Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses (Paperback)

by Sally M. Pacholok RN (Author), Jeffrey J. Stuart DO (Author) "A silent crippler stalks millions of Americansand you may be one of them..." (more)
Key Phrases: autoimmune pernicious anemia, enlarged red blood cells, high homocysteine levels, United States, New England Journal of Medicine, Internal Medicine (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"I defy you to read this book then not get yourself or a loved one tested for B12 deficiency." -- Dr. Eric Norman, developer of the UMMA test for B12 deficiency and founder of the first commercial laboratory to provide UMMA testing

"I have gained a distinct sense that we physicans, neurologists and psychiatrists have been miserly with our B12 diagnosis and treatments." -- John Dommise, M.D.

"Sally Pacholok, R.N. and Jeffrey Stuart, D.O. are to be congratulated for calling attention to this common disorder. The number of conditions and illnesses that can be attributed to deficiency of vitamin B12 is impressive. It is often under-diagnosed and under-treated by the medical profession. I recommend this book to professionals and patients alike who are interested in finding the underlying cause and cure of many common diseases and conditions." -- Kilmer McCully, M.D., author of The Homocysteine Revolution and The Heart Revolution

"As a practicing physician I can only hope that malpractice attorneys don’t read this book." -- Richard Nimbach, D.O.

"Exposes a major health-care scandal: the failure to identify and treat hundreds of thousands suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency." -- Bernard Rimland, Ph.D.
Director, Autism Research Institute

"I defy you to read this book then not get yourself or a loved one tested for B12 deficiency." -- Dr. Eric Norman, developer of the UMMA test for B12 deficiency and founder of the first
commercial laboratory to provide UMMA testing.

"What makes misdiagnoses' so probable is that this vitamin deficiency masquerades itself in so many symptoms...an eye-opening survey comes from the author." -- The Bookwatch, Midwest Book Reviews, January 2006

"What makes misdiagnoses’ so probable is that this vitamin deficiency masquerades itself in so many symptoms...an eye-opening survey comes." -- The Bookwatch, Midwest Book Reviews, January 2006

Product Description
In Could It Be B12?, RN Sally M. Pacholok and her physician husband, Jeffrey J. Stuart, cite the extensive research done by numerous medical centers and universities that proves B12 deficiency plays a defining role in many seemingly hopeless problems.
Yet, even in the face of these studies, this disorder has somehow been overlooked by the general medical field and is often misdiagnosed.
The authors include numerous case histories and offer their readers strategies on how to learn if they or a loved one may be suffering from a B12 deficiency.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Linden Publishing; 1 edition (June 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1884956467
• ISBN-13: 978-1884956461
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,740 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book accurately chronicles the devastation caused by B12 deficiency, September 7, 2006

By	John V. Dommisse MD "NutrnlMtblc" (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am an MD, a nutritional physician, and a psychiatrist (Canadian-board-certified) who has been studying vitamin B12 extensively since 1976, and applying that knowledge in my private nutritional, metabolic and psychiatric practice in Tucson AZ since 1994 (and Portsmouth VA before that).

This book is an outstanding compilation of anecdotes, references and experiences on the "underground devastator" of our society. The reason why this is not common knowledge in the medical profession in the US is because the laboratory "normal range" is way too low. In Japan the range is 2.5 times higher at its low end - and Japan has very little "Alzheimer's Dementia", and less depression and bipolar disorders, than we do in the US.

In the 26 years that I have been investigating B12, memory disorders and depressive/ bipolar illnesses, NO patient who came to me with a memory problem (early Alzheimer's) has gone on to Alzheimer's dementia, and I have a near-perfect track record in helping people overcome depression and bipolar disorders. These outcomes are largely due to my permanent optimization of every patient's serum B12 level.

Congratulations to Ms Sally Pacholok RN on an outstanding recording of most of the important facts and treatments for this serious condition. I believe it to be the best book out there for a combination of both medical and lay readers on this condition.

[To anyone reading this review: Please do not simply go and buy B12 tablets or lozenges and start taking them, before getting an accurate serum level measured.]

John V Dommisse MD, MBChB, FRCP(C)
Tucson, AZ, USA

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Physician's Critique, March 1, 2006

By	DOCTOR "OPTIONAL" (USA) - See all my reviews

As a primary care physician I read Ms. Pacholok's book "Could It
Be B12?" with great interest. In the early 1950's a vitamin B12 shot was a sign-off gesture by many primary care doctors at the close of a Pt's visit. It seemed as though everyone got a B12 shot for no apparent documented reason. You must understand that laboratory testing in those days was awkward, expensive, and impractical. My own mother went monthly to our family GP for her routine B12 shot. She swore by it. As progress in medicine was made it became apparent that either the United States was the world's capital of pernicious anemia or perhaps B12 shots were a doctor's way to make a fast buck. With this type of prevailing sentiment anyone who wanted to be taken seriously as an ethical physician shunned the practice of "routine" Vitamin B12 shots. I do believe this stigma prevails to this day. Just mention B12 deficiency as a possible cause for any disorder and you're likely to see a smirk come across the doctor's face as those mental neurons flash back in recollection of those charlatans of an earlier era. But now unlike then we have an easily obtainable and accurate test for Vitamin B12 deficiency. I do believe medicine's nihilistic attitude toward B12 based on the past makes for a mental block on behalf of a lot of doctors to even consider B12 deficiency on their list of differential diagnoses. This is unfortunate. My only advice to the public is as Ms. Pacholok advocates: 1. Avoid shot gun B12 therapy; 2. Insist that you and your loved ones with signs and symptoms get tested. It's the right thing to do. I enjoyed the book and give it a 5 star rating.
Dr. Anonymous

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource regarding B12 deficiency, December 17, 2005

By	annesailorgirl "annesailorgirl" (Berrien Spgs, MI USA) - See all my reviews

Recently I was diagnosed with B12 deficiency, after struggling with anemia, exhaustion, and a decreased immune system for much of my 20's. I can hardly believe what a difference B12 shots have made in my life. I'm half Scandinavian, and at least one of my Norwegian cousins has this deficiency, too, which can run in families. I have been researching everything I could find on B12 deficiency. Sally Pacholok, RN, and her husband, Jeffery Stuart, DO, have written a well-researched book on the symptoms, diagnostic tests, and treatment for B12. I wish the book dealt a little more with some of the recovery process, but the book is very thorough and well-researched.

The 13 chapters are as follows:
1. An Invisible Epidemic
2. Is It Aging--or Is It B12 Deficiency?
3. Deadly Mimic: When B12 Deficiency Masquerades as Multiple Sclerosis or Other Neurological Disorders
4. Am I Losing My Mind? When B12 Deficiency Causes Mental Illness
5. Stroke, Heart Disease, and Other Vascular Problems: The B12-Homocysteine Connection
6. Lost Children: When B12 Deficiency Causes Developmental Disabilities or Learning Problems
7. Vitamin B12 and Cancer, Impaired Immune Function, and Autoimmune Disease
8. Under the Knife: Why Low B12 Levels Make Surgery Dangerous
9. Can't Conceive? How B12 Deficiency Contributes to Male and Female Infertility
10. Protecting Yourself: Are You at Risk for Vitamin B12 Deficiency?
11. Information for Physicians
12. Speculation: The Possible Role of Vitamin B12 in Autism
13. A Call for a United Effort

This book is well-written, interspersing case studies/stories with research, and is a fairly easy read. If you have B12 deficiency, or have family or patients with B12 deficiency, this book is highly recommended.