B...Be a B Student: The Importance of Vitamin B

Throughout my childhood, my parents encouraged to be my best and reach for my full potential. In school, they emphasized the importance of reaching and maintaining academic excellence. Wanting to do my best and make my parents proud, I worked hard to be an A student. Never did I think that one day I’d be encouraging myself--and all of you--to be B students.

I know, the B’s I speak of have absolutely nothing in common with school grades…unless of course you consider that these B’s are important for reaching and maintaining life excellence. Yes, the B’s I am speaking of are the B vitamins.

As many of you may know, I endured tons of tests and blood work before my doctor diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. Almost every result was good. However, my doctor did find that my B vitamins were a little low. As a result, he emphasized that I should be taking Vitamin B supplements every day because my deficiency could be affecting my fibro symptoms.

Since before my official diagnosis, I have spent hours and hours researching and reading about fibromyalgia. There are so many theories as to what causes fibromyalgia and what exactly IS fibromyalgia. Many doctors feel that fibro is related to some type of malfunction or injury of the nervous system. Vitamin B12 is essential to the proper function of the body’s central nervous system. Consequently, it is important for anyone with possible nervous system issues to make sure they are getting plenty of B vitamins.

Also, Vitamin B deficiency can cause unpleasant symptoms, including tingling in the extremities and fatigue. I had always assumed that all of my tingling and fatigue was solely my fibro’s fault. However, after taking Vitamin B supplements regularly now for about a year, I've noticed that over half of the tingling is gone and my fatigue isn’t quite as severe as it used to be.

Although vitamin supplements aren’t going to cure chronic illness, we really need to be aware that our bodies can’t function properly without the proper nourishment. By ensuring we have a diet rich of various vitamins and minerals and adding supplements where we fall short, we have the best chances of improving our health and not complicating things by adding unnecessary and easily remedied problems.

Before starting any supplements, please check with your doctor.  Some supplements aren't suitable for individuals taking certain medications or with certain medical conditions.