Let’s get acquainted with the B-Complex family. You’ll be glad you did. They are one of your nerves’ best set of friends.

Do you feel strung-out, have trouble sleeping, feel over-whelmed, confused, irritable and have trouble remembering?

Perhaps you do not have that complete list, but you have been depressed and listless. Or do you have an embarrassing twitch or tic? These are just a few of the symptoms of not getting enough of this important group of vitamins.

Thiamine, or B-1 is especially important to your nervous system. It helps prevent dam-age to the delicate covering around the nerves known as the myelin sheath.

Refined carbohydrates, especially sugar, attacks the myelin sheath, interfering with proper nerve function and actually destroying thiamine in the process of sugar diges-tion.

While that is bad enough, if you add caffeine, alcohol or tobacco usage, these act to-gether as even more powerful foes of thiamine.

Deficiency signs may start out at the level of depression or difficulty in controlling emo-tions, but it can progress to increasing sensitivity to both pain and noise. It can cause constipation, headaches, a loss of appetite and chronic fatigue.

At its very worse, there can be damage to nerves with swelling, insomnia, severe emo-tional over-reaction to stress, diminished muscle co-ordination and even heart mal-function.

It is important to see that not all symptoms have a single, simple cause. Some of these symptoms can show up in deficiencies for other vitamins or even minerals. So, if you recognize these reactions, understand that just the addition of thiamine foods may not be enough to stop all of your symptoms. However, it is a good first step.

These foods are naturally high in Vitamin B1. You can enjoy pleasant results from eat-ing raw wheat germ or sunflower seeds, lentils, peas, limas, beans, soybeans, lean pork, pecans, almonds, peanut butter, whole grains (brown rice, oats, etc.) bran, as-paragus and brewer’s yeast.
Brewer’s yeast is not the same as baker’s yeast, and not everyone can take it. For those who can, it is one of the very best sources of B-Complex vitamins.

Lewis Laboratories offers free samples that your favorite health food store can supply. If it works for you, you will welcome the resulting energy and clarity of mind.

Some people react by producing gas which can distend the abdomen and make a person uncomfortable. So it would be wise to test it before purchasing a supply, alt-hough it is very inexpensive. It is available in debittered form which is pleasant to the taste.