by Christine Dunbar

Created on: June 07, 2008

Do you have the correct amount of vitamin level in your body to function? I didn't know how important this was until recently. I was just diagnosed with a severe B6 deficiency, which is considered to be rare. However; when I was researching this problem I read a lot about vitamins and how important they are. When you have a vitamin deficiency, it is important to correct it as soon as possible to prevent any serious health issues. I thought it would be helpful to post a series of articles on the symptoms of some vitamin deficiencies.

First I'll tell you about the amazing B's. B1 is also known as thiamine, and a deficiency could cause something called Beriberi. Beriberi's symptoms are weight loss, weakness, pain in the limbs, emotional disturbances, impaired sensory perception, periods of irregular heart rate, edema, and in some serious cases death. The treatment for this is just a pill or a shot of thiamine hydrochloride. Usually there is a immediate (with in the hour) difference after treatment. Lack of thiamine can also cause something referred to as Korsakoff's syndrome. This is basically a brain disorder with symptoms of amnesia, confabulation, apathy, and confusion. The treatment for Korsakoff's syndrome is IV thiamine. B1 can be found in fresh foods such as fresh meat, fresh veggies and of course fruit.
B2 is also known as riboflavin and deficiency in this could cause sore throat with redness and swelling of the mouth and throat mucosa, cracking of the lips and corners of the mouth, inflammation or infection of the tongue, seborrheic eczema, and anemia. The treatment for lack of B2 is over the counter supplements. Good sources of B2 are cheese, egg yolks, almonds, organ meats, whole grains, wild rice, soybeans, milk, spinach, mushrooms, almonds, and poultry.

Let's talk about B3, also known as niacin. Symptoms of deficiency include diarrhea, dermatitis, aggression, restlessness, weakness and confusion. The treatment for this is also supplements. B3 is found in wheat bran, liver, tuna fish, turkey, chicken, meat, mackerel, salmon, oats, barley, cheese, dried fruit, brown rice, and wheat germ. Next is B5, also known as pantothenic acid. A deficiency in this is extremely rare with the most common symptom being fatigue. Other symptoms include insomnia, depression, irritability, vomiting, stomach pains, burning feet, and upper respiratory infections. Treatment of this is listed as supplementation; but it should be noted that because deficiency is so rare, there

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