◦Serum folate of less than 7 nanomol/L (3 micrograms/L) is used as a guide to indicate folate deficiency.
◦However, there is an indeterminate zone with folate levels of 7–10 nanomol/L (3–4.5 micrograms/L), so low folate should be interpreted as suggestive of deficiency and not diagnostic.
As that is a Medichecks test, presumably your B12 test is Active B12. An Active B12 level below 70 is suggestive of testing for B12 deficiency, so although yours is not below 70, it's not exactly at an optimal level, I like my Active B12 to be ove 100.
There are a couple of good quality, bioavailable B Complex supplements suggested here - Thorne Basic B and Igennus Super B. At the recommended dose of 1 x Capsule Thorne there is 400mcg methylfolte and 400mcg methylcobalamin (B12), at the recommended dose of 2 x tablets Igennus contains 400mcg methylfolate and 900mcg methylcobalamin.
Thank you for this. I am going to try and find some previous B12 / B9 blood results and see the trend. Deficient level of B9 and low B12 could be the cause for my tiredness at the moment. I will retest in 2 months after I take the supplements.
Testing B12 whilst supplementing will show skewed levels. It will only show the amount in your blood and not the amount in the cells - where it is needed !
Thank you for that. I sent a test off yesterday before I started my b12 and folate supplements. How long would you say you need to stop the supplements for before you take another test? A week?
I did find the testing recommendations from medichecks regarding B12 if you do take supplements. They say: 'Thyroid Check UltraVit Blood Test: Active B12 levels can be affected by use of vitamin B12 supplements. If you are taking an oral supplement then we recommend not taking it for one week prior to the test to ensure an accurate measure of your B12 levels. If vitamin B12 is being prescribed to you by your doctor then you should discuss with them how long to omit B12 supplements for.
The Active B12 test shows only the B12 in the blood that is available to be transferred to the cells where it is needed. The Serum test indicates both the bound and unbound B12 - of which around 20% is available for transfer into the cells.
Neither test can indicate the amount in the cells. Raised Homocysteine and MMA can suggest low B12 levels in the cells ...
Where would the active B12 go if it's not used up by the cells? Can the body just get rid of it or is it stored? I've never tested for Homocysteine or MMA levels.
If you are very disciplined early enough perhaps you can avoid meds . Apart from diet , supplements stress has a huge impact on how we heal .so all 3 are equally important.
Thank you for this. Yes, I am a huge fan of Dr. Wentz and she's the one who's inspired me to try and find the root cause and change my lifestyle. As you say, stress it the hardest for me, as my job and family life is very stressful. I cannot wait to restart my 'proper' yoga lessons again, although currently suffering from BPPV (inner ear imbalance) and having to wait till late October for a ENT appointment!
I feel the same as you. I really hate the idea of being on 'meds for life'. On top of that, I reacted very badly to the hormonal pill when I was younger. It really messed my health up for a good 2 years, until I understood that it was the pill making me ill. I've been very suspicious of all medicines since...sadly. We are very 'fine tuned machines', I don't really believe we can all take the same meds and feel great as a result. Onwards and upwards!
I take homeopathic ‘thyroidenum’ which a qualified go , practising homeopathic / functional practitioner said was a good idea . .. along with other things .
Igennus Super B is good quality and cheap vitamin B complex. Contains folate. Full dose is two tablets per day. Many/most people may only need one tablet per day. Certainly only start on one per day (or even half tablet per day for first couple of weeks)
Or Thorne Basic B is another option that contain folate, but is large capsule
If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
I'm also on a journey of trying to find the root cause of my Hashimoto. Very strict gluten and diary free diets for a long period didn't help; as a matter of fact my TPO increased twofold. I'm working with a functional medicine practitioner and she just recommended cyrex array 12 tests (I'm about to do it). Perhaps this may be helpful bozemannutritionist.com/res... to you.
Thank you for this. I am in the UK so could not visit your nutritionist but I am very open to naturopaths. My experience with TPO is that it went from 969 to 315 after a month gluten free. But now it doesn't want to reduce any more. I am wondering if nightshades are a trigger...I love eating potatoes. I might have to try 2 weeks off and retest. I read this morning about lectins influencing the inflammatory response. It's so hard to know where to look. so many causes possible for our problems. And on top of it, we have to remain calm and not stress!
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