How Supplements Work
The B Vitamins
This is a picture of my 5 beautiful daughters (click on it to see all five), all of whom suffer in one way or another from symptoms of vitamin B deficiency if they don't eat right and take their vitamins; it does seem to run in my family, and I hope they're not too mad at me for being the carrier. (It was me; their dad was always healthy.) Anyway, my own father had seasonal hay-fever, and my mother always had depression, both symptoms of vitamin B deficiency. Both my brothers have symptoms, including one with asthma. A couple of my grandkids have allergies. Several of my family now use or have used supplements to control or overcome their symptoms. I'm here to say that it can work for everybody.
All the B-vitamins dissolve in water, and for this reason, cannot be stored in the body. Cells will contain little or much of each B vitamin, depending on the amount you ingest. To obtain and maintain the best health, the cells should have all the B vitamins they need; any B vitamins not needed are simply excreted in the urine.
It appears that all B vitamins work together. The taking of one or more B vitamins increases the need for the others not supplied. The group in its entirety can be obtained only from such foods as liver, yeast, and wheat germ.
The first B vitamin I'm going to talk about is Pantothenic Acid. It's probably my favorite B vitamin because sometimes you can get over allergies and asthma just by taking extra pantothenic acid (also known as Calcium Pantothenate). Animal studies have shown that some individuals in the same family require 4 to 20 times as much pantothenic acid as others do in order to stay healthy. This vitamin is readily available, inexpensive, water-soluble, and never toxic in any amount. It does, however, require both folic acid and biotin (discussed in their own sections below) before it can be utilized by the body.
Pantothenic acid is so important in overcoming asthma and allergies because it is needed in order for the body to make its own cortisone. Pantothenic acid also protects against stress; the less stress on the body, the less cortisone it needs to produce. Cortisone is one of the hormones put out by the cortex of the adrenal glands in response to stress, including any damage to the body. The adrenal hormones control the inflammatory response, including that associated with allergies and asthma. (See the section "What Happens In the Body?")
Any disease which is helped by cortisone results when the adrenals are not putting out sufficient cortisone on their own. The adrenal cortex is sensitive to dietary deprivation. A pantothenic acid deficiency causes the glands to become exhausted. Even a slight lack of pantothenic acid causes a marked decrease in the quantity of hormones released.
The pituitary, adrenal, and sex hormones are all made from cholesterol, but without pantothenic acid, cholesterol cannot be replaced in the glands after once being used up.
All the B vitamins work via synergy (Synergy: the harmonious action of two or more agents producing an effect which neither could produce alone, or an effect which is greater than the total effects of each agent operating by itself), so in addition to your extra pantothenic acid, be sure to take a supplement that contains all 11 of the known B vitamins, which are: B-1 (Thiamin), B-2 (Riboflavin), Niacin (Niacinamide), B-6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), B-12 (Cyanocobalomin), Folic Acid, Biotin, Pantothenic Acid (Calcium Pantothenate), PABA (Para-aminobenzoic Acid), Choline, and Inositol. There are also 3 other vitamins in the B group, as yet not isolated, known as antistress factors. A good brand of the B-Complex will contain all 11 of the B vitamins plus antistress factors, usually noted on the label as a "Proprietary Blend" of ingredients such as alfalfa, parsley, watercress, etc. It is important to use only B-vitamins that contain all 11 of the B's plus antistress factors. Also, the amount of all the B's should be the same. The reason for this is that large amounts of any one B vitamin taken consistently may eventually create a deficiency of some of the other B vitamins, because of the way they work together.
The brand I take that I know works is Puritan's Pride. You can order online from this site; just click on the Puritan's Pride logo in the left-hand column. It's very inexpensive, which goes to show you that the price you pay does not necessarily reflect the quality of the vitamin. I have tried several other brands that were quite expensive and from reputable companies, but they didn't work as well, and some didn't even work at all. I get the "B-50 Vitamin B-Complex" because that has enough in it to maintain my body against getting my allergies back, but you may want to try the "B-100 Ultra B-Complex" just to make sure you're getting enough, especially at first. For children, the B-50 once a day should be enough. It comes both in tablets or capsules; I prefer the capsules, to ensure absorption. If you're deficient in the B vitamins, your body will be like a dry sponge: it will need a larger amount at first than it will later. If your child has a hard time swallowing a capsule, try having him swallow it down with a large spoonful of applesauce. If he's too young for capsules, use liquid vitamins or empty part of a capsule into his bottle or cup of juice.
There will be individual variation on how long it will take to overcome allergies and asthma. Some sources say it takes 6 months for many of the cells in your body to be replaced with new cells, so staying on a nutrition program for 6 months before noticing a big difference in your health would not be unreasonable; however, if the damage is severe and you have a lot of stress, including taking medication, it might take well over a year. Also, if you don't adhere to your program consistently, this will set you back.
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamin)
The synthetic form of this cheap vitamin is tossed promiscuously into many of our foods to "enrich" them, and in only very small amounts. So-called "enriched" white flour has at least 25 nutrients largely removed during refining, and one-third the original amount of iron, vitamin B-1, and niacin may be replaced. So, if you're depending on this "enrichment" to provide the vitamin B-1 you need, you are definitely sorely lacking. (By the way, this picture is of homemade whole wheat cinnamon rolls that my friend Merri Linn made for me for Christmas. She even grinds her own wheat! Now, don't say you wouldn't have time to do that---Merri Linn works a full-time job plus teaches piano lessons, goes to her son's sport events, and holds 3 church positions!)
Many people take vitamin B-1 tablets or tablets of a few mixed B vitamins, believing that they receive far more than they do. Again, the action of all the B vitamins is synergistic. One alone or several together increase the need for the B vitamins not supplied. Deficiencies of the unsupplied vitamins may produce abnormalities which can do more harm than the vitamins obtained can do good. This is important to remember. It's a reason why many people taking vitamins don't see results, and it's also a good reason to eat healthfully even if you are taking vitamins. Remember, there are nutrients in our food that have not yet been discovered and isolated and therefore are not put into vitamins, and nutrients that help the vitamins work better. An animal study was done in a laboratory where the animals were fed all the known nutrients (including protein, not just vitamins) and guess what? They all died.
It is a fact that an adequate intake of vitamin B-1 aids in producing energy. Here's a true example from Adelle Davis to illustrate: "The most exhausted woman I have ever seen still walking around," says Adelle, "had been taking massive doses of vitamin B-1 daily for two years. She was a seamstress, thirty-eight years old, although she appeared to be fifty-five or sixty. Her eyes were bloodshot; she believed they were strained by her work. Her upper lip had completely disappeared; small open cracks cut downward from the corners of her mouth. Fatigue showed in every line of her face. Most of her hair had fallen out during the past year; the thin, scraggly remainder was white. She had other abnormalities: her nerves were taut and jumpy; she suffered from insomnia; she worried excessively and felt depressed; the back of her lap was so covered with eczema that she could scarcely sit down; yet she was too exhausted to sit up.
"It was only after much questioning that I found the cause of her trouble. She used to be so tired, she said. She had heard that vitamin B-1 prevented fatigue and had found on taking it that at first she did feel better. When the effect wore off, she asked the druggist for the highest-potency B-1 tablet he had, and when this tablet had not helped, she had gradually increased the amount to four tablets daily. I had difficulty in convincing her that the vitamin B-1 was at fault. She was afraid to give it up. I have seen dozens of cases in which the multiple deficiencies of other B vitamins had been caused by taking vitamin B-1. Fortunately, no other cases have been as severe as this one. A little knowledge can indeed be a dangerous thing. If a vitamin has been insufficiently supplied, a pickup is experienced when it is added to the diet; increasing the amount over that needed by the cells cannot produce a further pickup. It can only produce deficiencies of other B vitamins still under supplied, as it did in this case."
Are you ready to run out to the kitchen and find something to eat that has vitamin B-1 in it? The richest sources are wheat germ and rice polish, rice polish having about half the amount as wheat germ. (Rice polish is the bran or outer covering of the rice kernel and contains most if not all of the vitamins. It is removed in processing to become the white rice we're all familiar with. Fortunately, you can buy what's called "converted" rice, which is treated so that the vitamins are carried into the center of the rice before the milling, which is to remove the bran. And never, ever buy "instant" rice, which is so tortured in processing that you can tell by the taste, if your body is used to nutrient-laden rice, that it doesn't support life.) Vitamin B-1 is necessary before seeds can sprout; therefore, it is found in all cereal grains, nuts, dry beans, peas, soybeans, and lentils, and in unrefined foods prepared from seeds, such as peanut butter, breads, and cereals. Among animal sources, kidneys, heart, and pork rank highest. (Sorry, but I don't think we'll be hearing "please pass the kidneys" at MY dinner table!)
Experiments have been done in which vitamin B-1 deficiency has been produced in volunteers. Dr. Norman Jolliffe, of the New York University School of Medicine, studied men living on a diet adequate except for vitamin B-1. After only four days they noticed pain around their hearts, palpitation, and shortness of breath on exertion. They became constipated, unusually fatigued and mentally depressed, the symptoms becoming progressively more severe as they continued the diet. Dr. Jolliffe, studying the hearts by fluoroscope and electrocardiograms, found them to be enlarged and sufficiently abnormal as to be diagnosed as heart disease. When adequate vitamin B-1 was given, the symptoms disappeared in three to six days.
In a similar experiment at the Mayo Foundation, volunteers were given a diet containing the amount of vitamin B-1 found in surveys to be that consumed by the general population of our country (0.22 mg. per 1,000 calories). Their report states: "The foods were exclusively those which commonly appear on the American table." The diet consisted of white bread, beef, corn flakes, potatoes, polished rice, sugar, skim milk, cheese, butter, gelatin, egg white, canned fruits and vegetables, cocoa, and coffee. To make sure the diet was otherwise adequate, these persons were given brewers' yeast to supply the vitamins of the B group but with the vitamin B-1 destroyed by heat. The diet was supplemented with iron, calcium, and phosphorus, and with cod-liver oil to furnish vitamins A and D. Such a diet, therefore, was superior to that eaten by millions of Americans.
Symptoms. All of the volunteers showed personality changes. They became irritable, quarrelsome, uncooperative, inefficient, forgetful, mentally sluggish, and depressed. (Do they sound like anybody you know?) These symptoms gradually became more exaggerated. In time, the volunteers developed extreme fatigue, sleeplessness, constipation, and sensitiveness to noise; their hands and feet frequently became numb. They developed low blood pressure, anemia of moderate severity, and low basal metabolic rate. They suffered from heart palpitation and shortness of breath; electrocardiograms showed that their hearts were abnormal and, in several cases, enlarged. Their capacity to work, measured by an exercising machine, fell progressively as the diet continued; all symptoms were made more severe both by exercising and by cold weather. In time, they became unable to work because of exhaustion. Pain (neuritis) developed in the calves of their legs. It was found that they had little hydrochloric acid in their stomachs, and in some cases this valuable acid was completely absent. By the twenty-first week, they experienced such severe headaches, nausea, and vomiting that the experiment had to be stopped.
Vitamin B-1 was then given; within a few hours the volunteers became cheerful, the fatigue left them, and 
they reported a feeling of mental alertness and unusual well-being associated with marked stamina and enterprise. Other symptoms disappeared more slowly. The flow of hydrochloric acid became normal in 12 days; their hearts in 15 days.
These experiments were done many, many years ago; yet, today we don't know about them so we (and our doctors) continue to believe that there are no vitamin B-1 deficiencies among us, that our "enriched" bread and cereals are giving us what we need, and that we don't need to take vitamins. (And remember, even if we do take vitamins, many brands do not contain the whole B complex in the right combination and they may not work or even be absorbed.)
Despite the fact that abnormalities from vitamin B-1 deficiency are numerous and varied, vitamin B-1 appears to have only one function. As part of an enzyme, it helps to change glucose into energy or fat. During the breakdown of sugar to produce energy, pyruvic and lactic acids are formed. By the help of enzymes containing vitamin B-1, pyruvic acid is quickly broken down still further into carbon dioxide and water; lactic acid is rebuilt into glycogen. If the vitamin is under supplied, these changes cannot take place, and the acids remain in the tissues; they accumulate, especially in the brain, nerves, heart, and blood; eventually they are thrown off in the urine. The production of energy from sugar slows down, coming only from half-burned sugar or from fat; the acids irritate the tissues. Since energy cannot be produced efficiently from fat alone, the result is fatigue, lassitude, and a general laziness throughout the body.
Neuritis frequently develops when vitamin B-1 is inadequately supplied. Like the brain cells, the nerves are particularly affected by this deficiency because they are exclusive sugar burners. Neuritis, which may take the form of trifacial neuralgia, shingles, sciatica, or lumbago, is characterized by a sliding scale varying from a dull ache to excruciating pain following the nerve channels. Such pain is thought to result first from the accumulation of acids and later from actual damage to the nerve cells. Headache and nerve irritation which bring about nausea and vomiting may likewise be caused by these acids.
Neither persons nor experimental animals under supplied with vitamin B-1 show all the symptoms of the deficiency. Symptoms of any deficiency vary in endless degrees among individuals and even in the same person from day to day. Many of the same symptoms, however, do occur again and again in both people and animals when they are deficient in vitamin B-1.
Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin)
According to many authorities, there is widespread deficiency of vitamin B-2 in America. Symptoms can include: eyes becoming irritated, even watery, and sensitive to light, and, if strained, bloodshot. Enzymes containing vitamin B-2 normally combine with oxygen from the air to supply the cells in the cornea; when vitamin B-2 is inadequate, the body forms tiny blood vessels in this tissue in order to supply it with oxygen. After these blood vessels are formed, the blood will drain from them when vitamin B-2 is adequate and they are not needed, but the blood vessels remain; then blood can quickly enter them again whenever a deficiency recurs. This can also happen on the cheeks, with small blood vessels forming in the outer layers of skin which does not normally contain blood vessels, giving a more rosy appearance than normal. Other symptoms can be purplish tongue, tiny perpendicular lines or flaking of skin of the lower lip, or cracks in the corners of the mouth. If the deficiency is prolonged over many years, wrinkles radiating from the mouth and gradual recession of the upper lip occur.
The role of vitamin B-2 is a good example to illustrate the complexity and inter-dependence of nutrients one with another. Vitamin B-2 in the body does not do its work alone. It is actually a part of the structure of a number of enzymes. (Enzymes are proteins produced by living cells which cause various chemical changes in other substances in the body and are essential to life and health.) These enzymes, being largely protein, are made of essential amino acids. If you lack any of the essential amino acids, production of the enzymes is limited. Also, you need vitamin B-6 in order to help combine the amino acids into the protein part of the enzymes.
So the deficiency symptoms listed are actually caused by a lack of enzymes, which in turn is caused by a deficiency of vitamin B-2 and/or B-6, and/or essential amino acids. Such is the intricate relationship of many nutrients in the body and of multiple overlapping deficiencies.
Sources of vitamin B-2 include liver (richest source), nutritional yeast (found at the health food store), milk and milk products, and cooked green, leafy vegetables. (It is not available from salads; the green leaves must be cooked in order for B-2 to be absorbed by the body.)
Niacin (Niacinamide or Vitamin B-3)
Symptoms of mild deficiencies, associated with irritability, suspicions, imaginary unfairness, and mental depression, are common and can prevent family life from being happy. Other symptoms include coated tongue, canker sores, dizziness, insomnia, recurring headaches, impaired memory, and digestive disturbances (because the stomach can no longer produce sufficient enzymes, digestive juices, and acid to allow normal digestion). Severe deficiencies lead to serious psychological disorders.
The richest sources are yeast, liver, wheat germ and kidneys. Some is supplied by fish, muscle meats, eggs, and nuts. Aside from these foods, niacin is difficult to obtain.
Vitamin B-6 (Pyridoxin hydrochloride)
This vitamin is necessary for normal functioning of the brain. Diets lacking B-6 produce seizures. Other deficiency symptoms include headaches, even migraine, irritability, dizziness, extreme nervousness, lethargy, inability to concentrate, anemia, nausea, dandruff, eczema, halitosis, sore lips, mouths, and tongues, hemorrhoids, insomnia, and mental depression. Pregnancy and oral contraceptives increase the need for vitamin B-6 and can produce deficiency symptoms such as headaches, hemorrhoids, nausea, water retention, and eczema.
Vitamin B-6 is also essential in maintaining a normal level of magnesium in the blood and tissues. At the same time, magnesium helps to activate dozens of enzymes which contain vitamin B-6; therefore these two nutrients work together in the body and neither can function without the other. Vitamin B-6 is essential before the unsaturated fatty acid, linoleic acid, and the many amino acids from protein can be utilized in the body. Without it tissues cannot be built, lecithin cannot be synthesized, and blood cholesterol cannot be kept at a normal level. When B-6 is under supplied, the amino acid tryptophan is not used normally. If vitamin B-6 alone is deficient, kidney stones of oxalic acid are produced. Calcium-phosphate kidney stones appear to form when the diet is inadequate in both vitamin B-6 and magnesium.
Sources of vitamin B-6: yeast, blackstrap molasses, wheat bran and germ, liver, heart, and kidney. Much vitamin B-6 is lost in cooking, canning, exposure to light, and long storage.
Certain individuals and even entire families sometimes have unusually high requirements of vitamin B-6. In general, if a recognized deficiency exists, 50 mg at each meal, taken preferably with the same quantity of vitamin B-2, is sufficient to rebuild health in a few weeks; then the quantity can usually be reduced to perhaps 10 mg daily, taken with yeast and other natural sources. This vitamin is never added to so-called "enriched" bread. The FDA claims that we get enough from ordinary foods. I doubt it.
Vitamin B-12
While most of the B vitamins are found largely in liver, yeast, wheat germ, and rice polish, vitamin B-12 occurs mainly in animal foods such as milk, eggs, cheese, and most meats, and in legumes. Liver is the richest source.
When a prolonged deficiency of B vitamins prevents the stomach from producing hydrochloric acid and an enzyme known as the intrinsic factor, vitamin B-12 cannot be absorbed into the blood and pernicious anemia and neurological lesions can occur. Fortunately, this is fairly rare, mainly occurring among vegans who don't take B-12 supplements.
Famous nutritionist Adelle Davis says, "Children suffering from asthma, hives, or eczema markedly improved when the only change in their diets was the addition of liver daily and/or they were given vitamin B-12." This may be, but I would remind you that it is very important to get the whole B-complex consisting of all 11 B vitamins plus anti-stress factors as noted above, and Adelle does emphasize this in her books. Besides, you don't know which particular B vitamin or combination of vitamins might be needed more than the others. It's best to supplement with the whole B complex at once. Don't try to diagnose. The individual B vitamins are detailed here for your interest and education and to emphasize how important each and every one of them are to our well-being.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is necessary for the division of all body cells and for the production of the substances which carry our hereditary patterns, RNA and DNA. Without it, no growth can take place and no healing can occur. As part of dozens of enzymes in the cells, it is essential for the utilization of sugar and amino acids and the building of antibodies to prevent infections. Folic acid, along with biotin, is necessary before the B-vitamin pantothenic acid can be utilized.
Folic acid is destroyed by prolonged cooking. Absorption is decreased by oral contraceptives, alcohol, and some other drugs. Pregnancy, lactation, and psoriasis increase the demand for folic acid.
Sources: green leafy vegetables, yeast, liver, and mushrooms. Low dietary intake is common. The liver can store about a 2 to 4 month supply.
Biotin
Biotin is necessary before pantothenic acid can be utilized, and it plays a role in skin and hair health, and is essential for the intermediate metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The richest source is yeast, and is also found in oatmeal and soy.
Biotin deficiencies have been produced in volunteers. The first symptom was mental depression. In time, they developed dry, peeling skin, extreme fatigue, muscular pain, nausea, and distress around the heart. The mental depression became so intense that it was described as "panic," and some volunteers experienced suicidal tendencies.
PABA (Para-aminobenzoic acid)
PABA is a component of folic acid and acts as a coenzyme in the body's metabolism of proteins. It helps manufacture healthy blood cells and can help heal skin disorders. In addition, it protects the skin against sunburn by absorbing the portions of those ultraviolet rays of the sun known to cause burns and even skin cancer. Deficiency symptoms include eczema, extreme fatigue, digestive trouble, nervous tension, emotional instability, and anemia.
Sources are eggs, brewer's yeast, molasses, wheat germ, and whole grains.
Choline
Choline is present in all of our cellular membranes. It works to remove fat in the blood, regulating cholesterol levels, and is vital to the liver's functions. Choline aids in building and maintaining a healthy nervous system. If choline is not present in our system, the liver is unable to process any sort of fat. A deficiency can also lead to muscle weakness.
The richest sources are brains, liver, yeast, wheat germ, egg yolk, and granular lecithin. It is also found in whole grains, nuts, meat, bran, beans, and fish. The assumption usually is that cholin deficiencies do not exist because this vitamin can be formed in the body from the amino acid methionine, a part of all complete proteins. First, however, the protein intake must be so generous that "excess" methionine is available, not needed to build or repair tissues (as in growing children). Secondly, vitamin B-12 and folic acid must be present as part of an enzyme essential in forming cholin from methionine. Any one or all of these three nutrients may be inadequate, especially in children.
The amount of cholin required to maintain health is in proportion to the intake of solid, or saturated, fats in the diet; the more of such fats eaten, the more cholin needed. With cholin deficiency, the body cannot produce enough lecithin, so the cholesterol rises. A high blood cholesterol can be lowered by avoiding saturated fats to decrease the need for cholin, or by increasing the cholin in the diet with the other nutrients necessary for lecithin formation (inositol and essential fatty acids).
Inositol
Sources include liver, brewer's yeast, wheat germ, whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, corn, nuts, oranges, and especially dark, unrefined molasses. When animals are put on a diet lacking inositol, their hair falls out. If the vitamin is then added to the diet, their hair grows in again. Male animals lose their hair twice as quickly as do females, indicating that the male requirement is higher than that of the female. A deficiency also causes constipation, eczema, and abnormalities of the eyes. Inositol is paticularly concentrated in the lens of the human eye and in the heart muscles. A hundred times more inositol than any other vitamin except niacin is found in the human body.
Inositol has been found to reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood. This vitamin, together with cholin, is part of the structure of lecithin. (Lecithin keeps cholesterol in tiny particles which can readily pass into the tissues to be utilized.) Inositol has an anxiety-reducing effect similar to some tranquilizers. Some nutritionists recommend 500 mg daily.
Anti-Stress Factors
These are certain vitamin-like substances which are still unidentified but have a fantastically protective action against most types of stress.
Sources: liver, especially pork liver, wheat germ, yeast, soy flour from which the oil has not been removed, and green leafy vegetables.
My favorite anti-stress factor, however, is Hawaii.