Saturday, September 8, 2012

For once...

Not at all usual for me to "double-post" on one day, but I had to share this one with you.

So, my herbalist says I need B12. Sublingual (under the tongue), he says, will be just fine. And so many micrograms, once a week, every week.

Very easily doable. Trivial. Instant success, easily achievable, easily achieved. Another no-side-effect win/win solution.

Or so I thought...

Poking around a few places that sell such things, I very quickly find many different brands of sublingual B12....

Each one of which... is laced with milk. "Lactic" something, or sometimes plain and simple, full-on milk.

So, here's the thing: the very doctor who said "You need sublingual B12" also said "No milk of any kind, for any reason, ever."

The thing he asked me to take, is delivered along with the thing he told me not to take.

This, by me, is paradigm "not win/win in the least." The very antithesis of win/win.

It's very discouraging, trying to get Western nutritional supplements without some kind of extraneous crap in them. Especially milk, which seems to be in everything. I found "milk" listed as an ingredient in one brand of potato chips. I mean, come on man, I've made potato chips, myself. Slice the potato, bring the oil to the proper temperature, drop the potato slices in the oil. When it's done you take it out, put it on a rack to drain, salt it, and eat it. Not rocket science. And no milk required.

Y'know, a lot of people say a lot of things about "medical marijuana," but at least they're straightforward with you. You want marijuana? They weigh it, you pay for it, you're done. The only thing in it is the plant.

For once... finally... no milk!

Is that the only place where I can avoid the seemingly inescapable stealth milk?

How the mighty have fallen... into the milking bucket.

2 comments:

Sherri said...

I do B12... it's a nasal gel and there's no buffers or additives... I don't know if that might be an option for you. It's a gel that you put just inside your nostril. It's red which can be funny looking..but you can wash the red away after 5 minutes LOL

I can't imagine not having milk... it's in EVERYTHING...

Robert Parker said...

B12 is naturally red; it's a delightful jewel color, much prettier than most things you can get injected with. Very pomegranate-esque, and probably non-staining. No seeds (some advantages, at least).

My herbalist was quite vocal about "No, it's gotta be oral." He was not at all into trans-dermal; "Nobody eats anything through their skin," he said. And, from the number of failure points my MD described yesterday, when he was explaining the B12 absorption/metabolism path, I think (know/expect) he'll prefer injections, too.

Fortunately, since he was injecting himself a lot, before he gave up Copaxone (to the improvement of his health in general, and no change whatsoever in his M.S. experience), he has gotten a lot better at the whole "injection" thing. I'd never expected to get "gifts of other people's M.S.," but there you are.