Just sharing the NHS website on B12 and folate deficiency anaemia, which reads as per the below.
What this says to me is that there is a distinct difference between what actually happens in the real world vs. what we read about on the old internet.
It is important to remember that not every article will be factually correct or referenced. Very often someone has written the article from (mis)information they found on the internet themselves. So if it's not a scientific paper, it may not be true.
But what is baffling is that the NHS themselves state that symptoms should be taken into account when blood tests are run.
BUT THEY ARE NOT!
So someone is nicely writing up the info on the NHS website. But it is not being verified by practicing GPs.
GP's are not even reading this stuff.
So it's all abit of a nonsense isn't it?
Just sayin...
Blood tests
Different types of blood tests can be carried out to help identify people with a possible vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.
These tests check:
whether you have a lower level of haemoglobin (a substance that transports oxygen) than normal
whether your red blood cells are larger than normal
the level of vitamin B12 in your blood
the level of folate in your blood
But some people can have problems with their normal levels of these vitamins, or may have low levels despite having no symptoms.
This is why it's important for your symptoms to be taken into account when a diagnosis is made.
A particular drawback of testing vitamin B12 levels is that the current widely used blood test only measures the total amount of vitamin B12 in your blood.
This means it measures forms of vitamin B12 that are "active" and can be used by your body, as well as the "inactive" forms, which cannot.
If a significant amount of the vitamin B12 in your blood is inactive, a blood test may show that you have normal B12 levels, even though your body cannot use much of it.
There are some types of blood test that may help determine if the vitamin B12 in your blood can be used by your body, but these are not yet widely available.
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Pickle500
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What irritates me in particular about the NHS entry is that the title refers to B12 deficiency anaemia and folate deficiency anaemia despite the article acknowledging that people can have the symptoms without having anaemia.
Quotes from article
"Some of these symptoms can also happen in people who have a vitamin B12 deficiency but have not developed anaemia."
"A lack of vitamin B12 (with or without anaemia) can cause complications."
About 50% of people with PA do not have anaemia.
This NHS link was due to be reviewed in May 2022 so keep an eye on it as the information may change soon.
......and if it is a scientific paper, still read carefully.
Some research is based on testing very small numbers of patients for short periods of time with no follow-up or monitoring. For statistical or proportional data, this should not hold much weight, but can encourage medical professionals quoting as fact what in reality does not stand up to much scrutiny.
Low quality evidence can still influence potentially influence policy.
As an example, see Cochrane review that suggested that evidence that oral B12 treatment was as effective as IM B12 injections was of low or very low quality.
It seems the NHS policy is to gaslight patients with a deficiency. As a b12 deficiency leads to many disparate symptoms, the patient can get trapped going to lots of different specialists. Each one quick to offer their latest pharmaceutical drug.
The NHS isn't interested in saving money, it wants to spend more on pharmaceuticals, that bottomless pit of greed.
As individual patients we cannot win. Factor in weakness, brain fog, trouble with words, no medical training and exhaustion, its very difficult to fight your corner. In a dr's office you are in an unequal setting, where they have the knowledge, means and power to help or hinder. Not forgetting their deep seated arrogance.
Short of a 'celebrity' cook or whomever having the condition and shaming the NHS to wise, up nothing will change. And no celebrity uses the NHS. Basically our health or lack of is a cash cow. Why would they want us healthy?
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Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
High serum B12 reading
Possible depletion of other forms of vitamin b
With normal levels of b12 can you still be deficient 
found this in todays Times newspaper 
