By Keri on Friday, January 03, 2003 - 08:41 am:

Hi, I have recently been diagnosed with EDS, likely type III. Since I was eight I have not eaten meat and I know for years I did not get the proper nutritional supplements, particularly the B vitamins. Does anyone know if vitamin deficiency is linked to hypermobility or can cause or worsen it?

Regards,
Keri

By Margreth on Monday, January 06, 2003 - 01:39 pm:

Hi Keri,

I haven't eaten any meat since I was nine years old. I asked myself the same question you do, and so did my mother, but, as I got to know more people with EDS and HMS, I only found one other to be a vegetarian.
There have actually been postings on this board from people who felt eating meat made their condition worse and they became vegetarians because of their diagnosis.
Who knows what meat does or doesn't do. I don't think being a vegetarian for so long did me any harm. My sister has been one for just as long -if any of us didn't get proper supplements it's her- and she is perfectly healty.
It's in my genes, the hypermobility, and I don't think any nutritional deficiency nor supplement can help that. Sure, getting proper nutrition is important but it does not have that much to do with hypermobility.

I don't think you being a vegetarian caused or worsened your hypermobility. A lot of 'what if' and 'should I' has crossed my mind over the past years, not just about the vegetarianism, but in the end there are never any answers. This is my body, this is my hypermobility and this is it.

Regards,

Margreth

By keri on Thursday, January 09, 2003 - 09:17 am:

Thank you Margreth for your response!! I really appreciate the feedback. I guess that I know in my head that it is genetic but can't help but question if I could have done anything differently. It is always good to have the reassurance that no, it wasn't something that I could have prevented. Thank you!!

Best wishes,
Keri