While I hope and pray that you'll never need it, this is information that could potentially save your life or that of a loved one, so I hope you will all read it, and share it with others.
If you or someone you love is living with chronic pain, regardless of the cause, please urge them to make sure their blood is being tested for Vitamins D and B12, as chronic pain can leech these nutrients from the system, even if the patient takes vitamin supplements every day and makes good dietary choices.
In certain population groups, specifically people with biological ancestors indigenous to the Americas and/or Africa, this leeching is almost certain to occur, and with a vengeance!
If untreated long enough, the consequences are severe, and eventually, fatal.
If discovered in time, treating even a severe vitamin deficiency is simple, but recovery can be very slow.
When damage has occurred, repairing it - even with insurance - may not be affordable for families of modest means, especially when "rainy day" resources have already been depleted by the costs of chronic illness.
Due to demographic changes in the work force, some insurance companies have recently begun testing "their" chronic pain patients for D and B12 for cost containment reasons, and in order to revise price points and coverage limits for some low end group products.
It is not yet a universal practice, however, so do not assume it is being done. Unless you have personally seen the lab reports for you or your loved one, ASK!
Taking extra drugstore vitamins will neither prevent it nor adequately treat it.
I realize we are an international community and this is a situation that mostly applies to people living in the USA, and touches on a host of topics that are appropriately discussed in other venues.
My intention is NOT to spark a discussion of any of those topics here, but to share information that someone reading this might urgently need to know.
If you or someone you love is living with chronic pain, regardless of the cause, please urge them to make sure their blood is being tested for Vitamins D and B12, as chronic pain can leech these nutrients from the system, even if the patient takes vitamin supplements every day and makes good dietary choices.
In certain population groups, specifically people with biological ancestors indigenous to the Americas and/or Africa, this leeching is almost certain to occur, and with a vengeance!
If untreated long enough, the consequences are severe, and eventually, fatal.
If discovered in time, treating even a severe vitamin deficiency is simple, but recovery can be very slow.
When damage has occurred, repairing it - even with insurance - may not be affordable for families of modest means, especially when "rainy day" resources have already been depleted by the costs of chronic illness.
Due to demographic changes in the work force, some insurance companies have recently begun testing "their" chronic pain patients for D and B12 for cost containment reasons, and in order to revise price points and coverage limits for some low end group products.
It is not yet a universal practice, however, so do not assume it is being done. Unless you have personally seen the lab reports for you or your loved one, ASK!
Taking extra drugstore vitamins will neither prevent it nor adequately treat it.
I realize we are an international community and this is a situation that mostly applies to people living in the USA, and touches on a host of topics that are appropriately discussed in other venues.
My intention is NOT to spark a discussion of any of those topics here, but to share information that someone reading this might urgently need to know.
