Choosing The Right Health Care Clinic

Are You Getting Enough B12?

Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that your body needs to form healthy red blood cells and keep your nerves functioning properly. It's found in abundance in foods like clams, beef liver, salmon, beef, and fortified cereals. However, if you don't eat a lot of these foods -- due to allergies or dietary restriction -- you may find yourself deficient in B12. A deficiency can cause worsening symptoms and a range of health issues over time, so it's important to detect and treat it promptly with an infusion of B12. Here are some signs you are not getting enough B12 in your diet.

Weight Loss

If you're losing weight and you're not sure why, it could be because you're deficient in vitamin B12. This is one reason why many vegans and vegetarians remain so thin in spite of eating enough calories to theoretically meet their daily requirements. Vegan and vegetarian diets are notoriously deficient in B12, causing them to lose weight. Note that this is NOT a good thing -- it means your body is not getting the nutrition it needs to thrive.

Mouth Sores

Sores in the corners if the mouth or on your tongue are a common signs of B12 deficiency. You may notice that the skin in the corners of your mouth becomes dry and cracks easily.

Poor Memory

Do you struggle to remember even the most basic of instructions? Perhaps you stumble over your words a lot as you try to remember what you were going to say to a person. These are common forms of minor memory loss due to B12 deficiency. Over time, your memory loss may become more profound, causing you to forget whole periods of time and life experiences.

Depression

There are many possible causes of depression. If your mood has been a bit down and measures like practicing meditation, exercising, and getting more sleep have not been helping, then it's time to consider the possibility that you're deficient in B12.

If you think you might be deficient in vitamin B12, contact your doctor. They will perform a simple blood test to measure your levels of this nutrient. If you are, indeed, low in B12, they'll typically recommend a blood infusion of the nutrient. This will bring your levels back up to an acceptable range. In the months that follow, you may need to take oral supplements or come back for periodic followup infusions. This isn't the only health issue you may need to receive infusions for. If you're having issues with arthritis you should reach out to a place like the Idaho Arthritis Center


Share