damaged tissue and defending itself against foreign invaders, such as viruses and bacteria.
Without inflammation, wounds would fester and infections could become deadly.
There are two main types of inflammation: acute and chronic. Acute inflammation is an immediate response that is usually helpful and ideally disappears once the attack is over. However, if the inflammation does not resolve it can become chronic and problematic. Chronic inflammation has been linked to certain diseases, such as heart disease or stroke, and also plays a role in some autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Types of inflammation Acute inflammationAcute inflammation is the body's first line of defence. It's a short-term response with localized effects, meaning it works at the precise place where an attack begins. Galen, the second-century physician to Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, identified five main signs of acute inflammation:
In the case of acute inflammation, blood vessels dilate, blood flow increases and white blood cells swarm the injured area to promote healing, Dr. Scott Walker, a family practice doctor at Gunnison Valley Hospital in Utah told Live Science. This response is what causes the injured area to turn red and become swollen.
Damaged or infected tissue also releases cytokines, or chemical "emergency signals" that bring in your body's immune cells, hormones and nutrients to fix the problem, Walker told Live Science.
In addition, pro-inflammatory compounds called prostaglandins create blood clots to heal damaged tissue and trigger pain. They also cause fever, which can help kill pathogens. As the body heals, the acute inflammation gradually subsides. Acute inflammation, when well-regulated by the body, typically lasts around 10 days from the initial attack.
Dr. Scott WalkerSocial Links Navigation
Family Practice DoctorDr. Scott Walker is a family practice doctor. He received his medical degree from the University of Utah and his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kansas City University. He completed his family medicine residency at University of Wyoming with a specialty in obstetrics. Walker is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Osteopathic Association.
Chronic inflammationChronic inflammation occurs when this acute process doesn't subside completely. Chronic inflammation is also called persistent, low-grade inflammation because it produces a steady, low-level of inflammation throughout the body, as judged by a small rise in immune system markers found in blood or tissue. This type of systemic inflammation can linger for months or years, and can contribute to the development of disease.
Low levels of inflammation can be triggered by a perceived internal threat, even when there isn't a disease to fight or an injury to heal, and sometimes this signals the immune system to respond. As a result, white blood cells swarm to a particular area of the body but have nothing to do and nowhere to go, and they may eventually start attacking internal organs or other healthy tissues and cells, Walker said. In this way, inflammation can sometimes lead to autoimmune conditions.
Chronic inflammation caused by allergies, smoking or excessive alcohol consumption may also continually simmer under the surface. And while this low-grade level of chronic inflammation often does not have symptoms, doctors can test for C-reactive protein (CRP) — a marker for inflammation in the blood. For instance, high levels of CRP have been linked with an increased risk of heart disease.
Besides looking for clues in the blood, a person's diet, lifestyle habits and environmental exposures can contribute to chronic inflammation. Therefore, it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to keep inflammation in check.
Disease caused by inflammationResearchers are still working to understand the effects of chronic inflammation on the body and the mechanisms involved, however it's known to play a role in the development of many diseases.
Heart disease and strokeOne theory suggests that when inflammatory cells linger in blood vessels, they promote the buildup of plaque. The body perceives this plaque as a foreign substance that doesn't belong, so it tries to wall off the plaque from the blood flowing inside the arteries. If plaques become unstable and burst, that can lead to blood clots that block blood flow to the heart or brain, leading to a heart attack or stroke.
CancerCancer is another disease linked with chronic inflammation. Over time, chronic inflammation can cause DNA damage and leads to some forms of cancer. For example, people with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease, have an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
Anti-inflammatory drugsMost chronic inflammatory disorders have no cure, however, there are a wide range of prescription and over-the-counter drugs that can help alleviate the symptoms of inflammation. The most common over-the-counter medications are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) which include:
NSAIDs work by blocking an enzyme called cyclooxygenase, which produces prostaglandins. Other drugs, such as paracetamol or acetaminophen, relieve pain but do not target inflammation.
Corticosteroids, such as cortisone and prednisone, broadly tune down the immune response and may be prescribed for inflammatory conditions, such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. In asthma, for example, they can help reduce inflammation and swelling in the airways. However, although corticosteroids are effective drugs, they can have unwanted side effects, such as high blood pressure, mood swings and weight gain.
Before taking any of these drugs, it's always best to speak to a healthcare provider.
Additional resources:
This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
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