The Old Folks Home

[vehve]

Oh Wisher, you should try smoothies too. I feel they help with fibre, fluids and vitamins. Banana, orange, blueberries and green salad and a cup of water works nicely. Spinach and basil are good too, and apples and carrots, lime and lemon, mango, peaches, nectarines... you can experiment to find a favorite. But some fruit, veggie, leaf green and berries in everyone are good.

 

[Cynthia12]

Wisher, wouldn't hurt to go get checked by the doc. Anytime our bodies has something going on, it lets us know in one way or another, and fatigue is a biggy. Can't always blame it on getting older either, especially if it comes on pretty quick.

 

[ozexpat]

How did I do OZ? Not too kooky of advice?

I better respond in 2 parts

Part 1

The best treatment for fatigue is sleep. 8 hours of uninterupted sleep. If your not rested in the morning or are dozing by 1pm, eaxamine sleep patterns.

Exercise, diet and hydration will improve your overall energy.

Part 2

Why does vitamin B12, among all the vitamins, have a halo of benefit for fatigue and energy levels?

The answer is part science and a whole lot of marketing.

Here are some fun facts:

Vit B12 is absorbed in the last part of the jejunum – a long, long way down the GI tract. Sub-lingual or under the tongue B12 is no more readily absorbed. (Aplogies to the quack, Dr. Mercola, and snake oil peddling Dr Oz).

Vit B12 is one of the few vitamins that are stored well by the body. It takes 3-5 years to deplete the Vit B12 levels in the body. Deficiency is never the result of any short-term issue. The usual (non-vegetarian)

“Western” diet provides 5-7 mcg of B12 per day, which is more than adequate to maintain appropriate levels: the RDA is 2mcg/day and 2.6mcg/day in pregnancy.

When it comes to demonstrated efficacy, B12 has only been conclusively established to be effective for preventing or treating B12 deficiency.

Causes of B12 deficiency

Pernicious anemia is a consequence of an immune reaction that destroys the stomach’s ability to secrete intrinsic factor, which is essential for most of our B12 absoption. No intrinsic factor = little B12 absorption = pernicious anemia. Pernicious anemia develops slowly, over decades – it’s most common in the elderly, and rare in those under 30.
Vegetarians and vegans that do not consume animal products must take a supplementary source of B12
Outside of these groups, dietary deficiency is rare.
Other medical conditions can cause deficiency through a reduction in absorption, all of which may be more prevalent in older adults:

• gastritis and H. pylori infection
• intestinal effects and consequences of from gastrointestinal disease, cancer, or HIV
• reduced gastric acid secretion secondary to drug therapy like proton pump inhibitors
• other drugs, like the diabetes drug metformin, which can have gastrointestinal effects

The Framingham study with a cohort of non-institutionalized adults 67 through 96 years of age found that 5.3% of the participants had serum vitamin B12 levels that were mildly deficient of which 80% had no symptoms.

If you have mild deficiency, a tablet containing 1000mcg (of which 1% will be absorbed) daily will reduce and then reverse symptoms.

edited to add references

References
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1884303/?tool=pmcentrez
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/585589?src=mp&spon=30
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/b12/references.html

 

[ozexpat]

Wisher, wouldn't hurt to go get checked by the doc. Anytime our bodies has something going on, it lets us know in one way or another, and fatigue is a biggy. Can't always blame it on getting older either, especially if it comes on pretty quick.

indeed

 

[Puddin Fluff]

Fibromelanistic black meat chicken is supposed to reverse the clock, make you younger. Prevents diseases also, read up on it. Can't wait to start my flock of black meat chickens.

Is that something different from a silkie?

 

[Wisher1000]

Quote: I can eat a lot of stuff that many people think is unappetizing, but black chicken meat is NOT one of them............ I'd rather be tired.

 

[chickadoodles]

I feel the same way Wisher!

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I can eat a lot of stuff that many people think is unappetizing, but black chicken meat is NOT one of them............ I'd rather be tired.

Well, I've never eaten one but I recall that is why silkies are bred in the orient.

 

[Beer can]

Is that something different from a silkie? 

Yes silkies are, so are ayem cemanis and svart honas. I got lucky on the NY thread there is a woman hatching out a 'project' naked necks crossed with cemani, she wants to show off their black skin. She said her NN roo was 'bowtied' so only a certain percent are going to have the naked neck, and they are the only ones she wants to keep. Gave me a decent price on a young pair of the ones that are not NN, I'll get a trio probably. She said the ones she hatched so far are pure black even the toenails. And have straight combs of the cemani. Just waiting until she can be sure of the sex. I didn't care much for the idea of the NN, I think their ugly! But these won't have it, and from what I read on them they somehow are cold hardy, good layers and good meat birds.I think it will be a good cross. Once I get a flock built up I'll be eating them, the rest of my family probably won't though Lol! Best of all she only lives two hours from me so I can pick them up. She lives right near Lake George, one of the best fishing spots in the state! I'll havta see if I can catch a bucket full of black crappie or maybe a couple of northern pike to bring home also.

 

[Beer can]

I can eat a lot of stuff that many people think is unappetizing, but black chicken meat is NOT one of them............ I'd rather be tired.

About twenty yrs ago I moved out of the parent's and was on my own. My father dropped off a dozen RIReds he just butchered. He said "I don't know what's wrong with them, but your mom says we ain't eating them you can if you want" they had black leg meat and a little marbling of black in their white breasts! I didn't know anything about different breeds of chickens until last year. I just recently told him that the RIR mix rooster he picked up when he lost his pure one to a weasel probably had some silkie in it at some point, it was the size of a red, and looked kinda like one but had five toes, I remember him saying it was weird, he never had one with five toes before. Silkies have five toes...