The Wonders of Vitamin B12: Keep Sane and Young

By Dr. Manuel Esperanca

There is no available information at this time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 3, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456849221

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Dr. Manuel Esperanca.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2011900598

ISBN: Hardcover    978-1-4568-4921-4

ISBN: Softcover      978-1-4568-4920-7

ISBN: Ebook           978-1-4568-4922-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

90152

Contents

Acknowledgments

The Author

Introduction

The Composition and

Value of Vitamin B 12

History of Vitamin B12

Chemistry of Vitamin B12

Metabolism of Vitamin B12

Functions of Vitamin B12

Absorption of Vitamin B12

Main Facts about Vitamin B12

Sources of Vitamin B12

Deficiency of Vitamin B12

Diagnosis of Vitamin B12 deficiency

Prognosis of Vitamin B12 deficiency

Main indications for

Vitamin B12

Requirements of Vitamin B12

Adverse Reactions of

Vitamin B12

Final Comments

Author’s Own Experience

with Vitamin B12, Usefulness and Its Applications

Testimonial

References

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my good friends Michael Langan, Robert and Inga Boris, and George Milic for all their work and support with the writing of this manuscript.

Also, I would like to show my uttermost appreciation to my daughters, Patricia Esperanca and Jennifer Biraker, because without their help and understanding throughout the years of putting together the intricate parts of this manuscript, it would have not been possible. For that, I thank them to no ends.

Finally, I want to express my deepest appreciation to my loving wife, my son Timothy, and my grandchildren Joseph and Victoria for their understanding and their patience in putting the time and effort into making and developing this manuscript and for that I will always thank them from the bottom of my heart.

The Author

The author of this book, Dr. Manuel Jorge Esperanca, is one of my dearest friends and colleagues.

Our friendship goes back to when we were youngsters, starting off at medical school together in 1949 in Lisbon, Portugal.

I was young and without any life experiences then, and when I met Manuel as a colleague and later on became his friend, I could not believe my stroke of luck.

It was easy to build up this friendship between us because we shared the same principles and moral aspects in life.

I was privileged that with Manuel’s determination and good wits, he was willing and was able, with great efforts, to inspire me to complete and finish medical school with very good outcomes.

Manuel had a fixed and persistent nature about him that did not change even under heavy pressure. He achieved his goals with his studies despite setbacks that came along. On the contrary, my studying capacity was inferior and was more easily influenced by my negative surroundings.

After a period of time in medical practice in Setubal, Manuel immigrated to the United States of America, and I enlisted in the Portuguese Medical Air Force. For about four decades, we only met up once in Algarve, in my place of birth, Vila Real St. Antony in 1975. At this time, Manuel was already married and with four children and was living and working in Canada. This would have been my last encounter with Manuel because shortly afterward, there were some false rumors regarding a terrible accident that supposedly resulted in his death.

It wasn’t until about four years ago, when I participated in one of the dinner parties thrown by our graduating class, that my colleagues happened to mention my friend Manuel and that the rumors were just that—rumors. They told me how I could reach Manuel, and shortly after, I contacted him. Since then, we have met when he is in Lisbon, during his visits to Portugal.

On one occasion in Portugal, I had the chance to review his curriculum, and I was pleasantly surprised not because I doubted his capabilities, but because his curriculum vitae showed an extraordinary professional life with excellent achievements (best teacher of pediatrics; member of several medical associations; honorary physician of Royal Alexandra Hospital, Australia; chief consultant teacher, South Africa; staff member of Children’s Hospital, Vancouver; etc.).

Besides all that he achieved in his professional life, he is in love with travel, photography, music, and nature.

After having published several research papers and books, he had decided to write another book about the clinical use of vitamin B12 in the treatment of neuropathies, especially in trigeminal neuralgia.

His intricate work enhances an already excellent teaching text, which expresses the passion that Manuel has for this subject and his concerns in transferring his knowledge and wisdom regarding vitamin B12 to the medical and nutritional fields.

This text is very well written and can be used by undergraduates for their nutritional studies, biochemistry and also physiology studies. Also in the nutritional field, dieticians and nutritional practitioners can gain more insight on the importance of vitamin B12 in the human form. It could also serve as the basis for elective courses for medical students, physicians’ assistants, and also for public health students.

This book is aptly named because his research keeps the reader in a state of awareness by integrating new knowledge from research frontiers into existing knowledge by clarifying the steps that must be taken by individuals.

I am very pleased to take this opportunity by participating with a few words in helping my dear friend and colleague, Dr. Manuel Jorge Esperanca in his endeavors.

Fernando Alvares

Introduction

I have spent a considerable time as a physician for more than forty-five years, investigating the properties, functions, and uses of vitamins, particularly vitamin B12. It is this accumulation of knowledge in broad context that I wish to share with the reader.

Until recently, many North Americans overlooked the importance of vitamins. Because of Europe’s more stable societal fabric over the last two centuries, the knowledge