Most people do not think that they could be one of the millions of people that are suffering from low levels of B12.  After all, if you are reasonably healthy, eat fairly wel,l and take a daily multi-vitamin there is no possible way you could be suffering from a vitamin deficiency, right?

Not so fast.

Getting sufficient B12 in your diet isn’t always enough.  The reason is that the absorption of vitamin b12 is an extremely complex process and there are many points in which something can go wrong.  As we age our bodies lose the ability to assimilate the vitamin as it once did.  Additionally, there are many lifestyle factors such as drinking, smoking and being a vegetarian which can also make one more susceptible to this deficiency. The reality is that every person from young to old from all walks of live is at risk.

There are no “typical” b12 deficiency symptoms because this deficiency impacts each person differently.  In one person, they may develop depression.  Another may develop balance issues.  Yet another may experience symptoms that are mistaken for Alzheimer’s disease.

Sadly, it is not at all uncommon for a B12 deficiency to go undiagnosed.  Either a doctor will disregard the symptoms as being normal, in the patients head or a sign of aging.  Alternatively, they may label the symptoms as being from some other disorder.

This is unfortunate because a B12 deficiency is very inexpensive and easy to treat via simple b12 shots.  Initially, a patient may need to take shots once a week or even daily.  Once a patients levels are up to an acceptable range then they may be able to reduce the frequency with which they take the shots to once a month or even less.  Some people may even be able to shift to sublingual B12 or even a b12 pills, but if absorption is an issue this may not be possible.