Lactospore Supreme for Depression; B12 Deficiency
Lactospore Supreme for Depression
NutriStart recently introduced our new version of Lactospore, containing 5 times more colony forming units (CFU’s) than the original product. With the new Lactospore Supreme now providing 2 billion CFU’s, it was exciting to discover that the company which owns the Lactospore trademark, has just been granted a new U.S. patent, based on treatment with 2 billion CFU’s of Lactospore (per day). This new patent approval gives the owners of Lactospore the right to legally claim that it is an effective “method of managing dementia and dementia-related sleep disorders presented as symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) in humans associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)”.
Lactospore (again at a level of 2 billion CFU’s daily) had already been granted a patent allowing a claim for alleviating symptoms of IBS. This new patent approval takes the treatment claim even further, allowing for a claim of treating both the physiological symptoms of IBS, and the associated symptoms of MDD (without any pharmaceutical drugs being included in the treatment protocol).
Lactospore proved itself to be “effective in managing psychological conditions associated with disorders in the gut, opening up a new avenue of research in the field of enteric-neurobiology and brain-gut-microbiome axis”. (Reference)
Now, given the nature of the brain-gut-microbiome axis, all people, whether they have IBS or not, receive psychological benefit from having an ideal ratio of good bacteria in their gut. And, since Lactospore works to rebuild each individual’s ideal microbiome (much like pre-biotics), I believe anyone with a mood disorder of any kind will find improvement by using Lactospore Supreme. At the very least, unlike mood altering pharmaceutical drugs, it will do no harm, and so is a safe experiment for anyone seeking to treat anxiety, depression, and possibly even insomnia.
Signs on the Fingernails that Indicate B12 Deficiency
Vitamin B12 deficiency is much more common than the medical profession acknowledges. Those prone to this deficiency include vegans and vegetarians (since all sources of B12 are found only in foods derived from animals), those with malabsorption disorders (IBS, Crohn’s disease, colitis) or who have had a portion of the bowel surgically removed, those with pernicious anaemia, and the elderly (who lose the ability to absorb B12 from food). As well, some medications can impede one’s ability to absorb B12 from food (including the diabetic drug, Metformin, and long term use of antacid drugs).
Symptoms of a B12 deficiency can take years to show up, and, while there is a B12 test commonly available, there are two problems with current testing. First, the bar is set too low in North America. The margin for B12 deficiency is three times higher in Japan than in North America, and it may be the reason that Japan has some of the lowest senile dementia rates in the Western world. (In other words, your B12 may look high to a doctor in North America, and yet still be considered far too low by Japanese standards.)
Secondly, the standard B12 test used in North America does not work for those who are poor methylators (a genetic malfunction). Therefore, since as much as 30 to 40% of the population may be poor methylators, if you have had poor health most of your life, or have a severe neurological disorder, do not trust the average B12 test to be accurate for you. (For more on the subject, have a read of this detailed blog on B12 testing.)
According to a study on Pubmed, “manifestations of cobalamin (B12) deficiency include hyperpigmentation; hair and nail changes; and oral changes, including glossitis (inflammation of the tongue). Additionally, several dermatologic conditions, including vitiligo, aphthous stomatitis (canker sores), atopic dermatitis, and acne are related to cobalamin excess or deficiency.” (Study)
The article which led me to covering this subject was on the topic of B12 deficiency symptoms that manifest in the nails; something worth knowing, as this could be an easy way to detect a potentially dangerous B12 deficiency.
According to the article, B12 deficiency could manifest in bluish, brownish, or bluish/black color to the nails, and/or wavy vertical streaks (or ridges) running through the nails (especially the thumbnails).
(It should be mentioned that a deficiency in folic acid, or folate, can also cause pigment changes in the nails, and lead to rigid and/or brittle nails. Also, like B12, folic acid is required for producing red blood cells. As well, be aware that poor methylators cannot use regular folic acid supplements.)
Now, in the natural health field, vertical ridges on the thumb nails is considered to mean one has low stomach acid. And low stomach acid means reduced digestion of protein, minerals, and vitamin B12. So, in fact the interpretation of ridges in the thumbnails being a B12 deficiency, is most likely missing the actual clue, which is that this symptom actually is suggestive of impaired digestion: and B12 deficiency is the eventual response to this reduced digestive ability.
(I will just point out here that heartburn and acid reflux, while commonly treated as symptoms of high stomach acid, can as easily be symptoms of stomach acid that is too low. Therefore, unless you have your actual stomach acid level tested, do not assume that heartburn and reflux indicate you have too much stomach acid: especially if you have ridges on your thumb nails.)
Should one need a good, sublingual methylcobalamin B12 supplement, I recommend NutriStart’s Quick B12.