dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...
Not often I stand behind Mail articles on health but Dr. Martin Scurr has written a stand out article which might be worth bookmarking or even keeping for future reference.
Daily Mail Doctor speaks on PA! - Pernicious Anaemi...
Daily Mail Doctor speaks on PA!
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Espeegee
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What date paper.My mum gets it .
Thanks
Today!
Thank-you. Not used for potato peelings yet then !
lol, I read it online, so, no.
Oh I meant my mums newspaper 😅
I could not find it in the newspaper in the shop just now, but the online link has a share or reply facility at the end.
Dr Scurr said that if you have PA you should get injections every 3 months. He also said you can have them every month. What he did not say was that some of those with b12 deficiency need more than that, that PA is difficult to diagnose so many never get any real diagnosis for the cause of their B12 deficiency - maybe I'm expecting too much, and as you say, he likely had been allocated a word limit.
Still, great that a GP has said that replacement of injections with tablets is wrong for those with PA diagnoses. Just a pity that those who don't are still left to fight their own battles.
The numbers quoted are far higher than I appreciated:
As many as 20 per cent of over-60s and 6 per cent of under-60s have pernicious anaemia.
(And I think I'm more aware than many.)
Are they accurate? Especially the change beyond 60.
I've read that in othef places . Including b12 deficient with no firm diagnosis of PA as not a definitive test. 20% of over 60s It's just good its in a newspaper .
I realise frequency of b12 injections could've said varies in practice.
Happy to accept it! 
Especially if it includes those without formal PA diagnosis.
No, I think its a misinterpretation of a statement like this one from a peer-reviewed article:
"In the UK the prevalence of vitamin B12 deficiency is about 6% in people aged less than 60 years. This rises to 20% for people aged over 60 years. About 11% of people with vegan diets are deficient in vitamin B12."
patient.info/doctor/pernici...
Here they are talking about a 20% prevalence in the over 60's of B12 deficiency, not PA specifically. Similar numbers appear from other credible sources. Considering reduced stomach acid with age this figure seems not improbable.
Maybe somebody should email Dr Scurr and point him here - that way he could see for himself just how common this situation takes place.
Somehow somewhere there needs to be a wake up call ! I am sick to death of suffering at the hands of these ignoramuses.
Scientist, not medic.
It's shocking to read exactly what has been going on regarding B12 jabs being withdrawn, and it's good to find it appearing in a 'daily newspaper'.
It would be interesting to see exactly where Dr Scurr's figures are from however. Likewise, whilst we know that B12 jabs work, he's completely dismissive of oral B12 therapy. There are cases where oral therapy has worked, although the exact process of absorption in those cases isn't entirely clear, and a blanket ban on jabs and switch to tablets clearly isn't the answer.
As for wrapping potato peelings in newspaper, I really can't support that. The peelings should be composted, and the paper should be recycled. In fact, the 'peelings' should be eaten, as they're the tastiest and most nutritious bit of the potato anyway. [Personal viewpoint.]
I'm old enough to remember when newspaper was cut into squares and impaled on a nail for a further useful purpose, but those days are largely gone, and attempting to follow a story from the small square was tedious. Plus someone had usually attempted the crossword. However, I suspect that this still happens, and I'm really not sure how the drains and sewage works handle this process.
Newsprint (actual paper used by newspapers) changed substantially when colour printing arrived.
Used to be that colour was only used on special occasions - and you could feel the pages were different. But when Eddie Shah's Today was launched (in 1986), it required enhanced newsprint throughout. Over time, many other newspapers followed suit.
That largely marked the end of that use of newspapers. As well as its widespread use for window cleaning.
Agreed. Plus the modern newsprint stock is much, much thinner than in the old days, which would 'increase the risk of accidents' substantially! Some days I don't actually hear the paper dropping through the letterbox, whereas previously, is sounded more like a half-brick landing. The transfer of printing ink still remains. [Yes, we still get a daily delivery of newspapers!]
When 'The Independent' was launched, it was a delight to handle as the print didn't seem to transfer anything like as readily.
You need to iron the newspaper in order to stop the print coming off . That’s what my butler does anyhow .
Perhaps you can't hear the paper drop because you're.. um... older? 😏
Ooh, cheeky... No, I hear it when there's a multiple delivery, but the current Daily Telegraph has fewer pages and thinner paper too!
I remember those days too. We were posh and hung our news paper squares on a bit of string in the outside loo. You could bet your bottom dollor there would be a dirty great spider up in the corner once sat on the thrown. As you said it was a swine trying to read the story line from the small square of paper. But happpy days neither the less.
I always eat the vegetable peelings or chop and add to stews. My father when chopping a cabbage would always offer me the raw stalk to eat. As for the crispy skin of a jacket spud which is scrumptious - it's much nicer than a packet of crisps.
I am not going to comment on B12 seeing as my loon of a Dr has just retested my B12 despite my being on therapy for 3 rudy years. You can guarentine my bloods will be sky high and they will try and stop my injections. I could quite happily shove the guidlines of B12 where the sun dont shine up his jacksie. Am I really suposed to trust my diminishing health to these loonys ?
We were equally posh, as we had string too. Although we called it 'band' and in fact, we still do. [referring to band] I have a considerable affinity to 'Billy Band', otherwise known as 'Farmers Friend'; baler twine that will outlive all of us, and comes in a variety of colours. My macrame skills have come into play using said 'band' for holding baskets onto our Quad Bike, but that's another life I have!
The spider was a friend, although it might not have seemed so. What do spiders eat? Flies. And what can be a nuisance in 'outside cludgies' other than flies? Yes, I know, rats and mice! It takes a very butch spider to take on a rat.
He thinks that the withdrawal of B12 injections was “reprehensible “ , but doesn’t say how to get the reprehensible action reversed !
The lack of education continues.With my new role I visited a house bound patient who had their B12 injections stopped during lockdown, and despite them trying to get them reinstated as they were struggling was always told no need!
I checked the system and their last B12 test results, (I know, why are they still checking levels?!?) 😡 were 245 in Feb 22. I knew they would've dropped lower by now as they're on a lot of other medications so I spoke to our in house Dr and asked if we could arrange an 'Active'B12 and Folate test for this patient.
Levels came back at 176 with low Folate! Injections reinstated and Folic acid script issued.
My next battle after reading this patients notes are to educate their GP who stated in their notes, 'Levels to be tested again in ONE YEAR'
So frustrating!!!
Thank goodness they had you to fight for them.
jolly well done though, it's a small gain that may well have made an impression on the medics. Next maybe drop off a copy of Sally Patcholok's (sp?) book lol.
Brilliant Ritchie1268 ! 🏅
Glad you're there, getting involved : lets us know that you are doing well yourself.
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