Food coloring prompts carpal tunnel, but a vitamin may relieve the pain

A few years ago a friend of mine named Betty underwent surgery to relieve carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Recovery was painful, and life with bandaged hands was awkward to say the least. But eventually she felt much better and was glad she had the surgery.

Too bad her doctor didn’t know about the connection between carpal tunnel, vitamin B-6, and yellow dye no. 5. Betty might have saved herself the pain and expense of an operation.

According to alternative health care writer Virginia Hopkins, this connection is fairly common knowledge among alternative health professionals, but not so much among conventional doctors.

Hopkins notes that a vitamin B-6 deficiency can prompt or aggravate CTS. And research has shown that intake of yellow dye no. 5 (a common food coloring) may deplete your body’s stores of B-6.

In fact, Hopkins tested this connection herself when she suffered from carpal tunnel. After just one week of cutting all yellow dye no. 5 from her diet, she began to notice pain relief. Within a month the CTS pain was gone.

Hopkins adds that avoiding food products that contain the dye will be most effective when combined with a B-6 supplement.

Alan Gaby, M.D. – former president of the American Holistic Medical Association – recommends 50 mg of B-6 daily to treat carpal tunnel pain.

Talk to your doctor before adding additional vitamin B-6 to your daily supplement regimen.

You can find more information about carpal tunnel relief in the e-Alert “Cocoon Solution” (5/14/09).

Source:
“Carpal Tunnel and Yellow Dye No. 5” Virginia Hopkins Health Watch, virginiahopkinstestkits.com