Hello all,
After reading the thread on Magnesium and Vitamin B, it gave me the idea to share what I've learned about B Complex.
I took a Pre-Med course in Nutrition during my graduate studies at the university I attended. One basic thing I learned from this course is that B is best taken in a prepared combination - that is, B Complex. It works far better than taking individual B vitamins separately.
Second, if a person is deficient in B vitamins, there's a very simple way to know. Simply take a B Complex tablet and ask a friend to time you (so you won't be focused on the time). Put your mind on something other than the time. Ask your friend to ask you how you feel in 15 minutes. By then, you should notice a marked difference in how you feel if you truly are deficient in B vitamins. Typically, a person deficient in B will start saying how good he feels. If you don't notice any difference, then you are getting a proper B vitamin intake.
Third, what I learned from the course and from personal experience and had passed on to my daughter is this: B Complex is an important catalyst for the body to utilize iron. When I was pregnant with my last child, the doctor said I was iron deficient and he needed to give me an iron injection. Well, he forgot to do it. The following month at my next visit, he again tested me and said, 'well, looks like that iron shot helped. Your iron levels are higher!' I said 'what iron shot? You didn't give me one.' He checked his notes and found that I was right. The only thing that I did different was I started to take a B Complex supplement. After looking into B Complex, I learned about how it helps the body to utilize iron.
For years, my daughter refused to take my advice about taking B Complex when she was constantly complaining about being tired. Finally, she took my advice. She felt such a difference that she actually refused to let her doctor give her any more iron shots, and he was surprised to see her iron levels increase without the shots.
A final caution about iron: it can be toxic to the body, so the body has a fail-safe to prevent iron toxicity. When your body detects that your iron level is a little (or a lot) too high, it actually dumps all of the iron out of your body. To me, that explains why people who are given iron shots keep feeling the need to continue them.
I've been tired lately from my heart problem, and my doctor ordered iron tests. I can't wait to see how they turn out!