What Is Vitamin B12?
Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, is a vital, water-soluble nutrient that’s responsible for a variety of biological functions in the body. Your body needs this vitamin to form red blood cells, synthesize DNA, and for brain function. This supercharged vitamin also helps you get energy from the food you eat.
What Is a B12 Deficiency?
Although everyone needs B12 to live healthily, the body doesn’t produce it on its own. You get this vitamin from foods or through a supplement. Animal proteins like meat, fish, dairy, and eggs contain the highest amounts of vitamin B12. Individuals who eat a plant-based diet are susceptible to a B12 deficiency, but other risk factors exist. B12 deficiency is common in the U.S.
B12 Deficiency Risk Factors
Medical Conditions and Medications Increase Risk Living a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle isn’t the only risk factor for a B12 deficiency. Certain health conditions can also prevent your body from absorbing adequate amounts of the vitamin. Autoimmune diseases, Crohn’s, and HIV are among the medical problems that impair B12 absorption.
Medications like antibiotics, anti-seizure medications, and antacids can reduce how well your body absorbs B12. Harmful intestinal bacteria can also inhibit B12 from doing its job in your body.
Drinking Moderate Amounts of Alcohol or More Reduces B12 Levels Even if you only drink a few beverages per week, you could be at risk for a B12 deficiency. Alcohol can prevent your body from storing the B12 you eat, and it could deplete your B12 storage levels. Heavy drinkers are at an even greater risk for a deficiency.
Stress Depletes B12 in the Body We all know that stress isn’t good for the body, but it can also rob you of essential B12. If you have recently experienced a period of extreme stress or you have chronic stress, you could be at risk for a B12 deficiency. Stress depletes stored levels in the body.
Age Factors Into B12 Absorption
f you’ve noticed that the pills or drops you take don’t seem to do the trick anymore, it could be the product of aging. The older you get, the more challenging it is for the body to absorb vitamin B12 from oral supplements. A B12 deficiency or borderline deficiency is more common in adults over 50 than in the general population.
What Are the Symptoms of Vitamin B12 Deficiency? You may not experience any symptoms of a B12 deficiency. Some patients, especially those with a mild deficiency, remain asymptomatic unless the deficiency turns into anemia. Busy lifestyles can sometimes mask the symptoms of not having enough B12. If you often feel sleepy, it’s better to investigate vitamin B12 levels in the body instead of explaining it away.
You may notice any one or more of the following from a B12 deficiency:
Tiredness Shortness of breath Dizziness Heart palpitations Pale or yellowish skin Digestive disturbances Memory loss Mood or behavioral changes Muscle weakness Numbness or tingling Vision changes If you experience any of the signs above, a vitamin B12 injection could put you back on your wellness path.
What Is a Vitamin B12 Injection?
A vitamin B12 injection is the most effective way to supplement your body with this nutrient. We inject this vitamin intramuscularly (IM) to bypass the digestive tract and deliver the energy-boosting nutrients to cells directly.
Supplements come in a variety of forms. You can buy vitamin B12 supplements over the counter in tablet or liquid form, but this isn’t the most effective way to receive the nutrient.
Injections Are Best When taken orally, nutrients must take the long journey through your digestive system before entering your bloodstream. The vitamin must contend with the harsh environment of the GI tract, which can reduce the potency of the supplement.
Injecting vitamin B12 in our offices takes all the guesswork out of your supplementation routine because we administer the B12 into your bloodstream. Direct supplementation with injections guarantees that the full dose of B12 reaches your blood to give you the health benefits you want and need.
How Does B12 Help With Fatigue?
Fatigue is one of the most common signs of B12 deficiency. A primary role of B12 is to create energy in cells. When you don’t have enough of the vitamin, your motivation levels drop.
Feeling sluggish can take a toll on every aspect of your day. Not to mention, low vitamin B12 levels can create feelings of depression and anxiety. This unsavory combination can lead to performance changes at work, at the gym, and in personal relationships.
Getting your B12 levels back into a balanced state can change your outlook on life and the will you have to succeed.
What Else Will a B12 Injection Do? Fatigue is often the first thing people notice when vitamin B12 levels are low in the body. However, supplementing with B12 can offer a broad range of benefits to improve your health.
Powerful Mood Booster Vitamin B12 can improve your mental health. Research shows that this essential nutrient helps synthesize and metabolize the feel-good chemicals serotonin and dopamine. When your body’s running low on B12, your serotonin and dopamine may also drop. Reduced serotonin and dopamine can lead to depression, sleep disorders, or other unwelcome mood changes. Supplementing with B12 injections could lift your mood without pharmaceuticals.
Keeps Skin, Hair, and Nails Radiant Raising your B12 levels can do wonders for your skin, hair, and nails. Because your body needs B12 to absorb iron and to produce healthy red blood cells, your appearance can suffer if you have a deficiency in this vitamin. Brittle and thin nails, pale or hyperpigmented skin, or changes in your hair can be the physical manifestation of your body asking for more vitamin B12.
Good for the Bones
Vitamin B12 helps keep your bones healthy. Older individuals, especially women, are at risk of developing osteoporosis: a condition that causes weak and fragile bones. Scientists have found a link between vitamin B12 and higher bone density. Keeping your B12 levels in a healthy range can prevent you from fracturing or breaking bones and from developing osteoporosis.
Could Preserve Brain Function Science links low levels of vitamin B12 to reduced cognitive function, like dementia and memory loss. Some evidence suggests that supplementing with B12 can reverse the effects of reduced brain function in individuals who have a deficiency.
Supports Healthy Pregnancy Many people talk about the role of folic acid in preventing major birth defects, but vitamin B12 also plays an important role. Proper B12 levels are crucial in supporting a fetus’ development in the womb, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. Pregnant women with sufficient B12 levels are far less likely to have a child with birth defects.
Treatment Process The B12 injection process is a safe, fast, and effective way to get a therapeutic dose of this vitamin. Your appointment happens in our state-of-the-art Pasadena office, where we encourage you to relax.
The injection process takes only about five minutes. You need not do anything to prepare. There’s no downtime, and you are free to continue with your day after your appointment. Your body absorbs the B12 within just a few minutes after treatment.
How Long Will the Effects Last?
For many people, a B12 injection is what they need to increase energy, fuel the immune system, and infuse general wellbeing into their life. B12 is known to improve metabolism and help restore motivation. Many people report coming in for their appointment feeling lethargic and achy and leaving feeling energetic and ready to tackle the day.
Your Unique Experience How long the benefits last depends on your current nutrient levels and the particular needs of your body. If you feel benefits, you can expect them to last anywhere from several hours to several days. Some patients feel the benefits for weeks at a time.
Building Up B12 in the Body
If you have a major deficiency, you may feel nothing after your first visit. You will need to visit us more frequently to get your B12 back up to healthy levels. With low B12 levels, you may notice the benefits for a shorter period. Often, patients with low B12 have hours to days of symptom relief.
If you have moderately sufficient B12 levels, the beneficial effects often last longer. The more B12 you have in your system, the longer you can likely go between injections.
How Often Should I Get a Vitamin B12 Injection for Energy?
Each person has a unique body chemistry that responds to vitamin B12 injections differently. After your first injection, you will often feel the difference in your energy levels. Use how you feel to gauge how frequently to schedule an appointment.
For example, some people get B12 injections as often as one to three times per week. Other people find that they need only visit us a few times per month to restore healthy energy levels. How often you must receive an injection is entirely up to you and how you feel.
How Will I Feel After the Injection?
Most patients are ready to resume their day after receiving a B12 injection. Your specific results may differ slightly from someone else’s. Often, patients feel an improvement to their energy levels, focus, attention-span, endurance, and improved sleep.
Are B12 Injections Right for Me? Most anyone who wants a Vitamin B12 Injection Consent Form qualifies for treatment. Children, adults, and the elderly are usually eligible for treatment. Anyone who seeks optimal health and general wellness could benefit from receiving B12 supplement injections.
If you have a condition that prevents you from absorbing B12, you are a good candidate for receiving a B12 injection. Other ideal candidates include people with:
Chronic fatigue Chronic stress Digestive issues Diseases of aging
We encourage certain individuals in higher-risk categories to visit us for the most effective B12 supplementation method, including:
Adults over 50 Athletes Vegans and vegetarians