Question: When taking too much B12 in the past, I’ve felt more anxious and irritable. Also, noting that I have candida and mold that I’m now detoxing. I’m thinking of increasing my dose now since I’ve been detoxing a while and want added immune benefits/energy from B12. If I start to feel irritable/more anxious again from more B12, would that be a sign that the Candida is potentially feeding off of it and I should wait to increase? Thanks!

Vitamin B12 is essential for good health. It aids in helping the nervous system function properly, and also helps with blood cell production. Sufferers of Candida are often deficient in a number of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, including vitamin B12, due to the reduced effectiveness of the digestive process caused by the yeast overgrowth, which can exacerbate a B12 deficiency over time. However ertain vitamins you’ll find in vitamin B complex can lead to a mental state of worry, fear, and anxiety. Vitamin supplements affect the same metabolic pathways that stimulants like caffeine do. B vitamins can cause anxiety in some people, especially those with a COMT (helps break down neurotransmitters) mutation. Some formulas provides high amounts of B6 relative to the other B vitamins which can increase side effects such as restlessness, irritability, and numbness. Most people associate B12 with health, energy, and vitality, so it’s another vitamin found in high concentrations in many energy formulas.

Like B6, high doses of B12 increase neurotransmitter levels, and have stimulating properties. This can sometimes cause restlessness, anxiety, worry, and difficulty sleeping. For most people, this isn’t a supplement you need to take every day unless you have a diagnosed deficiency or are using for chronic fatigue or a chronic infection like Candida. If you do take vitamin B12, look for the form methylcobalamin, which is easier to absorb than the more common cyanocobalamin. Folic acid promotes neurotransmitter production and in high amounts it has been associated with negative side effects. At the end of the day, all vitamins are metabolic activators so it’s always best to start out with a low dose to see how your body responds. A safer alternative is a high quality probiotic like CanXida Restore which will help to naturally balance Candida and boost gut immunity.

Question: I was looking for a more detailed answer about inflammation, autoantibodies and why the immune system attacks itself. If you can foward my previous question to a in house professional I would be very thankful.

To understand autoimmunity you must first understand the concept of tolerance. Tolerance is the immune system’s ability to appropriately tolerate non-threatening substances in the body. There are three areas of tolerance that can become dysfunctional and ultimately contribute to autoimmune disease. First there is oral tolerance, which is the ability to tolerate food proteins. This is what you see in food sensitivities. People who lose oral tolerance eliminate one food after another because their body reacts to many foods. Chemical tolerance is your body’s ability to tolerate a certain burden of chemicals within your environment. When your body is unable to break them down due to a toxin overload or problems with detoxification, you will develop chemical intolerance. Self tolerance begins in utero as your immune system develops as a fetus. When the immune system loses self-tolerance, it will begin to target normal tissues as being problematic, triggering an autoimmune attack. In order to recover from autoimmune disease, you must address tolerance. Genetics only account for 30% of autoimmunity. The remaining 70% can be attributed to intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut) and environmental causes.

Fortunately, you can address leaky gut and environmental factors in order to restore tolerance of self and put your condition into remission. To restore immune tolerance you might want to work with a functional medicine opractioner but some helpful tips include: Give your body a break from toxic and inflammatory foods, eat plenty of nutrient-dense and anti-inflammatory foods, repair your intestinal lining with a good probiotic like Restore and gut barrier nutrients like Rebuild. Implement stress relief practices, minimize toxins in your personal care and household products. Drink plenty of water and eat plenty of fiber and exercise (sweat) to flush out toxins.

Question: I have this problem, which the hospitals and doctors cant cure. I use to have a quiet stomach. But now it keeps rumbling and making constant noises all the time, which is quite distressing. I am on the same diet as always. They said it mite be my age, but I don’t agree with that. I have had blood tests, urine tests and ultrasound tests. Nothing wrong. I am 60 years old, slim build and I get a lot of exercise a day. Can you suggest anything I can do.

The noises your stomach makes, called borborygmi, are normal intestinal sounds that occur during the digestive process. The smooth muscles that line the gut contract and squeeze food and gas through the intestines. This process generates stomach sounds. There are many factors that may increase stomach noises and cause mild discomfort during digestion. Certain foods like dairy, legumes, cruciferous vegetables and and artificial sweeteners can cause that. If it’s been several hours, and your only symptom is the gurgling (technically known as borborygmi), then it’s likely nothing serious. Hunger is the most common cause of stomach gurgling, so learning to better read and respond to your own hunger cues can help if that’s the cause. Also focus on taking a few deep breaths before you eat to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and see if it helps.

But if those get ruled out, the sounds and sensations of borborygmi might come from a few other, more serious conditions, including: Infections, like bacteria, yeast, or parasites, small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO), food intolerances, such as lactose intolerance, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and some medications. If you have pain, diarrhea, constipation, excess gas or foul-smelling stool, then it’s extremely important to seek medical care and get checked by a doctor to dicrd anything serious. To reduce stomach noises some tips may include: avoid or reduce portions of foods that cause excessive stomach noises or discomfort, consider adding ginger chews, peppermint-flavored foods or cinnamon to your diet to help calm digestive noises, add probiotics. To improve the number of favorable bacteria in your gut, you can try a high quality probiotic like CanXIda Remove with 6 extensively researched probiotic strains plus added digestive enzymes to improve GI symptoms. Meditation and breathing exercises may reduce stress and ease digestive issues.

Disclaimer: This article intends to provide general insights and may not apply to individual cases. It is essential to consult with a healthcare professional to ensure that any vitamin supplementation.