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We recently had a patient at the hospital where I work who became psychotic, or lost touch with reality, believing that the CIA wanted to assasinate him, and hearing voices whispering death threats through the hallways.  The only cause that could be found was vitamin B12 deficiency.  Once we gave him injections of vitamin B12, he slowly improved and could once again tell the difference between reality and what only existed in his mind.

Vitamin B12 is one of the crucial dietary nutrients that our bodies, and especially our brains, needs to survive.  This vitamin is involved in basic DNA replication, and it also helps to breaks down certain fatty acids that are toxic to the protective sheath around brain cells.  Deficiencies of vitamin B12 can result from a variety of causes.  Some of the most common are alcoholism, autoimmune disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and even eating a strictly vegan diet that excludes all animal products.  The reason for the latter is that the active form of vitamin B12 has only been found in animal sources, or alternatively, grown in some strains of yeast, which many vegans consider to be off-limits.  Unfortunately, tempeh, seaweed, miso, and other plant foods do not contain the form of B12 that the human body can utilize.  Without some form of supplementation in the vegan diet, vegans could begin to suffer from the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, including anemia and fatigue, decreased sensation in the extremities, coordination difficulties, memory loss, dementia, depression, or even psychosis.  That is why it is critical, if you eat a purely vegan diet to take a vitamin B12 supplement.  If you have any of the above symptoms, make sure to see your doctor, as vitamin B12 deficiency might be a reversible cause.