I learned today that there is a nationwide shortage of injectable B12. Apparantly, the supply cannot keep up with the demand because doctors are willing to give these shots to people who don't need them. Patients hear from some TV or Radio doctor, or from some movie star or buddy at the gym about how a B12 shot will give them more energy, help them lose weight or some other nonsense.
Why is this an issue for me? because my husband relies on injectable B12 in order to live a normal life. He called his doctor to schedule his monthly injection and they are out and don't know when they will get more in, its on back order. He had ths problem earlier this year, but at that time we thought it was a problem with the doc's office staff in managing their inventory. He is now scrambling to find another doctor who has some in stock that will see him. My husband has pernicious anemia which was a fatal disease until about 1920 after vitamin B12 was discovered. it was determined that a deficiency in B12 was the cause of the condition that came to be known as pernicious anemia. Without his monthly injections he would die in a matter of years, if that. It is an autoimmune disorder that results in the body not being able to manufacture "Intrinsic Factor" or IF. In order to metabolize B12 in the food we eat - or in vitamin suppliments taken orally, the B12 must be able to bind with IF. If there is no IF, there is no B12 absorption. The only way to get B12 into the blood stream of someone with pernicious anemia is through a B12 injection.
people who think a B12 shot gives them energy are experiencing the placebo effect. people ask for it expecting a boost of energy, so they feel what they tell themselves. i talk a lot about cognitive behavioral therapy as a highly effective treatment for anxiety and depression. well, the placebo effect is a classic example of CBT in action. tell yourself that you can't get better, than you can't get better. tell yourself you will survive cymbalta withdrawal you will survive cymbalta withdrawal (no, not overnight it takes a lot of work in challenging your negative thought processes!). tell yourself an injection will make you feel great, well then...
B12 injections are all the rage at health clubs, some "holistic" naturopathic doctors, weight loss clinics and such. dont' get me wrong, i support alternative holistic medicine, but there are quacks out there too - and plenty of doctors are happy to write a 'scrip for whatever their patients want, as long as it keeps them coming back. B12 taken orally works just as well for those whose bodies manufacture IF - which is most of us. I take a B vitamin liquid suppliment daily - by mouth! it works just as well as the injection for those who do not have pernicious anemia.
please folks, get the word out. B12 injections are for people who need them because of pernicious anemia, cancer treatments or due to other damage to their stomachs - which is where IF is manufactured. its immoral for a fad to keep the supply of a treatment out of reach of those who need it to live.
