Vitamin B12


 What is vitamin B12 good for. If you take to much will it hurt you

 B12 is one of my most recommend supplements.  One of its greatest values is to help the body recover from stress or fatigue and to support energy levels in general.  Doctors have been using vitamin B12 injections for decades to help people improve energy levels.  The interesting thing is that it seems to help even if people have adequate vitamin B12 blood levels. 

Injections are no fun and it was discovered that the vitamin can be well absorbed if dissolved under the tongue.  However, if it is swallowed like a regular vitamin it is very poorly absorbed.   It must either be injected or dissolved under the tongue in order to ensure that it will have the greatest value. 

As a side note, there are two forms of vitamin B12 sold in the market.  The most common is cyanocobalamin which is ok.  However, the other form, methylcobalamin is much preferred because it is the activated form of the vitamin and does a much better job of elevating blood levels of B12.  It is slightly more expensive but I feel it is very much worth the extra price. 

B12 has other very important functions in the body.  It is extremely beneficial for the nerves.  I often recommend it in high doses for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment to help reduce the instance of nerve damage that can occur in the fingers and toes. 

Your bone marrow also needs it in ample supply to make red blood cells which carry oxygen around your body. 

Vitamin B12 is consider very safe and has a very low potential for toxicity even at doses much higher than the suggested RDA. 




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Lead Medical Director

As a certified and fully trained Naturopathic Doctor, Passero has trained and preceptored with some of the nation's leading doctors in the field of natural medicine, working under the guidance of MD’s, Chiropractors, Naturopaths and Acupuncturists. Furthermore, he is currently the Vice President of the Maryland Association of Naturopathic Physicians.

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