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METHYLCOBALAMIN ULTRA 60 Lozenge
Methylcobalamin ULTRA is an ultra-high dose formulation of methylcobalamin, the neurologically active coenzyme form of vitamin B12. Methylcobalamin supports the healthy structure and functioning of the brain and nervous system. Studies show that a person may not have optimal methylcobalamin for proper neurological function, even when vitamin B12 intake and status is normal. This higher-dose formulation is for persons for whom research supports supplementation at higher levels than in our standard Methylcobalamin formulation.
Methylcobalamin is the coenzyme form of vitamin B12 which supports
the healthy structure and function of the nerves and brain. Several
studies have found that people can have neurological signs and symptoms
of a specific Methylcobalamin deficiency, even when serum B12, and blood
tests which measure adenosylcobalamin acitivity, are perfectly normal.
This is in large part because, while the body can store
adenosylcobalamin (the other coenzyme form of vitamin B12) in the liver
and mitochondria, Methylcobalamin is located in fluids like the
cerebrospinal fluid and plasma, and is urinated out rather than stored.
While healthy people need just a tiny trace of Methylcobalamin to
avoid a frank deficiency, a massive body of evidence powerfully supports
the conclusion that supplementing with megadose levels of
Methylcobalamin - and not regular B12 - can protect brain and nerve
cells against toxins, help the healing of damaged neurons, and even
provide powerful nutritional support in neurodegenerative diseases.
Paralyzing Viruses
Several groups of scientists
have investigated the use of Methylcobalamin in Bell's palsy, and they
have uniformly found that Methylcobalamin speeds the recovery of normal
nerve function. In two separate human trials, patients were given either
prednisone alone (a steroid anti-inflammatory drug commonly used to
treat Bell's palsy), Methylcobalamin alone, or the drug and the coenzyme
together. Both trials found that the time required for complete
recovery was significantly shorter for people who took Methylcobalamin
(whether in combination with prednisone, or even by itself) than for
those who took the steroid drug alone.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
In a pilot trial, six
people with degenerating MS received 60 milligrams of Methylcobalamin a
day. The scientists compared the changes which took place in the
patients' nerve function over the course of up to two years before the
trial began, to the changes which happened during the six months in
which the patients took Methylcobalamin. They found that there was a
significant improvement in nerve function while patients took
Methylcobalamin. Before Methylcobalamin, about one fifth of all
measurements of nerve function suggested that the nerves were
degenerating. While the patients were supplementing with
Methylcobalamin, however, only half as many nerve measurements showed
signs of degeneration. And while, in the time before the trial began,
just 4% of the nerve measurements suggested that the nerve in question
had improved, it was found that 18%, or four-and-a-half times as many
nerve readings, showed signs of improvement while patients were taking
Methylcobalamin.
Lou Gehrig's Disease
In a randomized,
double-blind, controlled trial, 24 patients with Amyotrophic Lateral
Sclerosis (ALS), better known as Lou Gehrig's disease, took megadoses of
Methylcobalamin through intramuscular injection for just under a month
at one of two doses (25 milligrams or 500 micrograms a day). While no
results were seen in the lower dose, patients who took the higher dose
of Methylcobalamin experienced increases in measurements of their
nerves' ability to trigger responses in the muscles. Two patients' gaits
were also noted to improve in the higher-dose group.
Alzheimer's Disease
Two trials have between them
found that giving Methylcobalamin to people with Alzheimer's disease or
related dementias (like Pick's disease) leads patients to have better
interaction with other people and with the world around them, while
improving mood and relieving neurological symptoms. The evaluation by
the patients' familes and physicians was also improved. The findings in
these trials on intellectual functioning were inconsistent: some scales
showed improvements, but others did not. Both of these trials, however,
used relatively low doses of Methylcobalamin.
A Good Guess: Parkinson's Disease
There's good
reason to believe that Parkinson's disease is caused and/or accelerated
by "excitotoxicity" resulting from overstimulation by the
neurotransmitter glutamate. Drugs which lower glutamate levels, or which
"tune down" its receptor, improve many of the symptoms of the disease,
while drugs which stimulate the receptor make them worse.
So if Methylcobalamin protects neurons from the toxicity of
glutamate, might it provide support for people with Parkinson's disease?
Unfortunately, no clinical trials have yet been run to test this idea.
But granted how safe Methylcobalamin supplements have proven to be, and
its clear benefits in other neurodegenerative diseases, this essential
coenzyme holds out hope as a potential way to prevent, and perhaps even
to treat, this debilitating disease.
Caramelized Nerves
A string of clinical trials
have reported that Methylcobalamin improves nerve function in people
with diabetic neuropathy as demonstrated by things like improvements in
the ability to detect gentle vibration, reduced tingling, numbness, and
pain in the extremities, less feelings of "heaviness" in the legs, and
the restoration of neurons' ability to efficiently transmit a signal and
to properly regulate the heartbeat. Trials which have looked at the
overall improvement of patients' neuropathic symptoms and signs have
also reported remarkably positive results.
Eyes Under Pressure
In a controlled study, 14
patients with normal-tension glaucoma were treated with Methylcobalamin,
and their progress was compared with that of 22 other normal-tension
glaucoma patients who did not take Methylcobalamin supplements. While
59% of the people not taking Methylcobalamin experienced worsening
sight, 86% of patients taking Methylcobalamin experienced no loss of
function.
The Squeezing Spine
Lumbar spinal stenosis is the
compression of the nerves in the lower spine caused by arthritis,
spinal degeneration, injury, or sometimes unfortunate genes. The
squeezing of the nerves leads to pain on exertion in the lower back or
buttocks, which is relieved by shifting position. In a single-blind,
randomized controlled trial, 152 people with lumbar spinal stenosis were
given the current standard care (physiotherapy, standard drugs, and
education on managing their disease), and additionally either did or did
not take Methylcobalamin. For whatever reason, the dose chosen for the
trial was very low (half a milligram) compared to what has been used
successfully in most trials pitting Methylcobalamin against nerve
disease. At this low dose, there was no improvement in pain or in the
doctors' evaluations of the appearance, sensation, or function of their
nerves; however, despite the clearly inadequate dose, those people who
took Methylcobalamin found themselves able to walk further distances
without experiencing pains than people who were not taking it.
The Question of Dose
In general, most trials in
which Methylcobalamin has been used to help people with various forms of
diabetic neuropathy, non-diabetic neuropathy associated with uremia,
peripheral facial paralysis (including Bell's palsy and Ramsay Hunt
Syndrome), normal tension glaucoma and dementia (including Pick's
disease and Alzheimer's disease) have used doses ranging from1.5 to 5
milligrams. On the other hand, trials involving victims of ALS (Lou
Gehrig's disease) and multiple sclerosis (MS) have used much higher
doses, such as 25 milligrams per day for ALS and 60 milligrams daily for
MS.
Note that in some cases only one trial has ever been performed, with
only a single dose used, and the results are often preliminary; it's
therefore possible that higher (or lower) doses might be more effective.
Because of the well-established safety of Methylcobalamin, many
nutritionally-oriented physicians are working with their patients using
doses considerably higher than those used in the relevant trial. There
are some cases where this has seemed especially prudent to some
physicians.
For instance, the evidence suggests that Methylcobalamin is much more
effective against Bell's Palsy when taken within days of the initial
attack; at later times, a higher dose might be more appropriate.
Likewise, the only trial of Methylcobalamin in patients with lumbar
spinal stenosis used only 0.5 milligrams per day - and achieved only
very minor results. It seems reasonable to speculate that a higher dose
might have been more effective, granted the fact that nearly all
successful trials in other neurological disorders have used minimum
doses of 1.5 milligrams, and many have been higher. Discuss these issues
with your doctor.
There are also several neurological disorders in which there is
reason to believe that Methylcobalaminmight make a good supplement
choice if your physician approves, but in which no clinical trial has
been performed. These would include Parkinson's disease, tinnitus,
Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), and people suffering with environmental
illnesses who suffer with neurological signs and symptoms. In such
cases, because we don't have formal human trials to use as a guideline,
your physician will have to rely all the more strongly on his or her
judgement.
A range of Methylcobalamin sublingual supplements are now available,
making customizing your dose more convenient and affordable than at any
time in the past.
METHYLCOBALAMIN ULTRA
60 Lozenge
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SUPPLEMENT FACTS:
Serving Size: 1 Lozenge %DRI
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Methylcobalamin ......................... 15 mg *
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*Dietary Reference Intake not established.
Other ingredients: sorbitol, fructose, natural cherry, magnesium stearate, citric acid, stearic acid.
AOR guarantees that no
ingredients not listed on the label have been added to the product.
Contains no wheat, gluten, corn, nuts, dairy, soy, eggs, fish or
shellfish.
Suggested Use
Dissolve one to three tablets under the tongue in the morning, or as directed by a qualified health consultant.
Main Applications
As reported by literature:
Neuroprotection.
Nutritonal support in neurological disorders.
Source
Pharmaceutical synthesis.
Pregnancy / Nursing
Safe at one half of one tablet daily.
Cautions
None known.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food
and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose,
treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
The information and product descriptions
appearing on this website are for information purposes only, and are not
intended to provide medical advice to individuals. Consult with your
physician if you have any health concerns, and before initiating any new
diet, exercise, supplement, or other lifestyle changes.