About Us

About Sally M. Pacholok, R.N., B.S.N. and Jeffrey J. Stuart, D.O. authors of Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses

Sally Pacholok, R.N., B.S.N. has been practicing emergency nursing for 36 years.  She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Wayne State University.  Prior to entering the field of nursing, she received an Associate’s Degree of Applied Science with magna cum laude honors.  She was also a licensed Advanced Emergency Medical Technician and worked as a paramedic prior to and during nursing school.  She has worked in healthcare for a total of 40 years, and has cared for thousands of patients.  In addition, she is a Trauma Nursing Core Course provider, an Advanced Cardiac Life Support provider, an Emergency Nurse Pediatric Course provider, and a member of the Emergency Nurses Association.  In 1985, Pacholok diagnosed herself with vitamin B12 deficiency, after her doctors had failed to identify her condition.  As a result, she is passionate about the need to educate the public about the dangerous consequences of this hidden and all-too-common disease.

Jeffrey Stuart, D.O. is board certified in emergency medicine and has been practicing for 30 years.  He received his Bachelor of Arts degrees in Health Sciences and Psychology from Kalamazoo College in 1988.  Dr. Stuart received his Doctor of Osteopathy degree from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1992.  Dr. Stuart participated in visual brain research at the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, MD in 1987, and was involved in cholesterol metabolism research at the Rockefeller University Hospital in New York City in 1985.  He is certified in Advanced Trauma Life Support, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, and Advanced Pediatric Life Support.  He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Osteopathic Emergency Physicians, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Michigan Osteopathic Association, and the Macomb County Osteopathic Medical Association.

Together, they coauthored the most comprehensive books on vitamin B12 deficiency, Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses (Quill Driver Books, 2005) and Could It Be B12?: An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses, 2nd Edition (Linden Publishing, 2011), winner of the Indie Excellence Award for best health book. Could It Be B12? has been translated into Dutch, Slovenian, Spanish, Polish, Bulgarian, Portuguese, and Italian.  Their third book, Could It Be B12? Pediatric Edition: What Every Parent Needs to Know about Vitamin B12 Deficiency (Linden Publishing, 2016) (originally titled What’s Wrong With My Child?), has also been translated into Bulgarian.

They have appeared as guests on Family Net’s Your Health with Dr. Richard and Cindy Becker, CNN Headline News’ Seeking Solutions with Suzanne, KATV Channel 7 News in Little Rock, Arkansas, The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore, and numerous TV shows in southeastern Michigan.  Additionally, they have been interviewed by dozens of radio stations including: KSTE Radio’s Sacramento Wide World of Health, KHNR Honolulu’s Doctors Health Radio, KKCR BBS Radio’s The Dr. Ann West Show, and CHOK Radio’s Live with Lee in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.  Could It Be B12? has been featured in Redbook, First Magazine, Bottom Line Health, Variety, Anchorage Times, Detroit Free Press, South Bend Tribune, Lockport Union-Sun and Journal, Nursing 2007, and a host of other publications.

Pacholok educates the public and health care professionals worldwide about B12deficiency, and has appeared in two documentaries. In 2015, film producer Elissa Leonard wrote and directed the movie Sally Pacholok, which is based on Pacholok’s life-long battle to raise awareness about B12 deficiency and the consequences of its misdiagnosis.

Sally Pacholok, R.N. and Jeffrey Stuart, D.O.