I couldn't find any mention of whether the vitamin was veg on the site, except that apparently vegans do use it...
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Posted by kashi9 on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Jul 2007 · 21 posts
I've never heard of B12 patch. My biggest question would be- what form of B12 is in this patch. Methylcobalamin is the most readily usable form. Not all vitamin supplements are created equally. (Vegcat(?) wrote a long and informative article on B12 and folate recently- maybe check that posting out.)
Personally, I find the sublingual form of B12 to be very effective. If you are a young healthy person who has been eating well and has good digestion you should be able to absorb B12 from your digestive tract- ie stomach. After all, this is where we are meant to absorb it.
My guess is that this patch for will be much more expensive than a sublingual or an oral B-complex vitamin and may not be any more effective. But if someone else has other experience I'd certainly like to hear about it.
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Posted by hespedal on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Mar 2006 · 5259 posts
generally the b12 patch is for people who can't absorb b12 (usually older people have problems with it)
why would you want to use it? it seems costly, i get all my b12 from nutritional yeast and fortified soymilks and cereals.
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Posted by jenniferhughes on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Aug 2006 · 1828 posts
why would you want to use it? it seems costly, i get all my b12 from nutritional yeast and fortified soymilks and cereals.
i was thinking something along those lines.... BUT when you go to the site the chick on the homepage looks so EXCITED and HAPPY! Made me want some :)
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Posted by SadieBeth on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Mar 2006 · 62 posts
ha, I didn't even look at the price. It's about twice as costly as the sub linguals I can get. But, the sub linguals make my teeth hurt. :'( Specifically, the back of my bottom front 4 teeth start throbbing.
Cyanocobalamin is the B-12 in this patch. (for Kashi9)
My B-12 blood tests generally come back relatively low, and my doctor wants to bring them up to normal to rule it out for various other symptoms (which I've had my whole life, but I've also always been anemic--even when I ate meat and had my dutiful glass of milk with every meal.) I experience depression and fatigue, and my doctor thinks it could be B-12. We're doing other tests, but he wants me to get better B-12 levels not only for my health but so he can rule it out. I eat fortified foods, take oral vitamins, get ridiculous amounts (like, ridiculous) amounts of proteins through soy and other legumes, spend time in the sun, and even spent a while on first plant- and then animal-source vitamin D. The vitamins and switch to fortified foods didn't really change anything over a year. I even agreed to drink (really expensive) dairy to satisfy his vegan doubts - no positive change after 6 months. I wasn't pleased about that...I probably wouldn't even mention it but didn't want to give any carnie lurkers any ammunition. :-\
I really want to explore every possible option in behavior, food and vitamins before I do anything "medical" like prescription drugs, but I wanted more information before ordering vitamins over the internet. I agree with Jennifer, I want to feel like that chick looks!
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Posted by hopfrog on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Sep 2004 · 905 posts
<---------------It's being advertised over on the sidebar.
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Posted by SadieBeth on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Mar 2006 · 62 posts
<---------------It's being advertised over on the sidebar.
Yeah and since I posted it's every freaking ad on this site, now. >:( I'm being stalked.
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Posted by vegcats on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Jul 2007 · 32 posts
Most B12 supplements use either cyanocobalamin or hydroxocobalamin. These forms are less than optimal because our bodies better assimilate methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin forms.
I notice the B12 patch provides the cyanocobalamin form of B12. This is a suboptimal form. It never ceases to amaze me that cyanocobalamin continues to be the form chosen by supplement companies for oral and transdermal (i.e., patch) use, when methylcobalamin is readily available and proven to work better. Maybe they will come out with a methylcobalamin patch soon.
The Vitamin B12 supplement I like is a sublingual (i.e., under the tongue) methylcobalamin tablet. Sublingual B12 supplementation is excellent because of easy absorption and assimilation into your body. These great tasting micro-tablets are flavored with acerola cherry and dissolve easily under the tongue: www.integratedhealth.com/hpdspec/cobal.html
SadieBeth, you can try this brand to see if it makes any difference. It never hurts my teeth. Check to see if there are any additives (like sugar, dextrose, etc) in your sublingual B12s that may be causing this pain.
You might also consider crushing a sublingual B12 tablet into power (using a mortar and pestle, or the flat end of the butter knife on a cutting board) and then mix the power into a 6-10 oz glass of water. Hold this fluid in your mouth and swish under your tongue. The pores under the tongue are large and will quickly absorb whatever B12 contacts them. Then whatever you swallow will be absorbed later in your digestive system.
It sounds like you're doing a lot of good things for yourself nutritionally. Your fatigue sounds to me like it could be related to a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium works directly with the body to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is the molecule that supplies our energy. Without ATP, our bodies can't produce the energy we need for vibrant living. Nutritionally-compromised persons (e.g., most Americans) do not produce adequate amounts of ATP, and therfore have suboptimal energy levels.
Typical medical tests measure blood magnesium, but blood levels are a poor indicator of tissue levels (because the body will starve the tissue and organs in order to maintain blood levels). So you could appear to have 'normal' magnesium levels, but really be very deficient (as are the majority of people today).
Oral magnesium supplements like Myo-Mag work well, but you can only absorb so much orally at once, and it takes time to build up in the body. But now, transdermal magnesium in the form of Magnesium Oil is available. Transdermal application of magesium chloride can increase Mg levels very rapidly.
Naturally-oriented doctors, acupuncturists, and other natural healers are coming to recognize how deficient in magnesium we have become, largely due to increasingly deficient soils and the type of diets we eat. After you have a magnesium deficiency, you may require both oral and transdermal (on the skin surface) supplementation in order to quickly bring levels back up. The Mag Oil works super fast and is very safe, so it is the modality of choice for naturopaths, acupuncturists, and individuals who want to raise magnesium levels quickly and most effectively boost ATP production in the body.
This same company carries the transdermal Magnesium Oil, which is magnesium chloride (the safest form) derived from concentrated, filtered sea water (with most of the sodium removed). It's so natural, yet provides far more magnesium than you can get orally. It's also very cost effective, considering how much you would pay for an injection of magnesium sulfate (a generally less viable form) from your doctor. Anyway, I'm not sure if HPDI has it in stock yet, so vist their website or call (800-228-4265) to see if they have any.
I make a skin lotion by mixing 1/3 Magnesium Oil, 1/3 Organic Coconut oil, and 1/3 Organic Aloe Vera gel. I notice increased energy immediately. Plus, it softens tight muscles and feels great on skin. I sleep more soundly. Everyone who tries this lotion wants some Mag Oil for themselves, including most of my friends.
Another viable source is Trace Mineral Drops, which can be used either orally or transdermally. These mineral drops are about half as concentrated as the magnesium oil, but work great: www.integratedhealth.com/hpdspec/trace.html
One key to remember is that we typically consume far more calcium than magnesium. Experts have been saying a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium is ideal. But now it appears that a 1:1 ratio or even higher levels of magnesium may be necessary, depending on the person. (In addition, I've noticed that my blood type A friends and family members have a higher needs for magnesium.) This is one reason people can consume so much calcium and still have osteopenia or osteoporosis. Magnesium works with calcium to allow for greater assimilation. The best book on this topic is Mark Sircus' Transdermal Magnesium Therapy (2007), which is the bible of the new modality of transdermal magnesium (i.e., magnesium chloride) therapy.
Finally, your energy may be helped by superfoods like chlorella and spirulina. You may already be taking these green foods, but you can significantly boost energy levels (as well as Vitamin B12 and magnesium levels) by increasing your intake to several tablespoons or more per day.
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Posted by veganfaith on Aug 07, 2007 · Member since Apr 2007 · 46 posts
I have not heard of the patch, but I find that wheatgrass juice helps. I started taking a couple ounces a week and it has made a big diffrence to my energy level.
0 likes
Posted by vegcats on Mar 09, 2008 · Member since Jul 2007 · 32 posts
Has anyone actually tried the B12 patch? I'm curious to hear what results (if any!) people have gotten. I know that cyanocobalamin definitely is NOT a good form of B12. The makers of the patch should use methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin. Hopefully that will change. Meanwhile, post your experiences with the patch!
0 likes
Posted by dactylogram931 on Mar 09, 2008 · Member since Jun 2006 · 384 posts
Didn't know there was one... can you post a link?
http://www.b12patch.com/
I couldn't find any mention of whether the vitamin was veg on the site, except that apparently vegans do use it...
I've never heard of B12 patch. My biggest question would be- what form of B12 is in this patch. Methylcobalamin is the most readily usable form. Not all vitamin supplements are created equally. (Vegcat(?) wrote a long and informative article on B12 and folate recently- maybe check that posting out.)
Personally, I find the sublingual form of B12 to be very effective. If you are a young healthy person who has been eating well and has good digestion you should be able to absorb B12 from your digestive tract- ie stomach. After all, this is where we are meant to absorb it.
My guess is that this patch for will be much more expensive than a sublingual or an oral B-complex vitamin and may not be any more effective. But if someone else has other experience I'd certainly like to hear about it.
generally the b12 patch is for people who can't absorb b12 (usually older people have problems with it)
why would you want to use it? it seems costly, i get all my b12 from nutritional yeast and fortified soymilks and cereals.
why would you want to use it? it seems costly, i get all my b12 from nutritional yeast and fortified soymilks and cereals.
i was thinking something along those lines.... BUT when you go to the site the chick on the homepage looks so EXCITED and HAPPY! Made me want some :)
ha, I didn't even look at the price. It's about twice as costly as the sub linguals I can get. But, the sub linguals make my teeth hurt. :'( Specifically, the back of my bottom front 4 teeth start throbbing.
Cyanocobalamin is the B-12 in this patch. (for Kashi9)
My B-12 blood tests generally come back relatively low, and my doctor wants to bring them up to normal to rule it out for various other symptoms (which I've had my whole life, but I've also always been anemic--even when I ate meat and had my dutiful glass of milk with every meal.) I experience depression and fatigue, and my doctor thinks it could be B-12. We're doing other tests, but he wants me to get better B-12 levels not only for my health but so he can rule it out. I eat fortified foods, take oral vitamins, get ridiculous amounts (like, ridiculous) amounts of proteins through soy and other legumes, spend time in the sun, and even spent a while on first plant- and then animal-source vitamin D. The vitamins and switch to fortified foods didn't really change anything over a year. I even agreed to drink (really expensive) dairy to satisfy his vegan doubts - no positive change after 6 months. I wasn't pleased about that...I probably wouldn't even mention it but didn't want to give any carnie lurkers any ammunition. :-\
I really want to explore every possible option in behavior, food and vitamins before I do anything "medical" like prescription drugs, but I wanted more information before ordering vitamins over the internet. I agree with Jennifer, I want to feel like that chick looks!
<---------------It's being advertised over on the sidebar.
<---------------It's being advertised over on the sidebar.
Yeah and since I posted it's every freaking ad on this site, now. >:( I'm being stalked.
Most B12 supplements use either cyanocobalamin or hydroxocobalamin. These forms are less than optimal because our bodies better assimilate methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin forms.
I notice the B12 patch provides the cyanocobalamin form of B12. This is a suboptimal form. It never ceases to amaze me that cyanocobalamin continues to be the form chosen by supplement companies for oral and transdermal (i.e., patch) use, when methylcobalamin is readily available and proven to work better. Maybe they will come out with a methylcobalamin patch soon.
The Vitamin B12 supplement I like is a sublingual (i.e., under the tongue) methylcobalamin tablet. Sublingual B12 supplementation is excellent because of easy absorption and assimilation into your body. These great tasting micro-tablets are flavored with acerola cherry and dissolve easily under the tongue: www.integratedhealth.com/hpdspec/cobal.html
SadieBeth, you can try this brand to see if it makes any difference. It never hurts my teeth. Check to see if there are any additives (like sugar, dextrose, etc) in your sublingual B12s that may be causing this pain.
You might also consider crushing a sublingual B12 tablet into power (using a mortar and pestle, or the flat end of the butter knife on a cutting board) and then mix the power into a 6-10 oz glass of water. Hold this fluid in your mouth and swish under your tongue. The pores under the tongue are large and will quickly absorb whatever B12 contacts them. Then whatever you swallow will be absorbed later in your digestive system.
It sounds like you're doing a lot of good things for yourself nutritionally. Your fatigue sounds to me like it could be related to a magnesium deficiency. Magnesium works directly with the body to produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate) which is the molecule that supplies our energy. Without ATP, our bodies can't produce the energy we need for vibrant living. Nutritionally-compromised persons (e.g., most Americans) do not produce adequate amounts of ATP, and therfore have suboptimal energy levels.
Typical medical tests measure blood magnesium, but blood levels are a poor indicator of tissue levels (because the body will starve the tissue and organs in order to maintain blood levels). So you could appear to have 'normal' magnesium levels, but really be very deficient (as are the majority of people today).
Oral magnesium supplements like Myo-Mag work well, but you can only absorb so much orally at once, and it takes time to build up in the body. But now, transdermal magnesium in the form of Magnesium Oil is available. Transdermal application of magesium chloride can increase Mg levels very rapidly.
Naturally-oriented doctors, acupuncturists, and other natural healers are coming to recognize how deficient in magnesium we have become, largely due to increasingly deficient soils and the type of diets we eat. After you have a magnesium deficiency, you may require both oral and transdermal (on the skin surface) supplementation in order to quickly bring levels back up. The Mag Oil works super fast and is very safe, so it is the modality of choice for naturopaths, acupuncturists, and individuals who want to raise magnesium levels quickly and most effectively boost ATP production in the body.
I take oral magnesium in the form of Myo-Mag, which boosts energy: www.integratedhealth.com/hpdspec/myo.html
This same company carries the transdermal Magnesium Oil, which is magnesium chloride (the safest form) derived from concentrated, filtered sea water (with most of the sodium removed). It's so natural, yet provides far more magnesium than you can get orally. It's also very cost effective, considering how much you would pay for an injection of magnesium sulfate (a generally less viable form) from your doctor. Anyway, I'm not sure if HPDI has it in stock yet, so vist their website or call (800-228-4265) to see if they have any.
I make a skin lotion by mixing 1/3 Magnesium Oil, 1/3 Organic Coconut oil, and 1/3 Organic Aloe Vera gel. I notice increased energy immediately. Plus, it softens tight muscles and feels great on skin. I sleep more soundly. Everyone who tries this lotion wants some Mag Oil for themselves, including most of my friends.
Another viable source is Trace Mineral Drops, which can be used either orally or transdermally. These mineral drops are about half as concentrated as the magnesium oil, but work great: www.integratedhealth.com/hpdspec/trace.html
One key to remember is that we typically consume far more calcium than magnesium. Experts have been saying a 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium is ideal. But now it appears that a 1:1 ratio or even higher levels of magnesium may be necessary, depending on the person. (In addition, I've noticed that my blood type A friends and family members have a higher needs for magnesium.) This is one reason people can consume so much calcium and still have osteopenia or osteoporosis. Magnesium works with calcium to allow for greater assimilation. The best book on this topic is Mark Sircus' Transdermal Magnesium Therapy (2007), which is the bible of the new modality of transdermal magnesium (i.e., magnesium chloride) therapy.
Finally, your energy may be helped by superfoods like chlorella and spirulina. You may already be taking these green foods, but you can significantly boost energy levels (as well as Vitamin B12 and magnesium levels) by increasing your intake to several tablespoons or more per day.
I have not heard of the patch, but I find that wheatgrass juice helps. I started taking a couple ounces a week and it has made a big diffrence to my energy level.
Has anyone actually tried the B12 patch? I'm curious to hear what results (if any!) people have gotten. I know that cyanocobalamin definitely is NOT a good form of B12. The makers of the patch should use methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin. Hopefully that will change. Meanwhile, post your experiences with the patch!
'Are you experiencing fatigue or lack of energy!"
The author might have been experiencing ESL...