Extreme and Controversial Vitamin Injections They've been popular with the rich and famous for years but now intravenous vitamin treatments are coming to a doctor's office near you. Should you try them? Dr. Pericles Lantz , Dr. David Katz , Dari Alexander Charlie Sheen Reveals the Truth About His Health Hollywood bad boy Charlie Sheen sits down with Dr. Oz for the first time! Hear what Dr. Oz has to say about Charlie's past. Is this the deadly flu season no one saw coming? Before the sniffles hit, get Dr. Oz's advice for how you can avoid a health...There is more than a little irony in the revelation by Lady Thatcher's former aide, Cynthia Crawford, that the Iron Lady's famously high energy levels were sustained by injections of vitamin B12. Her long blue reign over Britain can be attributed, at least in part, to an injection in the bottom with the red vitamin. Alongside the fondness for a late night dram of whisky, Crawford - or Crawfie as she was known to the then Mrs T - this weekend exposed her former boss's use of vitamin B12 injections to reinvigorate herself.
She apparently found the rather painful injections so useful that she had one on the morning she told her cabinet she was going to resign. While there is nothing new in B12 injections being given to people with diseases such as anaemia, submitting oneself to the injection - straight into a large muscle like the buttock - is not for the fainthearted. Most people opt to pop a pill instead. "B12 is one of the few vitamins that we would recommend injecting and there could have been any number of underlying clinical reasons for Mrs Thatcher receiving it," says Catherine Collins, chief nutritionist at St George's hospital in London. "But if anyone was thinking of having an injection just to boost their energy levels, the chances are that they are wasting their time - and it won't be very pleasant." As well as its "red" nickname (it is a red crystalline compound), B12 is also known as the energy vitamin as people who are lacking in it often complain of exhaustion. There are rumours floating around the internet that B12 injections can boost the energy levels of even those who are not B12 deficient, but there does not appear to be any scientific evidence to back this up.
"If you are experiencing tiredness and you receive a B12 injection it is only going to help if you are deficient. If you're not, it's just quackery," says Collins. "There are people who attempt to prescribe vitamins like medicines and I would be concerned if people were being told to take B12 to boost their energy levels. Even if it did boost your levels you may be hiding an underlying problem which should really be checked out." Coincidentally, the structure of B12, which has the essential mineral cobalt at its heart, was discovered by Dorothy Hodgkin, who taught Lady Thatcher at Oxford. Like other B vitamins, it is essential for the development and maintenance of red blood cells, and contributes towards healthy nervous and cardiovascular systems. The recommended daily allowance - one microgram - is contained in a balanced diet. It is found mainly in eggs, meat, poultry, shellfish, milk and milk products so vegans and strict vegetarians may have to take a supplement or include seaweed in their diet.
Many commercial breakfast cereals are fortified with B12 and other vitamins. Older people also have to watch their intake: the stomach produces an enzyme called intrinsic factor, which allows the body to absorb B12 but ageing - and stress - weaken the body's capacity to make it. Also at risk of deficiency are alcoholics, who often rely too heavily on liquid calories rather than eating properly. Among elderly people, B12 is the vitamin most often prescribed by doctors to lessen fatigue. It has good results and often works, but only in those who are B12 deficient. Some doctors also prescribe B12 injections for people who suffer from chronic fatigue syndrome, but its effectiveness is a matter of scientific controversy. As well as decreased energy, B12 deficiency can affect both the sufferer's state of mind and their nervous system. Symptoms of deficiency include soreness in the arms and legs, mood swings and mental sluggishness. Patients given intramuscular injections of up to one milligram, however, generally report feeling much better quickly.
"It is a very effective treatment," says Collins. For the rest of us, there doesn't seem to be much point in stocking up on large quantities of B12. "Because B12 is water soluble, the body can't store it so you just pee out any excess. There's not much to be said for having more than you need," says Brigid McKevith, from the British Nutrition Foundation. The best advice for anyone who is feeling a little run-down or tired is to buy a good multivitamin and multimineral supplement, advises the British Dietetic Association. "It's best to go for a better known brand as vitamins are not regulated in the way medicines are and, although they should have in them exactly what it says on the bottle, some of the imported brands may cause problems." Iron deficiency - which can cause fatigue - is a big problem in Britain so minerals are as important as vitamins. The association says tonics are generally best avoided. "They often contain things like caffeine, which may be fine in itself, but is not going to do you too much good.
And they can have strange mixtures of vitamins, like high levels of the B vitamins which are associated with energy levels in the cells," said the spokeswoman. It is also important to go for supplements that offer 100% of the recommended daily allowance and not those with far higher levels. "Vitamins and minerals should be treated like paracetamol," said a spokeswoman. "We shouldn't be blasé as they can cause problems in high doses: vitamin A in pregnancy and high levels of iron can cause problems with bowel disease.", British Nutrition Foundation; After a study was released that reported nearly 40 percent of Americans might be deficient in B12, advocates of vitamin injections seemed to come out of the woodwork! They claim that they can benefit serious conditions, including cancer, macular degeneration, Parkinson's disease, fibromyalgia and depression. They also say the injections are helpful for preventing illness too. Well-known TV physician, Dr. Oz, went as far as describing them as "cutting edge."
The B12 vitamin is an essential micronutrient that affects the development and maintenance of red blood cells, nerve cells, and normal myelination, or the covering, of nerve cells. It also aids in the production of DNA and RNA, and the production of neurotransmitters. So, while B12 injections may be popular, are they something you should really consider? First of all, if you look at closer at the numbers reported by the Framingham Offspring Study that's often cited, you'll see that it actually found 39 percent of people had B12 levels that were in the "low normal" range -- and that's well above the accepted level of deficiency. In reality, the actual numbers of those who suffer from a shortage of B12 are closer to just 1.5 to 15 percent. Most of us get enough through foods like poultry, fish, milk, eggs and fortified products. Of course, that's not to say that no one should be concerned about low B12 levels. Those who have celiac disease, vegans, vegetarians and people who drink a lot of alcohol, are truly susceptible due to absorption problems and/or diet choices.
Please note -- all of the above symptoms are also symptoms of other medical conditions. While there is an established medical role for injectable vitamins like these, it's certainly not an energy-boosting cure-all! The best way to get your B12 is through a variety of healthy foods, including organic, free-range eggs, shellfish, dairy products, wild-caught salmon and other fatty fish like mackerel and tuna. Vitamin infusions are really a marketing creation if anything. They may give you the illusion that you're doing something good for your health, but selling unproven treatments like these without good scientific evidence is really only benefiting those who are making money off people who just want to feel better. If you do fall for the craze, B12 isn't a vitamin that builds up toxicity like some others when taken in excess, which means you're unlikely to experience many negative side effects, other than the damaging effect on your wallet, of course. Sorry to disappoint, but the only true "cure" for low energy, shedding pounds and achieving better overall health is the solution that you've probably already heard time and time again: a healthy, nutritious diet and regular exercise!