WELL-RESPECTED County Durham GP Dr Joseph Chandy has released a book detailing his knowledge of a vital vitamin, which can be of benefit to all.

In 46 years of general practice in Peterlee, Dr Chandy consulted with over 1000 people who were on the verge of giving up, too tired to work or sleep, going blind or with permanent pins and needles, or infertile.

He diagnosed Vitamin B12 deficiency, and started treatment, with positive effects.

Vitamin B12 deficiency affects young people, families, people trying for a family, and older people. However it’s commonly missed, or diagnosed as something complicated and treated with expensive, symptom-modifying pharmaceuticals.

Dr Chandy was able to transform these people’s lives with a simple and low cost vitamin and his work was highlighted on BBC One.

Now 78, he gives hours of his free time to answer harrowing emails and calls from frustrated patients from across the globe and was recently awarded the “Glory of India” and received at a reception at Number 10 Downing Street.

His trailblazing work has now been put into a book, illustrated with 26 multi-year case studies of patients.

“Vitamin B12 deficiency in clinical practice” details the extent to which a lack of the vitamin results in many common of illnesses and conditions, and damages lives, and of a local Doctor’s lifelong struggle to update UK medical practice.

He said: “Even to this day, my phone may ring in the middle of the night. I can feel their frustration – they're desperate to find an end to their suffering, and this offers a solution. Every call or e-mail is another person who needs help.

“I think of them as my special family and this family, sadly, is growing at an alarming rate. Every person not diagnosed on time, of which there are way too many, breaks my heart. "

“I’ve read other books about B12 deficiency, but to me they didn’t explain what a doctor needs to know, and they didn’t back it up with patient case studies. We had to write this book out so that people who can’t speak to me, can live their lives to the full.”

The book is available for free as a download and from Amazon.co.uk and for more information visit www.b12d.org.