Adenosyl B-12 Resources

This blog post contains information relevant to the deficiency of adenosyl B-12, including discussions of the impact of this deficiency, what may cause it, and how to correct it.

Books and Websites

Could it be B-12? - This book explains the importance of B-12 and its functions in keeping the body in good health - and why this deficiency is so frequently overlooked by modern medical practicioners. Of particular interest to me was the chapter on the impact of general anesthesia or dental work on the body's B-12 reserves. (Spoiler alert: nitrous oxide is hugely destructive.)

Note that this book does not address the impact of the genetic variants which impact 40% of the US population, impairing our capacity to absorb the inactive form of B-12, cyanocobalamin, which is the standard B-12 in supplements and enriched foods absorption, and it barely mentions adenosylcobalamin, which is essential to the production of energy in every cell in the body. See also the author's website, B-12 Awareness.

For more information on the methylation cycle and the MTHFR genetic variant, see these websites:

Glutathione and the Methylation Cycle by Rich Van Konynenburg Ph.D. Rich's ground-breaking exploration of the involvement of impaired methylation cycle in ME/CFS remains, for me, the gold standard of understanding of this topic. This page lists numerous papers by him and links to an absolutely brilliant lecture in which he explains the methylation cycle in clear and lucid detail. Unfortunately, to my knowledge, Rich was not aware of the role of the COMT genetic variant and adenosylcobalamin deficiency in this illness, but if you want to truly understand the methylation cycle, this is the place to start, IMHO.

About Methylation And The Methionine Cycle - This is a very detailed discussion of the methylation cycle, but the author completely misses the significance of adenosylcobalamin.

TBD

For more information on adenosylcobalamin, its role in the Krebs cycle (which produces ATP, the "fuel" of the cells), and the COMT genetic variant, see these websites:

4 Must Know Facts About Adenosylcobalamin

The Super Form of B-12

What is the COMT Gene and How Does It Affect Your Health?

Dr. Gregory Russell-Jones' B-12 Discussion

Dr. Schweikart's Adenosylcobalamin Discussion

Phoenix Rising Forums

Note: you may need to create a free account on Phoenix Rising Forums and log in so you can see the Message numbers (#) at the bottom of each user comment. These notes identify each message by number to make it easier for you to find the message in question.

If you are unfamiliar with the methylation cycle and/or how the MTHFR genetic variants impact this vital function, you may want to start with The Stages of Methylation and Healing, which gives an overview of the methylation cycle.

Below you'll find a number of forum posts that I feel are relevant to understanding the health impacts of adenosylcobalamin deficiency and related conditions, along with potential ways to address this, and potential adverse effects of some of these corrective actions.

B-12 The Hidden Story

This very long thread contains tons of information about the methylation cycle and methyl B-12 and methyl float deficiency. Here are two messages of particular interest:

Message #2901 discusses four supplements needed to overcome 4-way deadlock of the Krebs cycle (often referred to as "methyl block" or "methyl trap". These supplements are AdoCbl (adenosylcobalamin) and LCF (L-carnitine fumarate) in addition to the more widely known methyl folate and MeCbl (methylcobalamin).

Message #2902 suggests magnesium theronate for sleep.

Large Amounts of MFolate and Potassium

Message #22 suggests a B-12/folate ratio; 500 mcg methyl B-12 can require 30 mg methyl folate. (I'm skeptical of this. Needs more research.)

Message #23 discusses the recycling of adenosylcobalamin in normal functioning and mentions factors (nitrous oxide, cyanide as in cyanocobalamin) that destroy the active forms of B-12. In other words, in normal functioning, B12 is mostly recycled, not used up, but if B-12 reserves are exhausted, glutathione production drops, making it difficult for the body to recover its B-12 reserves. This directly impacts the Krebs cycle and mitochondrial production of ATP.

Message #30 discusses anger/anxiety when starting AdoCbl (adenosylcobalamin) if taking carnitine and suggests microdose of carnitine and/or TMG dose. Mentions L-carnitine fumarate as a cause of anxiety/anger, but I believe this is a transient startup effect. Also mentions the COMT genetic variant and associates this with extreme anger or anxiety when increasing methylation.

(This has happened to me three times; extreme anger when I started methylcobalamin and methyl folate a decade ago, and intense anxiety when I started adenosylcobalamin in July 2020 and again when I started l-carnitine fumarate a week later.)

Message #31 says anxiety-anger activation happens with ATP startup; carnitine can produce very large hyper reactions most often. TMG can take the ATP edge off.

Plausibility of NAC inducing B-12 Deficiency or Methyl Trap

Message #2 explains how blood tests can show normal or high B-12 levels despite B-12 deficiency because low glutathione prevents proper B-12 utilization. Adverse effects when starting NAC are transient, not permanent.

Message #4 discusses the effects of "methylfolate trap" which is addressed by NAC. NAC may have nasty start-up effects but is beneficial long-term in improving glutathione production. This message also mentions the "methyl trap" theory of Yasko/Konynenburg/Fredd, which is not the same as the "methylfolate trap" discussed in this thread.

Carnitine or NAC for those with CBS+, NOS+, COMT+, SUOX+ ??

This thread discusses various aspects of the methylation cycle, B-12 deficiency, and transient adverse effects of NAC startup, and discusses various genetic variants which can impact methylation cycle function. I think there's a lot of good info in this thread, and a number of things that correlate with my own experience.

Message #4: NAC detox is a "methyl trap." The use of L-carnitine fumarate is better for people with FMS/ME/CFS.

Message #6: NAC reaction: headache.

Message #9: The responder believes Fredd's hypothesis that ME-CFS is caused by an underlying long-term and drastic B-12 deficiency. (I think he's right.)

Message #12: discussion of L-carnitine fumarate, AdoCbl (adenosylcobalamin), TMG (trimethylglycine), mitochondria, ATP (adenosine triphosphate), Krebs cycle. Also: it can take a year or more for mitochondria to restore; years for other functions affecting neurological & bone growth.

Message #13: NAC, hypotension, nitric oxide increase. (Hypotension, or orthostatic intolerance, has been a hallmark of my illness, especially in recent years. Treatment with the drug Mestinon proved to be both dangerous and ineffective.)

Message #16: Contains a list of basic cofactors from Fredd. Mentions his levels of healing post.

Message #18: Discussion of adverse effects and the inefficiency of folic acid. Also has a link to the "levels of healing" post.

Transdermal B-12 Oils

Discussion of Dr. Gregory Russell-Jones's understanding of the active forms of B-12 and his transdermal B-12 products.

Improvements in Brain Fog

Message #2 suggests a list of cofactors including B-2 at 20mg/day, as well as Molybdenum, Iodine, and Selenium.

The Stages of Methylation and Healing

This is what's referred to elsewhere as the "Levels of Healing" post by Freddd. The long opening message gives a detailed discussion of methylation cycle factors and recovery from dysfunction. Read this first if you're unfamiliar with the methylation cycle and the impact of the MTHFR genetic variants.

Further exploration

Methylation B-12 Glutathione Detox and Chelation Forum

The Very Large Gorilla Sitting in the Room? Adenosylcobalamin is the Missing Link...

Adenosylcobalamin paper by Carmen Wheatley. She hypothesizes that AdoCbl deficiency is the real source of 'NO derived pathology.

MTHFR Resources

An independent researcher, Richard van Konynenburg, PhD., developed a hypothesis that a genetic defect* which causes MTHFR deficiency might be a fundamental cause of ME/CFS and similar illnesses.  Rich's hypothesis was based on Dr. Amy Yasko's work related to the same genetic defect in autistic children.

Essentially, Rich's hypothesis says that the MTHFR genetic defect impairs the body's methylation pathway and consequently its ability to manufacture glutathione, and that an insufficient level of this essential amino acid compound in the body can result in many metabolic dysfunctions. These dysfunctions manifest in diverse symptoms, including fatigue, cognitive impairment, pain, thyroid dysfunction (low body temperature, intolerance of heat and cold), low cortisol levels, low blood volume, poor elimination of toxins and many others associated with ME/CFS and other chronic but poorly understood illnesses.

I'm a Mutant!

MTHFR Deficiency and Defective Genes (Updated 1/21 and 5/2/13)

Mutated Genes and Me ... and Maybe You?

Recently, thanks to a suggestion by a treasured friend, I found out that I have a genetic defect which results in something called MTHFR deficiency. This mutation can cause a wide range of symptoms:

MTHFR Mutations and the Conditions they Cause - from MTHFR.net, Dr. Ben Lynch's site
Symptoms of MTHFR Deficiency - from Methy-Life.com, Jaime Horne's site

Some of the symptoms include depression, addictions (smoking, drugs, and alchohol), miscarriages (my poor mother had four!), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, chemical sensitivities, Fibromyalgia (if I recall correctly, my older sister had this), autism (I suspect I may have a relatively mild form of Asperger's), childhood cognitive development deficits, migraines, Alzheimer's, and dementia (poor Mom again!)

One Year of Coiling

In a few days I will have been experimenting with my coil machine for a year. Since my last update was in May, almost six months ago, I figure it's time for another.

From May till the end of August I coiled for Lyme every two weeks and coiled for Bartonella every other day. During this time I got sicker and sicker. The Lyme sessions were causing more and more severe herxing (Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions) which lasted longer and longer.

I think this was probably because for the entire time from late January through the end of August I increased the length of each Lyme coiling session by 15 seconds compared to the previous session, so in each session I was killing more and more Borrelia spirochetes. As a result, the toxins from their tiny corpses were evidently accumulating in my body faster than my immune system could get rid of them.

Can Oscillating Magnetic Fields Really Kill Microorganisms? Let's Ask the FDA...

I found some recent discussions with two authorities on Lyme to be quite stimulating, and after the second such discussion I went looking for an article I'd read somewhere about a study the FDA had done which showed that microorganisms can be killed by oscillating electromagnetic fields similar to those generated by my coil machine.

After all, if the FDA has found that this technology can kill microorganisms in food, doesn't it make sense that it can also kill microorganisms - such as Lyme spirochetes - in people? Doesn't this question deserve further study?

Coiling update, May 2012

I've been coiling for Lyme for five months, so I figure it's time for an update.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my initial experiments in coiling for Lyme resulted in brutal headaches and other symptoms followed by a few days in which I felt much better - and had more energy - than I had in a very long time.

After four sessions in January using 306 Hz, I decided to switch to 432 Hz. I made this decision because a friend stressed that, while 306 is more effective at killing Lyme spirochetes than 432, it's also harder on the body. "Doug Maclean said he was vomiting up blood," she told me.

[Update: I've since learned that it was 655 Hz, not 306, which made Doug vomit up blood. I've heard that Doug considers 306 Hz to be less effective at killing Lyme spirochetes than 432 Hz.]

So in early February, I started over at 15 seconds on 432. I didn't get much herxing at 15, 30, and 45 seconds, which is the longest I'd gone at 306. When I reached 60 seconds on 432, the brutal headaches returned, only now they didn't start until about four days after the coiling session.

Doug coil machine resources

Warning! See a doctor before subjecting yourself to electromagnetic fields*! 

(*Excluding, of course, the perfectly safe EMF from your house wiring, your cell phone, your television, your computer, your car's engine, florescent bulbs, WiFi hotspots, cell towers, radio and TV stations, military radar, high tension lines, and other approved and highly profitable sources of EMF.)

As it says in my disclaimer, I'm not a doctor. I'm only sharing my personal experiences. In case someone might be crazy enough to try experimenting with a Doug coil machine (or any type of Rife machine) like I've done, I've created a list of some resources I found interesting.

Before an ordinary person, lunatic or otherwise, were to build or buy a coil machine, or experiment with any type of Rife machine, it would seem prudent to do some research. I started with Bryan Rosner's excellent book, Lime Disease and Rife Machines.

When I was wondering what exactly a Doug coil machine is, I found What's a coil machine? to be quite helpful. This is part of a fascinating and meticulously maintained blog by a woman who has been experimenting with a Doug coil machine since January 2011. I also like her unscientific explanation of how a coil machine might kill pathogens. The video of the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows bridge is particularly graphic. Don't let young children or pets watch it without supervision.

I also loved Bryan Rosner's interview with Doug MacLean, inventor of the Doug coil machine. His story is quite inspiring.

Last but not least, I experienced a sharp stab of malicious joy while watching some spirochetes being stunned into stillness by the EMF generated by a Doug coil machine. If you are reckless enough to watch this video, keep an eye on the corkscrew-shaped microbes. Poor little things.