The following was a response to an inquiry made by someone on alt.med.fibromyalgia (an internet news group):

I'll try to share some of the suppositions that I make. Some of which are based on reasoning, given information from research and other articles.

The person with FMS is deficient in vit B12: (supposition)

http://www.immunesupport.com/news/98sum003txt.htm "New Study Links Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome to Low Vitamin B12 and High Homocyteine in Cerebrospinal Fluid"

Of the 8 people (so far) that have followed THMI's wellness program and reversed symptoms of fibromyalgia, Colleen is the only one that had a history of anemia. I believe, that for Colleen, it may have been the anemia that brought on symptoms of FMS (fibromyalgia syndrome).

If everyone with FMS is deficient in vitamin B12 it stands to reason that every participant (diagnosed with FMS by their personal physician) would have a history of anemia. However, that is not the case. (To my knowledge anyway. The only information I have to go by is that which the individual shares from knowledge of their own personal medical history.)

http://www.amni.com/reprints/vitaminb12.html "while blood and nervous system abnormalities are often present in geriatric patients deficient in vitamin B12, low serum levels of the vitamin might also be present without causing blood abnormalities."

http://www.johndommissemd.com/report4.html "Most US labs still give the 'normal' range as 200-1100 pg/ml, even though there are numerous papers, in prestigious mainstream journals, showing that when the serum level drops below 500 or 550 pg/ml the CSF level can become deficient [20-26] In Japan, these neurologically- and psychiatrically-oriented journal articles are obviously taken into account because the normal range for serum B12 there is 500-1300 pg/ml 23."

I say that the person is low in B12 yet do not suggest supplementing the vitamin. Why? Most vitamin B12 tablets are 1000 to 3000 mcg. As was pointed out in the referenced articles above, and in the presentation " Fibromyalgia:A Hypothesis of Etiology ", the body needs a very small amount of the vitamin, less than 1 mcg daily.

If the body could absorb all the B12 from a 1000 mcg supplement, that would be a 3 year supply of vitamin B12 stored in the liver. However, from http://www.vegan-straight-edge.org.uk/b12.htm "...in Thorsons Complete Guide to Vitamins & Minerals, pp42, 8 µg of B12 can be absorbed at any one time by the intrinsic factor and calcium mechanism, only 1% being absorbed by simple diffusion following oral dose."

According to this, the most that the body might absorb from that 1000 mcg tablet is 8 mcg. Which is still an 8 day supply of the vitamin. If it were absorbed.

My supposition is that the individual is likely not absorbing B12 and other vitamins and mineral due to irregularities in the digestive system. B12 absorption through active transport requires that intrinsic factor be bound to it in the stomach. Without sufficient stomach acid, this binding does not occur. If insufficient stomach acid is the culprit, it is logical to think that other vitamins or minerals that require stomach acid for ionization may also not be optimally absorbed. These vitamins and minerals include folic acid, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and others.

When digestion is working properly in the stomach the body will get sufficient vitamin B12 from a nutritious diet, (that includes animal products, the primary source for vitamin B12).

One part of the wellness program does include probiotic supplementation. As is true for supplements, the same holds for probiotics, not all are equally effective. Most probiotics that you will find in health food stores have about 2 billion active bacteria per capsule. The ones used in the program have 15 billion per capsule (and 16 different strains of bacteria). The greater number is needed because most of the probiotic bacteria will likely be destroyed by stomach acid enroute. Also, the person that is lacking in friendly bacteria usually has an overgrowth of the less desirable bacteria.

Something I recently learned which i thought interesting is that: A baby's digestive system does not produce stomach acid. This makes sense, since it allows the friendly bacteria and immune proteins present in the mothers milk to get to the intestines where they take up residence.

I think there may be a link between childhood occurance of FMS and not being fed mothers milk or something else that may have upset the intestinal flora. I read somewhere that there was a link between the gut bacteria and production of stomach acid (I have not been able to find where I had read it).

As for vitamin absorption in the colon. The colon, to my knowledge, does not absorb any vitamins. All nutrients taken into the body are absorbed in the small intestines. In the colon, the body will take in sodium and the remaining water from the chyme, solidifying the chyme forming the stool.

The program does not include vitamin B12 supplementation and yet the person is deficient (supposition). If the person with fibromyalgia is vitamin B12 deficient and improves following a program that does not include supplementation of the vitamin, what could acount for the improvement? It may be that the person is now able to absorb the nutrients from their food. Or, it may be that the body was never deficient but that the vitamin could not be retrieved from the liver where it is typically stored.

Our latest success, Janice W. from Monticello Utah, recently had a Dr. checkup and was told that her liver functions were improved. So who knows, maybe thats why the program works.

Any approach to treating FMS will no doubt return a certain percentage with positive results. Our percentage to date is 100%. I am confident that anyone with FMS, following this simple program will see similar good results.

A few more closing thoughts on vitamin B12:
Vitamin B12 is found in animal products, meat, fish, poultry, eggs..., animal products are high protein foods. Stomach acid must be very strong ( lower pH = stronger acid) to activate the enzymes that break down protein. It is also in a strong acid environment that intrinsic factor binds with vitamin B12.

If you do take vitamin B12 supplements, rather than take it on an empty stomach, it might be better absorbed if you crush the B12 tablet up and mix it in with a tuna sandwich or some other meat dish. To assure the most available stomach acid for the digestion of protein, eat high protein foods first.

Some other thoughts: If you eat canned tuna fish, buy the kind packed in water. B12 is a water-soluble vitamin. Drink the water that the tuna is packed in rather than drain it off into the sink as is generally done.

All the best,
Jim