Acid-suppressant can block B-12
Q. I was on Prilosec for nearly two years to combat persistent heartburn. When my fingernails started to fall apart and my feet and legs started getting numb, I did a bit of homework and discovered that this drug greatly inhibits the absorption of vitamin B-12.
I started to wean myself off it. That was rather unpleasant, because prolonged use of proton pump inhibitors makes your gastric acid glands work overtime to compensate. I took lots of Tums and DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) to stave off the worst of the acid blowback. It took nearly six weeks, but my stomach got back to normal.
I discovered that sweets, especially soda or anything with high fructose corn syrup, were the main cause of my misery, so I cut them completely out of my diet. I ate smaller meals and kept taking my vitamin B-12 supplements.
The strange tingling in my feet eventually went away after I added magnesium to my nightly supplements. Now I rarely have heartburn that I can’t handle with Tums. My fingernails, although not perfect, are much better.
Other sufferers might consider eliminating carbonated beverages and foods sweetened with high fructose corn syrup from their diets to see if that helps alleviate their heartburn.
A. Thanks for sharing your experience. Other readers have told us that a low-carb diet can sometimes alleviate heartburn. Long-term use of acid-suppressing drugs may reduce vitamin B-12 levels. That can lead to nerve pain such as tingling or numbness.
The Food and Drug Administration has just issued a warning about low magnesium levels linked to powerful acid-suppressing drugs like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec) and pantoprazole (Protonix). Using such drugs for more than a year could lead to dangerously low levels of magnesium that a supplement cannot reverse.
To help others wean themselves from such drugs under medical supervision, we offer our Guide to Digestive Disorders. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. G-3, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q. I read that the lemon wedges put in drinking water in restaurants often are contaminated with germs. Does a slice of lime also contain bacteria? Is it safe to drop a slice of lime in a bottle of Corona beer?
A. A study of lemon slices in restaurants found that two-thirds were contaminated (Journal of Environmental Health, December 2007). It is unlikely that limes are handled differently in a restaurant kitchen, so we suspect that lime wedges also might carry bacteria.
Q. We recently enjoyed several days with friends at their vacation condo. Now I fear we have bedbugs. Could these critters have traveled home with us in our luggage? How can we verify our suspicions?
A. Bedbugs can indeed hitch a ride in luggage. A visual examination by an expert can cost up to $200. Trained dogs are very good at detecting bedbugs, but may cost $300 to $600 for an inspection.
An inexpensive bedbug detector can be constructed at home for less than $40. You will need some dry ice, a cooler jug to hold it and a plastic pan or dish to catch the bedbugs. Go to PeoplesPharmacy.com and search bedbugs to see the detector in action along with ways to avoid bedbugs when you travel.