Vitamin Shots: What Are They And What Are The Benefits?

If your busy schedule has run you completely ragged, you’re not alone. In a perfect world, you’d be eating an ideal diet, and you’d be getting to the gym every day. To be sure, diet and exercise are essential parts of a healthy lifestyle. But good nutrition is also key. If you don’t mind a little pinch, vitamin shots and IV drips are a great way to boost your body’s natural health.

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Why would you do this? The short answer is that vitamin injections can improve your body’s natural healing, boost immune response, and promote your energy level and overall well-being.

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If you’ve only just heard of vitamin shots, you’re not alone. While vitamin injections have been around for decades, they’ve only been widely-known for about 10 years. This was thanks to a bizarre source: an episode of the reality show The Simple Life, where Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie received B-12 injections on camera. Since then, other celebrities like Joe Rogan have been raving about them.

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Celebrity skin care expert Nurse Jamie says of these injections: “Studies reveal that over 90 percent of people are deficient in at least one or more nutrients.” Among the nutrients she mentions are Vitamins B12, C, D, E, and A, as well as calcium, iron, fiber, and potassium. She continues, “It’s easier for our bodies to absorb liquid vitamins than their counterpart, pills.”

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So, what makes vitamin shots so effective? And what are the health benefits? Let’s take a closer look!

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Why Take Vitamins Intravenously?

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The importance of vitamins in our diets has been understood for decades. However, exactly how to take those vitamins is a bit less well-established. For instance, oral supplements can vary significantly in their effectiveness. What time of day did you take them? Did you take them with or without food? Was it a capsule or a pill? All of these factors can affect how readily the vitamin absorbs through your stomach.

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To make things more confusing, different vitamins will absorb better under different circumstances, which poses a particular challenge if you’re taking a multivitamin.

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By injecting vitamins into a vein or muscle, you circumvent the digestive system altogether. This makes them more readily available to your body. The result is that you need a lower dosage than you would with a pill. Not only that, but you typically only need an injection once a week, rather than taking a vitamin every day.

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Nurse Jamie agrees. She says: “When nutrients are injected directly into the bloodstream they bypass the digestive system and are pushed directly into cells where they can be more effectively utilized by the body. Weekly vitamin shots are an effective way to increase your energy, strengthen your immune system, and promote weight loss.”

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But what vitamins should you take, and how often? The exact answer will be different for every individual. Your best course is to consult with a doctor before taking any supplements. That said, let’s take a look at some of the most popular vitamin shot options.

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Vitamin B12 Shots

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By far the most popular type of vitamin shot is Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble molecule that’s essential for a variety of body functions. Among other things, it’s required for good brain health, DNA production, and the production of red blood cells. Vitamin B12 bonds easily to cobalt, which in turn is stored easily in the liver. As such, even if someone’s diet is deficient, it can take years for symptoms to develop.

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One reason many people need B12 supplements is that B12 is only naturally found in animal products like meat and dairy. Only 6 micrograms per day is recommended, but that’s going to be a challenge if you’re vegetarian or vegan. As a matter of fact, studies show that as many as 90 percent of vegetarians and vegans may have a Vitamin B12 deficiency.

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But even if you eat a lot of meat and dairy, you might not be in the clear. The reason for this is that Vitamin B12 doesn’t absorb easily into the body on its own. Instead, it has to bind to a protein in your stomach called “intrinsic factor.” Intrinsic factor bonds easily both to Vitamin B12 and molecules in your blood, so it allows the vitamin to be absorbed.

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For most healthy people, this isn’t a problem. However, there are a number of risk factors that can reduce the amount of intrinsic factor in your gut. People who suffer from intestinal diseases, such as Crohn’s or celiac, fall into this category. Similarly, if you’ve had any intestinal surgery, your risk may be higher. The risk is also higher for the elderly, since we produce less intrinsic factor as we get older.

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A Vitamin B12 deficiency is no joke. But you also shouldn’t panic just because you have one — or more! — of these risk factors. The only way to know for sure whether you have enough B12 is to get a blood test and go over it with your doctor. Please don’t panic just because you read something on the internet. Take a deep breath, and talk to your doctor about any concerns

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Regardless, vitamin shots are the most common treatment for a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Because the vitamin is injected directly into your muscle or vein, any intestinal issues will not be a concern. Depending on their exact needs, some people take a standalone B12 injection, while others take a complete B-vitamin cocktail.

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Other Vitamin Shots And IVs

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B12 is only one of many vitamins that can be taken via injection. Other popular injection vitamins include Vitamins C, B1, B2, B5, and B6, as well as amino acids and other goodies.

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But why limit yourself to a single injection when you can get the full treatment? Vitamin IVs have become extremely popular in celebrity circles. This is particularly true in Las Vegas, where luxury hotels offer IV treatments that are specially-designed to treat hangovers. If an IV drip sounds like too much of a commitment, don’t worry. It only takes about 15 minutes a week to get the full benefit.

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Like injection vitamins, there are many types of vitamin IVs. As a result, they can be used to meet a wide variety of needs.

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Always Supplement Safely!

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Keep in mind that there’s always the possibility of getting too much of a good thing. For instance, water is just about the healthiest thing you can drink, and even too much water can be dangerous. For that reason, it’s important to consult with a doctor, nurse, or nutritionist when taking any type of powerful supplement.

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The risk of overdose is higher with fat-soluble vitamins like A, D, E, and K. This is because they take a long time for the body to process and excrete. Water-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, pose a lower risk because they can be excreted relatively quickly.

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In addition, there are other factors that can increase the risk of complications. Diabetics with unstable blood sugar, for instance, should always consult with a doctor before taking any vitamin shot. Similarly, anyone who’s going to take a Vitamin C injection should be tested for a genetic disorder called G6PD, which can cause red blood cells to become damaged after an injection.

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Another risk of any type of injection is bleeding or burning at the injection site. This isn’t unique to vitamin injections. It’s just the nature of sticking a needle into your skin. This is one area where being diabetic can actually work to your advantage. If you’re already used to giving yourself insulin injections, giving yourself a vitamin injection will be second nature.

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As you can see, if you want to safely take vitamin shots, it’s important to partner with a professional. Next Health offers a variety of membership packages that include vitamin shots, vitamin IVs, and more. To help you out, our medical concierge team can help further your knowledge of health and wellness as you can ask questions about your behaviors, diet, and even managing stress.

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So, if you’re ready to dive into IV therapy and vitamin shots as the beginning to a healthier, more nourished you, get in touch with us today to set up an appointment at any one of our four locations!

Sources:

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/health/a9566731/vitamin-shots/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/13620030/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23356638/