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Vitamins Information (Home) > Vitamins > Vitamin B12 Injections
What are Vitamin B12 Injections ? and How to Administer it?There are many vitamins that our bodies need on an occasional basis. Because the average person will normally get enough vitamin B12 in their diet, a few meals will not produce any significant lack. For the average healthy person, then, vitamin B12 injections will probably never be needed. The Function of Vitamin B12This vitamin is normally tied in with your food molecules (proteins), but is released from that bond by the hydrochloric acid that is found in your stomach. Vitamin B12 is also called cobalamin, because it carries cobalt, the metal. The normal function of this vitamin in the body is to maintain the sheath that surrounds our nerve cells, to develop both DNA and our red blood cells; and it also works to maintain a proper neurological functioning of our brains. The Availability of Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 is available to us through a number of foods that we regularly eat, so that vitamin B12 injections should not be needed, as long as a proper diet is maintained. This vitamin is found in eggs, in some fish, and cheese; but the richest supply is from lamb's liver, a less amount in other livers, and kidneys. There is almost none in fruits and vegetables. The Storage of Vitamin B12In a normally healthy body, enough vitamin B12 will be stored in the kidneys for about 5 to 6 years. Daily, our bodies do not require much of it, only about 2 millionths of a gram per day. The rest gets stored. So, when a person begins to develop symptoms that indicate a lack of this vitamin, doctors are then sure that the problem has been occurring for a long time. They are probably candidates for vitamin B12 injections. The Symptoms of Insufficient Vitamin B12There are a number of symptoms that will reveal to a doctor that a lack of this essential vitamin may be involved. Some of them are:
AnemiaOther medical problems that are often associated with improper B12 levels are:
The Tests For A Lack of Vitamin B12The initial test will be a basic blood test for red blood cells. The doctors will look for two things: the number of red blood cells, and their condition. Immature, not fully developed cells, or larger than normal cells, are a good indication of a vitamin B12 deficiency. People That May Be Prone To Deficiencies of Vitamin B12There are three groups of people that are more prone to vitamin B12 deficiencies. They are:
The first group, the vegetarians and vegans, do not get enough vitamin B12 to properly supplement their diet. They are normally, if they have been practicing their diet for some time, deficient in vitamin B12, and may be in need of vitamin B12 injections. Their diet cannot correct this deficiency, since vitamin B12 can only be found in sufficient quantities in meat, eggs, and some fish. Many of them are anemic, or near an anemic state. However, some of this lack can be obtained from food supplements. The last two groups, however, are at a greater risk. Those who have had pancreatic surgery, stomach operations, cancer, HIV, and other maladies are at risk for vitamin B12 deficiencies. The ability of the elderly to absorb vitamin B12 is decreased with age. Vitamin B12 is the largest vitamin molecules that there is, and the processes involved to absorb it properly have been diminished. Who Are Likely Candidates For Vitamin B12 Injections?In cases of those who are in the above three groups, or just plain anemic, vitamin B12 injections may be needed. For some, daily vitamin B12 injections may be needed for a rather brief time period, of up to about three weeks. For the elderly, it may be an ongoing process to have vitamin B12 injections. Another way that it can be obtained is to take it, using DMSO, and this will allow it to be absorbed. A final way to get it, apart from vitamin B12 injections is to get a prescription for a product called Intranasal B12, but it is very expensive. VISITOR COMMENTS on "Vitamin B12 Injections and Function":
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