Many people ask me whether I recommend them to take vitamin B12 injections or not, after their doctor has advised to take these due to their B12 deficiency symptoms. Before we jump into the basics of vitamin B12, let us first take a look at the various benefits of this important vitamin.

Benefits of B12

  • B12 helps our body to replicate DNA.
  • Red blood cells formation.
  • Growth of essential body tissues.
  • Creation of a fatty protective substance around our nerve cells. This substance is called Myelin, and it helps our body to properly transmit the signals from the brain to the rest of the body. This is also why many of the B12 deficiency symptoms directly relate to the nervous system.
  • Metabolism boosting. That’s the reason why many people link vitamin B12 injections with weight loss, although there is absolutely no direct correlation with the injection. The truth is that B12 boosts up your metabolism and make you far more likely to lose some calories and get active, so it certainly helps in some way, but you can get these benefits from any source of B12, not just injections.
  • Lowers the levels of Homo cysteine in our body. This amino acid has been linked by scientists many times, for promoting a greater risk for developing heart stroke, cancer, Alzheimer, and many other modern world’s diseases and ailments.

These are just the main benefits of B12 vitamin. The good news is that it is fairly easy to get these benefits even from a plant based diet, as long as you eat your fruits and veggies unwashed, as B12 is originated in a bacteria in the soil, and when washed with water, the plant loses all of its B12 content, as it is present only on its outer exterior part.

Checking for a deficiency is fairly easy. Just ask for a blood test the next time you visit your doctor. You will probably get the results within a few days, and not only will you get to know whether you are deficient in B12 or not, but also if you’re deficient with other vitamins and minerals as well.

Do You Really Need B12 Injections?

The only reason that you would need a B12 injection is if your body is unable to absorb B12 from food sources. If your deficiency is a result of any other reason, you might want to pass on these injections and go for less radical ways of treatment, such as sub lingual tablets, intra nasal sprays, intra nasal gel, and of course regular foods that are rich in vitamin B12.

These shots are rather painful, and you can get the exact same benefits of vitamin B12 from any other source, like the ones listed above. If the doctor still insists that you take these injections, ask the doctor to explain his position. Most of the time they simply go for the old school treatments, and this one is one of them, since it has been the main treatment for a deficiency among doctors for ages.

Posted on: June 5th, 2011 by Natural Remedy Reporter

Filed under: Vitamins and Supplements

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