Function Over Supplementation — Why Supplementing B Vitamins Isn’t Always the Answer

Are you supplementing with B vitamins as a vegan or vegetarian or because you have a deficiency? You may be wasting your money!

One type of functional deficiency is when the B vitamins are floating in the blood stream and arrive to their destination: the 'target cell.’

The problem is, the cell door is closed and the nutrients cannot get into the cell.

This means that the gated channels that allow the 'goods' into the cells are not working properly for a multitude of reasons.

This is a very common etiology of our diseases that we call ‘channelopathy.'

In fact, most chronic diseases on this planet are caused by channelopathies, which was outlined in the pioneering work of the noble prize winners Neher and Saksman in 1991 on ion channels.

In most cases, medical doctors may run a blood test at the request of an investigative patient.

Upon the lab results, the doctor will look the patient in the eye with a straight face and tell you, “You cannot possibly be deficient in B12, because the blood test tells us that you have adequate levels in the blood.” 

However, just because you have B12  circulating in the bloodstream, it does not mean that it is actually in the cell where it is needed and where all the action happens.

Therefore, the cells are starving!

Remember, biochemistry happens in the cells, not the blood.

Now, a second functional deficiency happens when the B vitamins arrive at the cell wall and actually get transported across the membrane into the cell.

However, if the vitamin is Niacin (vitamin B3), it now needs to be activated inside the cell into a usable form called NADH.

However, if the cell is deficient in minerals such as magnesium, then this conversion will be compromised.

Thus, the cellular function is diminished and the cell is starving, even though the patient took heroic doses of vitamin B3.

 A third functional deficiency happens when the vitamin gets transported into the cell and the mineral is ready to activate the vitamin.

But in this case, the enzyme does not work because it is poisoned by a heavy metal or some chemical.

Again, the end result is the same, the cell is still starving for the nutrient.

The last functional deficiency can happen when the B vitamins are transported across the cell membrane enter the cell that contains both enzymes and minerals. 

The B vitamins are then activated, but are immediately destroyed by an oxidation process.

Again, the cell will cry the same symptoms.

'I am lacking B vitamins!'

And yet we can see that with these 4 functional deficiencies, there are 4 mechanisms as to why this occurred.

Therefore, the treatment is not just to prescribe B-vitamins; it is to analyze why the cell is crying.

This is the science behind HTMA, and nutritional balancing, which takes a deeper look into understanding cellular physiology, biochemistry, and toxic metals.

Dr. Robert Selig