The B vitamins were numbered by the early scientists who discovered them as B1, B2, B3 etc. Vitamin B12 is also known as cobalamin. It contains a mineral called ‘cobalt’ that helps it to work. It naturally has a red colour.

It is rich in red meat, egg yolks, liver and some fermented Japanese style foods like fermented soy beans products: miso and “natto” and some seaweeds like Kombu. Sardines and mackerel have vitamin B12 too.

There is a condition as the body ages and in some families where the vital factors called “intrinsic factors” in the body are attacked by the immune system or lacking and so there develops a Vitamin B12 deficiency.

Another source of deficiency is a diet lacking fermented foods and red meats. The gut can help make B12 if it is healthy and not under attack from antibiotics, metals like mercury and other pollutants or petrochemicals. The stomach can digest red meats if it has healthy stomach acid levels and good enzymes.

If your stomach acid is poor and your stomach is not helping you absorb Vitamin B12 you can start to get tired and show low levels of Vitamin B12 on a blood test. Levels under 170 are getting very deficient. Normal range is pretty big. An optimum level would be around 500 on a blood test.

Some patients swear by B12 injections from their doctor or practice nurse. Others use B12 tablets that dissolve under the tongue directly into the blood to bypass the stomach digestion.

My favourite recent product for those who don't eat or digest red meat well is one I have found that is a Vitamin B12 mouth spray that a patient can use to top up their Vitamin B12 each day for a while then maintain 2-3 times a week.

There are systems in the liver for activating Vitamin B12 so it can help detoxify metals and toxins. Some families genetically have a hard time converting their Vitamin B12 to active forms and tend to get more toxic or have problems with detoxing and feeling well. There is a form of active Vitamin B12 called “methylcobalamin” that can now be given in spray form for children with autism and adults with poor detox histories.

Most people are fine with the regular B12 sprays or tablets. Many people get plenty of B12 from their diet.

If you suspect your family genes are against you and you may be having trouble with Vitamin B12 with fatigue and so on I can help you check levels and go over options to replenish.

I remember one fellow I saw he had all kinds of neurological symptoms and fatigue that resolved once he started boosting his Vitamin B12. He had been to specialists and not been able to fix his energy. The Vitamin B12 boost did the trick.

Vitamin B12 is very safe as it is water soluble so the body excretes any excess. To avoid imbalance you might like to consider a B complex vitamin powder or tablet to go with your B12 to keep the B vitamins balanced.

B vitamins help energy, adrenals , natural detox, mood and metabolism amongst many other functions.