Question
I suffer from headaches/lightheaded feeling for many years till 3 months ago my Doctor tested my B12 level.  It was at 90 and I currently take injections daily.  This is the result of having stomach surgery years ago.  The headaches/lightheaded feeling has not gone away completely due to many years of being deficient, is what I am told.  I have heard that it can last up to a year or more even with the B12 injections.  Will chiropractic care speed the recovery?  A friend suggested I inquire since my health care provider covers it.

Answer
Dear Todd,

I am sorry to hear that you are having this problem but it excites me to know that you are on the right track towards better health.  The advise you have been given is correct.  It can take quite a while for your body to come up to the right levels for you.  I would make a couple of suggestions for you since you have had some stomach surgery in the past.  It is very important with any and all stomach problems for the patient to take digestive enzymes daily with meals.  These enzymes help to digest the food you eat and "take stress" off of the stomach.  I use them daily myself and in my practice and practically eliminate stomach problems altogether with this one simple product.  Find somewhere that you can purchase a high quality enzyme product and you will see that you feel better and likely process your B12 better.  Lower intestine probiotics are another supplement you should take.  Again, this will do the same for the lower colon and provide the proper good intestinal bacteria to ensure colon health and proper assimilation of nutrients and waste.

Now for your question: Will chiropractic speed your recovery?  I cannot fully say that it will speed the rate at which your body builds up and maintains its B12 levels.  But if headaches are your problem, chiropractic is great at eliminating them. I have had several patients just like you with B12 deficiencies that suffered headaches as well.  The ones I saw had what are termed "cervical headaches" in that the pain began in the back of the head and neck and went up to the top of the head and behind the eyes.  I feel that the lack of B12 added to muscle fatigue and tightness which caused cervical joint misalignment and dysfunction in the upper neck.  This in turn results in irritation of the joint of the upper neck and the spinal nerves that exit the spine and go to the neck and head.  The end result is tight and stiff neck and muscles and headache.  Light headedness is common with chronic headache.  

By manipulating the cervical spine, the joint dysfunction is corrected and irritation taken off of the joints and nerves of the upper neck.  The muscles are treated to relieve spasm and pain and the symptoms are resolved.

I believe that you are a great candidate for chiropractic treatment and will most likely receive great results.  Then, when your B12 levels come up to normal, you will most likely feel great and not have these problems return.

Find a good chiropractor and schedule an appointment. Get an exam and find out if the headache problem is truly related to the neck, then you can take care of it.

Thanks for the question and good luck taking care of it. It may take a little time to get there so just be patient.  You will do fine!

God Bless,

Dr. Boss