Peripheral Neuropathy and Collagen

[lionandlamb]

I am an ethical vegan of 13 years. Recently diagnosed with PN. Root cause to be determined hopefully soon, pending tests done by a neurologist. I am not diabetic (although my A1C is 5.7 and last glucose was 117) or alcoholic but other things in my medical history could be a factor. Like chemo, for breast cancer in 1998, and Rituxin/Bendamustine treatment for follicular lymphoma last year. Or I'm told, the cancers themselves ... "paraneoplastic". That's a new one to me.

My question is about collagen which currently is only available from animals. There is a regenerative medicine doctor in L.A. who said that collagen is very important for nerve regeneration. He said Type 1 or Type 3 collagen.

I am upset at the thought that use and murder of animals could be good for anything and that there is no vegan alternative for which to help my PN condition.

Any feedback appreciated.

[Vegan]

So how are vegans alive if we can't make collagen? You would not be able to heal wounds without collagen so every vegan should be dead or lying in ICU right now.

[lionandlamb]

So how are vegans alive if we can't make collagen? You would not be able to heal wounds without collagen so every vegan should be dead or lying in ICU right now.

He's talking about supplementing with animal collagen as being necessary for dis-ease conditions. At 19:48 here https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/Fz9Z5c ... rhtaid=939

I'm just so freaked about this neuropathy and losing my mobility, on top of everything else I have going wrong. And doctors are of no use except for the testing. You can only see them every 3 months and they've built so many walls against trying to communicate with them. Who can trust anything they say anyway. I'm on my own with this and scrambling to find solutions. I refuse to accept that there's nothing I can do to reverse this condition. Fortunately I think I'm still in early stage with it.

[Vegan]

This world is full of so called "experts" and doctors, it doesn't mean that they're right. There's Dr. Paul Saladino and Dr. Shawn Baker who both recommend to eat basically just red meat.

Collagen deficiency is just one of those basic meat eater "bro science" arguments why vegan diet is bad for us, just like humans can't live with just plant protein and you need to eat saturated fat etc.

[Ejeff]

Are you following the McDougall diet? Avoiding all oils? Consuming a lot of vegetables? I would first make sure I perfected my diet to cure health issues, before trying any supplement.

Erin

[vegman]

I am an ethical vegan of 13 years. Recently diagnosed with PN. Root cause to be determined hopefully soon, pending tests done by a neurologist. I am not diabetic (although my A1C is 5.7 and last glucose was 117) or alcoholic but other things in my medical history could be a factor. Like chemo, for breast cancer in 1998, and Rituxin/Bendamustine treatment for follicular lymphoma last year. Or I'm told, the cancers themselves ... "paraneoplastic". That's a new one to me.

My question is about collagen which currently is only available from animals. There is a regenerative medicine doctor in L.A. who said that collagen is very important for nerve regeneration. He said Type 1 or Type 3 collagen.

I am upset at the thought that use and murder of animals could be good for anything and that there is no vegan alternative for which to help my PN condition.

Any feedback appreciated.

Vitamin B12 deficiency, which is inevitable in vegans who do not supplement adequately with B12, can cause peripheral neuropathy.

The B12 recommendations on veganhealth.org seem well thought out.

[Vegankit]

Vitamin B12 deficiency, which is inevitable in vegans who do not supplement adequately with B12, can cause peripheral neuropathy.

Have you had your Vitamin B12 checked?

It’s not just vegans or vegetarians who can get too low on B12. I used to eat a ton of meat, took popular multivitamins with 100% RDA B12. I should have been loaded with B12. But I wasn’t. I had significant neurological damage from not enough B12 including peripheral neuropathy. I too was not diabetic.

After the neurologist had subjected me to multiple tests, some of which were painful, and they were running out of ideas, I was tested for B12 and found to be extremely low, well below the normal level.

I have to take megadoses in order to keep my levels up. My neuropathy has disappeared as have some other neurological issues. Took awhile things to heal.

No guarantee that B12 will resolve your neuropathy but worth a chance mentioning to your neurologist.

[debknott]

My husband who eats lots of meat was told that he had neuropathy by his neurosurgeon. The doctor put him on lots of B12 (6000 mcg) and the neuropathy went away!

[Vegan]

@Vegankit
How much are you taking and what form?

[Vegankit]

@Vegankit
How much are you taking and what form?

Originally I was injecting methycobalamine then I was able to switch to pills. Currently I take Kirkland Signature Quick Dissolve B-12 5000 mcg and I usually take one pill a day. Occasionally I consciously skip a day. Now that I’m stable I get tested annually.

This dose is far higher than what Dr McDougall recommends. I am not the typical patient so don’t follow my dosage. If you have problems with B12, get tested so you can adjust your dose to what you need.

https://www.costco.com/kirkland-signatu ... 22642.html

[Vegan]

@Vegankit

Wow, I'm impressed that you can tolerate that much methylcobalamin. I have tried methylcobalamin and for some reason I get headache from it. Hydroxocobalamin is the only form that I don't get any adverse effects. I just ordered methylcobalamin again and I'm going to give it one more chance. I have read a lot about B12 and I would like to be able to use methylcobalamin form because I think it's the most likely form to work.

[lionandlamb]

@Vegankit
How much are you taking and what form?

Unless I am not absorbing it, my B12 is abundant. Blood serum is almost 2000.

I use Complement combo -- 300 mcg of B12 combining methycobalamin and adenosylcobalamin
https://lovecomplement.com/products/com ... n-capsules.

I have many other factors that could explain the peripheral neuropathy.

I'm not at the point of needing medications. And I will resist as hard as I can. Just scrambling to learn everything I can and find something that can at least arrest it.

I'm well aware of how awful the whole "system" is.

[Vegankit]

@Vegankit

Wow, I'm impressed that you can tolerate that much methylcobalamin. I have tried methylcobalamin and for some reason I get headache from it. Hydroxocobalamin is the only form that I don't get any adverse effects. I just ordered methylcobalamin again and I'm going to give it one more chance. I have read a lot about B12 and I would like to be able to use methylcobalamin form because I think it's the most likely form to work.

Vegan, there is no need to try to match the dose or type of B12 that I need to take. I would follow Dr McDougall’s recommendations

I’m probably not absorbing much. I forgot to add I have celiac’s disease that was diagnosed later, which interferes with absorption of B12. The neurologist was insistent that I must take methylcobalamine , it’s the only one demonstrated to treat degenerative neurological damage

Before I discovered Costco’s Kirkland brand, I used to take Solgar and one other brand. It’s very easy now to find methycobalamin, but when I was first treated, I had great difficulty because very few companies sold it. If your headache is related to one of the fillers in making the pill, perhaps trying different brands would help.