What You May Need

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Once again, I’m not a medical doctor. Nothing within this article should be construed as medical advice. I simply bring this to everyone’s attention because there may be some benefit for you and something you may wish to discuss with your healthcare provider.

So, even though I’m not a doctor, I know how to read white papers written by medical professionals   within the medical field. What I’m finding fascinating is the growing abundance of information on several vitamins that those folks say our bodies absolutely need. Isn’t that something? Imagine, God created the universe and all that it contains including you and me along with the meats, fruits and vegetables readily available for our health. These come filled with vitamins and minerals our bodies need to thrive. Isn’t that something? I think so.

Many people are acutely aware that certain vitamins and minerals are necessary for our bodies to be healthy and to maintain that health. Things like Vitamin D or Magnesium are essential. Without these things, our bodies become unhealthy and would not work properly. It is the likely reason so many suffer from ill health today.

Admittedly, the best way to absorb these things is through good foods, although a few vitamins and minerals are not available through foods as readily as others. It then becomes the choice of either not having them or taking supplements to help our bodies gain what they need.

What I’ve been studying for a bit now is the usefulness of B1, or thiamine and the B vitamins in general. I’ve known for a while now that B vitamins themselves are extremely necessary and beneficial, especially for someone like me who has an MTHFR issue.[1] What this ultimately means is that I need to avoid things with Folic Acid in them (normally, “enriched” foods), because my body cannot absorb or use Folic Acid. I also need to choose methylated B vitamins. This is according to 23 and Me, who did my DNA testing and now sold it all to Big Pharma even though I told them not to do so…but I digress. Class action lawsuits coming?

Interestingly enough, with my double MTHFR problem, I have to be very careful about what I eat and the specific vitamins I take. I have to take what are known as methylated B vitamins. That particular form is fine for me, such as Folate or other “Methyl” vitamins that are more easily absorbed and used.

However, it wasn’t that long ago when I knew absolutely nothing about either B1 or B2 vitamins. B1 is thiamine, which comes in various versions like thiamine hydrochloride or thiamine mononitrate. B2 is riboflavin and also comes in various versions. In fact, most supplements come in a variety of different types that are specific to certain issues. The B vitamins are generally water soluble (though depending on the version, may be fat soluble), which means they are not necessarily stored in the body, but are passed out of the body through urination, etc.

The FDA recommends that an adult male should have about 1.2mg of thiamine daily. That’s actually a very small amount and I’m guessing that the FDA is considering that when people eat right, they will get the needed amount of thiamine (and other vitamins), through their foods daily. The problem is (if that is what they’re thinking), that few people eat right due to the heavy reliance on fast foods and highly (overprocessed) food stuffs. Many to most live on these types of “foods.” All of these tend to deplete the vitamins that we might absorb, rather than give us what we actually need.

In fact, there are many things that will, for instance, deplete our bodies of thiamine on a daily basis. The tannins in tea and coffee will do it. Alcohol will do it. Junk foods will do it and the list goes on. So what can we do about that? Well, clearly, the first step is to start eating the right (read: healthy) foods.

While people complain about the higher cost of buying organic or non-GMO foods, the truth is that eating these foods tends to mean we eat less and are filled up more quickly. Eating junk, highly processed and other food stuffs may actually increase the appetite while also doing plenty of damage to our internal system that leaches out into the rest of our bodies. It’s simply not a healthy way to eat. Big Foods will tell you otherwise though.

But getting back to thiamine, there are some interesting facts that those within the medical community are pointing out to us and we should probably take note if we are interested in our good health. In fact, the problems in our bodies because of a thiamine deficiency can be pronounced and numerous. It can affect mood, heart health, the way our bodies deal with glucose levels and resistance, HDL cholesterol, etc.

If we do not have enough thiamine (according to experts in the field), it is not uncommon to suffer from fatigue, muscle pain (including restless leg syndrome), anxiety, neuropathy (something familiar to diabetics), high blood pressure, brain fog, depression and increased or even erratic heart rates. Who wants these things? Going to the average doctor (not all of them), with any of these complaints, usually results in a new prescription(s), because doctors generally treat symptoms, not the cause. That’s what they’ve been taught to do.

A while ago, I added thiamine and riboflavin to my daily regimen of supplements (along with other B vitamins). We use liquid drops because we can adjust dosages easier than capsules. However, what I’ve realized since then is that the 1.2 mg of thiamine, for instance, is simply not enough for me personally.

When I originally began taking thiamine, I noticed a gentle upsurge in energy taking the recommended dosage. I originally thought I only needed to take it once a day and usually did so in the mornings. The increased energy was a nice experience. However, as the day moved on, I noticed a drop in energy so I began to experiment by taking more thiamine in the early afternoon as well. I again noticed an increase in energy.

But for someone like me with my MTHFR situation, along with a recurring Epstein-Barr (EBV) virus, my energy is often sapped. This has frequently caused me to simply sit on the couch, close my eyes and nod off in the afternoons. While I realize some folks do take naps daily and swear by them, I find it annoying because I usually have things I want to get done. So what to do?

I began researching thiamine and discovered that Benfotiamine (a version of thiamine), along with regular thiamine was something I needed to check into for myself. If I’m sleeping well at night, shouldn’t that generally carry me through an 10-12 hour day without needing a nap? When I was in kindergarten, we were supposed to take a nap every day. I’m not five years old any longer.

I don’t have enough room to discuss the benefits of Benfotiamine here, but I’ve included some links below so that readers can do their own research. In the video from Dr. Berg (linked below), he points out the benefits of Benfotiamine and the results of not having enough in our systems.[2] In another video, he speaks specifically to the problems created by a lack of thiamine in other areas[3], and the things that can deplete our bodies of thiamine. Did you know, for instance, that numerous drugs like certain antibiotics, antacids, Metformin, SSRIs, birth control and more can and do deplete our bodies of thiamine? Here’s an article over at Life Extension that details the benefits of Benfotiamine with respect to diabetes.[4] Here’s another article highlighting the differences between regular thiamine and Benfotiamine that’s worth checking into.[5]

How many people reach for an antacid when their stomach is upset? How many people today are on SSRIs or birth control pills? How many drink coffee or tea throughout the day? It’s not that we should avoid everything. It’s that we should be aware of what rids our bodies of the nutrients we need to be healthy and maintain our health. If you drink coffee throughout the day for instance, you should know that you probably need to take more thiamine to counter the effects of the tannins in the coffee/tea.

Chlorine in water also depletes thiamine, so it’s better to either not drink water with chlorine in it or be aware of its effects and take more thiamine in throughout the day. We’re not talking mega doses, but simply small amounts of thiamine at a time. Alcohol is a huge issue because of how it drains thiamine from the body. Alcoholics are likely very depleted of thiamine and since thiamine controls the nervous system including the way our brains work, is it any wonder that alcoholics often look and act as though they cannot stand up straight without falling over, they slur their words and exhibit many other symptoms that are directly due to a complete lack of B1 or thiamine.

Dr. Berg lists numerous side effects or adverse reactions from not having enough B1/thiamine in our systems:

• Tourettes Syndrome
• Ataxia
• OCD
• ADHD
• POTS
• MS Symptoms
• Fibromyalgia Symptoms
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• Peripheral Neuropathy

If this is all true – that these things can be triggered or exacerbated by low or no levels of B1 – then it makes sense to counteract those things and more B1 intake may help.

Who can argue that our bodies are wonderfully and fearfully made? They are very intricate and God, in His perfect wisdom filled naturally occurring foods in nature with the necessary vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to thrive. However, decades ago, Big Foods took over the food industry and in their highly processed approach to creating food stuffs, wound up destroying all naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. They then had to add them in on the back end, something they call “enriched.” Yet, because those enriched vitamins/minerals are not naturally occurring and more often than not, man made, they don’t become absorbed into our bodies, but are simply passed out.

Since our bodies are wonderfully and fearfully made, shouldn’t we be doing everything we can do care for them the way Jesus cares for His Body, the Church? Instead, we eat junk and then head to the doctor when we don’t feel well. We get a shot or a prescription and go on our way. We don’t necessarily feel better, though we might. Eventually, since we continue eating junk, we gain weight, start hobbling or shuffling, avoid exercise and end up sitting on the couch too much.

We don’t eat the things that can actually help create good health within us, including additional supplementation when needed. Let me also caution that all supplements are not created equal. Many have unnecessary additives, milk by-products, gluten, yeast and all sorts of fillers that can harm health. We always buy the more expensive supplements that don’t have these additives and we look at the ingredient list to determine it.

If you are feeling anxious, tired, fatigued, dizzy, brain foggy and a good deal more, it may be due to a lack of B1 and/or other B vitamins. It’s very rare to have an “overdose” of B1 because it does not stay in our systems that long. It needs to be replenished. Several practitioners like Dr. Berg note the types of foods that will provide the needed thiamine, like avocados, pork and salmon.

Your health is something you can control. Too many people don’t bother though, eating the food stuffs produced by Big Foods, then heading to the doctor to be given a prescription from Big Pharma for what ails them.

Break the cycle. Take the bull by the horns and control your own health.

[1] https://www.healthline.com/health/mthfr-gene

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83sOzga-i0I

[3] https://youtu.be/nURgtkKxp84?si=sKuI7ndKnH73KvdJ

[4] https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2007/1/report_benfotiamine

[5] https://www.lifeextension.com/wellness/supplements/benfotiamine-vs-thiamine

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Source: https://studygrowknowblog.com/2025/06/17/what-you-may-need/