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Over recent years, getting vitamin injections has become more and more popular. One could meticulously plan out their meals to get the vitamins they need, but many people lack the free time to do so. Here at IV Wellness in Winter Park, FL, we are proud to offer simple, safe, quick, and cost-effective solutions for patients seeking to improve their health. One of the most important ways we do this is through vitamin B12 injections.
Most people, at one point or another in their lives, will be deficient in an important vitamin their body needs for optimal health. This is often because the food easily available to us now lacks the nutritional values our bodies crave. Even those who meal prep and choose their food wisely can experience additional benefits from getting a vitamin boost. Of all the vitamins we offer, B12 is one of the most prominent.
What Exactly Are Vitamin B12 Injections?
The vitamin we know as “B12” is known also as “cobalamin.” This is because no matter the form B12 takes, it primarily contains the mineral cobalt. Vitamin B12 is water-soluble. It is best taken sublingually for maximum absorption if you’re ingesting it orally. Cobalt is essential for not only humans but lots of other species. We need it because it’s very important to the production of red blood cells and our DNA. It is also vital for optimal brain function.
Injections are often preferred by patients and experts alike, due to the higher absorption rate. When you take a vitamin orally, it has to pass through the gastrointestinal tract before being absorbed into the bloodstream. When you directly inject, you’re cutting out the middle man and maximum absorption can occur.
What Reasons Do People Receive B12 Injections?
When B12 enters the body it is stored in the liver and can stay there for a long time. Because of this, it can be years before you realize you have a deficiency. In fact, for this reason, B12 is one of the most common vitamins people have a deficiency in.
While the primary reason people receive these injections is to balance out their overall health, there are many other reasons. Patients who suffer from depression, osteoporosis, declined focus and clarity, natural aging symptoms, and even those who want an energy boost can benefit from treatment. Just about everyone in any stage of adulthood can find an improvement in life and well-being from getting this injection.
How Do I Know if I’m Deficient?
Did you know that the recommended daily dose of vitamin B12 is 2.4 micrograms a day? B12 is naturally found in animal product foods. For example, two large eggs would give you a fourth (25%) of the recommended dose, one cup of milk would give you 20%, and a 1/3 cup of ground beef would give you 40%. This means that if you follow a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, you’re almost certainly deficient. Don’t worry: deficiencies can be reversed!
The absorption of this vitamin is determined by a stomach protein called intrinsic factor. This protein naturally binds to B12 and absorbs into the blood. Many people don’t produce ample amounts of the intrinsic factor and they often become deficient. The elderly are also prone to deficiency because it’s been proven that natural stomach absorption efficiency decreases over time. If you have ever had weight loss/intestinal surgery or diseases such as Crohn’s or celiac, you may also be deficient.
The Benefits of Vitamin B12
In worst-case scenarios, untreated deficiencies in vitamin B12 can result in various neurological problems depending on the person. It could also stunt your body’s production of red blood cells causing a condition known as pernicious anemia. B12 is also incredibly helpful in producing energy and maintaining healthy nerves. Those deficient enough can run the risk of nerve damage and chronic fatigue.
Even if you know you don’t have a deficiency, B12 shots can offer you a plethora of improved health and lifestyle benefits in more ways than you think. It’s been observed in patients who do not have a deficiency that they experience improved mood, diminished anxiety symptoms, and energy boosts after injection. Since the vitamin plays such an important part in efficiently converting food into energy, you will most likely experience better gut health. You may even lose weight!
Did Someone Say Weight Loss?
Although not a 100% guarantee, a significant amount of data from studies seems to support a correlation between body fat/metabolism and vitamin B12 levels in the body. A recent study found out just how key the role of B12 is in metabolism. A severe deficiency appeared to link to an increased accumulation of fat and even obesity. A second study noted significant increases in body fat percentage and cholesterol when a B12 deficiency was present.
A third study administered vitamin B12 to rats along with a deliberately high-fat diet. When the B12 entered the equation, experts noticed greatly reduced weight gain. What’s more, they noted significantly increased metabolism. This is most likely because vitamin B12 encourages the growth of important metabolism-activating enzymes.
Improved Brain Function
Since vitamin B12 deficiencies have been linked to neurological issues, it would only make sense that receiving injections can improve those symptoms. Patients who get B12 injections at regular intervals have reportedly experienced improved memory and brain plasticity among other great benefits.
A few recent studies have been conducted and the results have backed this claim. There are even studies that have found a possible link between a lack of red blood cells and the risk of dementia. This is why it’s extremely beneficial for older folks to consider B12 injections as well.
Relief From Depression
Experts suggest there is a strong correlation between symptoms associated with depression and long-term deficiencies in vitamin B12. Although depression is tricky and often needs multiple treatments to attack it from different angles, B12 could play an important role we have previously underestimated. Furthermore, evidence suggests that prolonged B12 shots can prevent future relapses in symptoms. B12 naturally has energy and mood-boosting properties, so it’s not hard to see why it’s so beneficial.
Reduced Osteoporosis Risk
Osteoporosis is a disease that occurs as a result of diminished bone mass. The decreased mass makes the bones more prone to fractures and weakens them. Patients that have reduced mass often have blood work done. This is because doctors check for blood levels of vitamin B12. Deficiencies have previously been linked to a higher risk for the disease. Injecting B12 regularly can reduce the risk of the illness. It can also lessen the severity if you already have it.
Protection From Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration is typically age-related and mostly affects those over 50 years old. The symptoms usually appear as a slow, gradual decrease in vision in one or both eyes. Experts believe B12, in addition to other B vitamins, is extremely important to protect against this disease.
A large long-term study has been done in which over 5,000 women took the recommended B12 dose daily for seven years. The study’s statistics showed that the risk of these women getting macular degeneration had decreased by over 35%. Since the disease is primarily related to aging, it’s best to start getting the B12 shots before you think you need them. This way, it will have plenty of time to build up sufficiently in your system and better protect you.
How Do I Know if I Need B12 Shots?
The short answer is that just about anyone could use the occasional dose. Even if you are someone who carefully plans out every meal and is getting an extremely well-balanced diet, you can still benefit. What’s cool about vitamins is that overdosing is nonexistent because your body will simply excrete anything it doesn’t need.
If you are chronically fatigued, suffer symptoms of depression or anxiety, or aren’t getting enough vitamins from the food you eat, B12 will benefit you. If you want a mood boost, an energy boost, or just want better sleep, B12 shots will better your life. If you have bone or eye diseases, nerve damage, or are just going through natural aging, B12 will improve your quality of life. There’s hardly anything that wouldn’t be positively impacted by vitamin B12!
So, How Does the Treatment Itself Work?
The treatment is simple to execute. A doctor or expert will perform the vitamin B12 injections with the proper dose. The treatment time is less than five minutes and there’s no downtime needed afterward. The injection site is often directly into the muscle, or intramuscularly. The reason for this is that it allows our bodies to absorb closer to 100% of B12 by bypassing the gastrointestinal system.
Injections are typically given as one of two things: cyanocobalamin or hydroxocobalamin (notice the root word “cobalamin”). This is because these forms have been proven to be the most beneficial and effective at raising blood levels, especially those ever-important red blood cells.
How Long Do Treatment Effects Last?
The goal of your initial session is to find out how deficient you are and what your proper dosing should be. Once your first session is over we will wait two weeks. That’s typically how long the body maintains B12 levels. Once we reach an optimal level for your health and lifestyle, we recommend you space your appointments out every 2-4 weeks. If you are seeking our care for chronic medical conditions, we may recommend more frequent visits for you.
Remember that the initial treatment and the time between sessions may vary significantly between one patient and the next. That’s why it’s important to schedule your consultation with us so our experts can determine the very best treatment plan just for you.
How Do I Know I’m in Good Hands?
You can rest assured as soon as you step into our office. We only allow Board Certified experts to administer our injections. You may receive treatment from a registered nurse, a physician, a nurse practitioner, or a physician’s assistant. All our staff is thoroughly trained to be the best in the business. They will answer any questions/concerns you may have.
We only get our products from 503B pharmacies that use sterile compounding and are FDA-regulated. For the injection blends we offer (that we highly recommend for many lifestyle improvements), we blend them in-office using a laminar flow hood. This provides us with a safe, sterile environment to mix our unique IV blends.
Time To Schedule Your B12 Injection
Whether you’re truly deficient or just want to boost your quality of life, the importance of getting enough B12 can’t be emphasized enough. Everyone, young and old, can achieve improvement and diminish unwanted symptoms with the services we offer. Contact us here at IV Wellness in Winter Park, FL today to schedule your consultation and get in touch with one of our experts. We are eager to help you gain the health and quality of life you deserve!
