Beriberi

Eat foods rich in thiamine and other B vitamins such as brown rice, whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts, and yogurt. Drinking excessive liquids (more than one glass) with meals may wash out thiamine and other B vitamins. Also avoid raw fish.

• Emphasize fresh, organic vegetables, such as carrots, leafy greens, onions, and orange squash, that are eaten raw or lightly steamed. You can also make fresh vegetable juices and soups, which will help your body remain in a slightly alkaline state, free of over-acidity.

• Drink plenty of pure water during the day, and avoid mucus-forming foods such as milk and dairy products, wheat, and most grains (millet and brown rice are acceptable exceptions).

• Eliminate all processed foods and commercial poultry and meats, choosing organic whole foods and free-range chicken, turkey, and beef

• Do not consume any artificial sweeteners, such as Splenda, NutraSweet or Aspartame

• Do not consume high fructose corn syrup or mono-sodium glutamate

• Do not drink any carbonated beverages

• Avoid all fast food restaurants

• Avoid all canned food

• Eliminate conventional dairy products. The best dairy products are raw, unpasteurised and homogenised dairy from grass fed cows.  If this is unavailable, then buy organic dairy

• Avoid conventional beef. The best beef is organic grass fed beef. The second best is organic meat; this includes beef, veal, lamb, chicken and turkey. Check out www.grasslandbeef.com

• Avoid all sugars and simple, refined carbohydrates, as well as alcohol and coffee and other caffeine products

• Minimize your salt intake and use only pure sea salt, such as Real Salt. Try also Saltic Sea salt, Alaska Sea Salt, Cornish Sea Salt etc. Rotate the salts you use as they each contain different minerals

Add Fresh Juices:

• Water melon juice made fresh – 1 to 3 6oz glasses a day

• Celery juice made fresh – 1 to 3 6oz glasses a day

Try and include the following in your diet:

• Brown Rice: Brown or husked rice is considered to be the best source of thiamine, and therefore it should be made part of our regular diet. Try avoiding polished or dehuskedrice as it lacks vitamin B1
• Rice bran: This is the best of all known home remedies for beri beri. It has been practiced since long. Rice is boiled in excess of water and the water containing rice extract is drained and collected in a vessel. This water can be drank and has appropriate quantities of Vitamin B1
• Legumes: Most of the legumes, seeds and nuts contain thiamine in there outer covering. These can be brought into use frequently if not regularly
• Milk: Milk is a rich source of vitamins and other mineral nutrients and must be consumed on regular basis
• Whole Grain Brown Bread: As mentioned by eMedicine, grains that contains outer layer of grains are very rich in thiamine. Feeding the individual with thiamine rich brown bread can also contribute to the vitamin content in the body
• Alagau: Alagau is a herb found only in Phillippines has been effective in treating this thiamine deficiency disease
• Avoid drinking after meals: Vitamin B1 being water soluble compound tends to get drained out of body if excess liquid is drunk after meals
• Avoid Fish: Shellfish, clams, mussels, shrimps, and raw tissue of animals contains an enzyme thiaminase which causes breakdown of thiamine, and hence there consumption must be avoided in order to retain the existing vitamin B1 in the body

Supplements:

For cases of mild symptoms, take thiamine (30 mg a day in divided doses). For severe symptoms, take thiamine (30-100 mg per day in divided doses), along with vitamin B complex, a multivitamin and multimineral complex, and vitamin C.

In extremely severe conditions of beriberi, with symptoms such as severe cardiac and mental dysfunction, such as in cardiovascular beriberi or Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (marked reduction of blood flow to the head with dramatic symptoms), B1 needs to be given by injection, 50-100 mg two times daily. See a physician immediately if you suffer from such symptoms.

Prescription and non-prescription medication:

What non-prescription and prescription drugs are you taking?  Your non-prescription and prescription are partially the reason that you have this illness or disease – you need to get off these medications, but do so only under the guidance of a licensed health care practitioner.