Canker sores may be caused by vitamin B-12 deficiency 

Sx: blisters - around the mouth, lips, tongue or gums/throat 

What to do about it----

Tx: 1 gm (1000ug or mcg) of vitamin B-12 by mouth, daily for 6 months seem to result in 74% at least temporary cure. 

Background: The frequency of recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), the most common oral mucosa lesions seen in primary care, is up to 25% in the general population. However, there has been no optimal therapeutic approach. Our objective was to confirm our previous clinical observation of the beneficial treatment of RAS with vitamin B₁₂.

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was done using primary care patients. A sublingual a dose of 1000 mcg of vitamin B₁₂was used in patients in the intervention group for 6 months.

Results: In total, 58 patients suffering from RAS participated in the study: 31 were included in the intervention group and 27 were included in control group. All parameters of RAS among patients in the intervention group were recorded and compared with the control group. The duration of outbreaks, the number of ulcers, and the level of pain were reduced significantly (P < .05) at 5 and 6 months of treatment with vitamin B₁₂, regardless of initial vitamin B₁₂ levels in the blood. During the last month of treatment a significant number of participants in the intervention group reached "no aphthous ulcers status" (74.1% vs 32.0%; P < .01).

Conclusion: Vitamin B₁₂ treatment, which is simple, inexpensive, and low-risk, seems to be effective for patients suffering from RAS, regardless of the serum vitamin B₁₂ level.

Volkov I, Rudoy I, Freud T, et al.*

Department of Family Medicine, Siaal Research Center for Family Medicine and * Primary Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva (IV, IR, TF, GS, SAN, RP, YP)

Clalit Health Services (IV, IR, GS, SAN, RP, YP), Beer-Sheva, Israel. "Effectiveness of Vitamin B₁₂ in Treating Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial."

The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine 22 (1): 9-16 (2009)

DOI: 10.3122/jabfm.2009.01.080113

© 2009 American Board of Family Medicine

Natural remedies for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) 

Sx: abdominal pain, cramping, constipation and/or diarrhea 

Tx: fiber, peppermint oil, Bifidobacter infantis (probiotic) 

Special from Bottom Line/Personal

January 15, 2010