Have you ever heard of getting a B12 injection? Seems fancy, right? B12 is one of the most common injection ingredients at our clinic. But B12 isn't just used for those who are deficient in the vitamin; it's a powerhouse for pain syndromes. B12, or cobalamin, is an essential water-soluble vitamin. It is only found in animal products, which makes it commonplace for vegans and vegetarians to be deficient in without some supplementation. Vitamin B12 is absorbed from a protein in the stomach called intrinsic factor. Due to needing healthy absorption in the stomach, B12 deficiency can be especially present in people who have been taking antacids for a long time, elderly people, people who have had part of their bowels removed, or people taking metformin for diabetes. Injecting the vitamin bypasses the common problem of having to absorb it in the stomach and gets the vitamin directly into the bloodstream via the muscles or fat.
B12 is vital for the proper formation of red blood cells. B12 shrinks the blood cells and ensures that they are sturdy so that they can travel into the smallest capillaries for complete blood cell circulation. B12 is needed for the production of DNA and signaling to make more red blood cells. If there isn't enough B12, there typically aren't enough red blood cells to carry around oxygen. The advertisement that "B12 gives you energy" is not quite true, directly. Indirectly, B12 can boost your energy by increasing your quantity of red blood cells, which in turn increases how much oxygen is circulating and therefore will help you feel less fatigued. B12 can help with dizziness and breathlessness because, again, B12 helps increase the ability to use oxygen.
B12 is also vital for helping build the substance that protects our nerves, called myelin. People who are chronically deficient in B12 tend to have more nerve pain due to the inability to make as much myelin. Lack of myelin can leave nerves exposed and open to damage. People who have vision issues might also benefit from B12 because the optic nerve can be affected if they have global B12 deficiency. Injecting B12 for general vitamin deficiency, fatigue or nerve pain is an excellent choice. Even better, water-soluble vitamins such as B12 have an inability to build up toxicity and overdose. Your body uses what it needs, and excretes the rest. It is very safe. At our clinic we use both preservative-free and benzyl alcohol-preserved methylcobalamin (meaning the usable, prebroken down form).
Injections have been a part of Chinese medicine for a very long time. When I worked at an orthopedics hospital in Nanjing, China in 2015, I was shocked to see that more than 50 percent of the patients we saw were receiving some sort of injection containing B12 along with acupuncture for pain. The doctors I worked under in China were appalled that in the U.S. it wasn't as commonplace to do B12 injections as frequently as it was in China. B12 is a quick, easy, inexpensive and effective way to treat pain-related conditions. The benefits are profound, and injecting vitamins are proven to be substantially better than an oral dose. Upon returning to the U.S. from my work trip to China, I quickly started learning more about injections and providing the service in my own clinic. My own clinical experience has been amazing. I've seen the typical response of fatigued patients or people on an animal restricted diet feel much better. For patients with pain, the results have been absolutely wonderful. Injecting B12 in a general muscle is effective, however, injecting it as close to the problem nerve is even more profound. In a recent (2020) systemic review, the research found, after 24 published articles, that injecting B12 perineural (around the nerve) demonstrates therapeutic value for neuropathic pain, peripheral neuropathy, and postherpetic neuralgia (post shingles).
Chinese medicine and my training in medical acupuncture takes B12 injections even further. Mixing B12 with saline helps nourish dehydrated muscles. B12 with herbal anti-inflammatories such as arnica helps with the inflammation in the area. Dextrose with B12 can be powerful to boost the immune system's own healing ability. B12 with lidocaine or procaine (some of my favorites) helps with the current pain, and they help heal the nerve long term. Most often, I use customized mixtures of 2-3 of the above, depending on the specific case I am working on. My decade of training and experience working with needles and needling advanced areas and points is an easy translation when doing injections. I always say, "Go to your medical doctor if you are needing prescription medications or surgery, go to your chiropractor if you need your spine aligned, go to your physical therapist if you need customized exercises, and go to your massage therapist if you need manual therapy. But go to your acupuncturist if you are needing needle therapy." This is what we do all day. We are experts at all things needles. I have been certified in all possible advanced injection courses in the scope of my practice because I want to help patients on another level than I have so far. Adding a B12 injection to any service we offer is profound. We only charge $25! There are many different injections and injectables, but using B12 is almost always an ingredient in my mixtures no matter what kind of injection I am doing. I continue to be honored to help and service the community I grew up in!