Perry and Lisa Ruiz own a trio of B12 Stores at Southridge Mall, The Shops of Grand Avenue and Racine’s Regency Mall. Their specialty is B12 vitamin shots, which boost immunity, increase energy and stamina, and sharpen focus. B12 has also been used to treat Alzheimer’s Disease, asthma and anemia, diabetes, infertility, inflammatory bowels, migraines, chronic fatigue, sleep problems, weakened bones, some types of cancer and the natural aging process itself. Lisa recently sat down with Off the Cuff to discuss hangover cures and grounded flying alarm clocks.
Your website (mobileb12.com) provides a laundry list of benefits. What can’t B12 do?
It is not going to cure anything. It isn’t medicine. It will just help you feel better.
How about a hangover?
Well yeah. Say you take a shot Friday afternoon, and go out partying—you’ll have more energy Saturday. Same with cold and flu—you won’t be crappy and sluggish.
Could it cure winter?
Ha! Mood elevation, certainly. But Vitamin D is better. You naturally get it from the sun, which can be a problem here. We started offering D3 shots a month ago. It is huge in counteracting seasonal depression.
Do you sell other vitamins?
Lipotropic shots, which include B12. They help burn stored fat.
The Internet told me B12 is the most complex vitamin and “produced industrially through bacterial fermentation-synthesis.”
I don’t know what that means. And I’m not going to try. We keep a doctor on staff for that. I do know you normally get it from food, and it converts carbohydrates into glucose, which gives you efficient energy. Ours comes from a Florida lab.
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How did you and Perry get started?
I’m from 93rd and Adler—between Tosa and Stallis. Perry grew up in Waupaca. I actually worked in a factory for 10 years. Electromotive Systems, in Menomonee Falls.
After we met, Perry and I opened multiple businesses. One was a weight-loss franchise. We did B12 shots as part of the program. Eventually, nobody wanted to pay for the program, they just wanted the shots.
What if you don’t like shots?
Sorry. No pills. Bad news is—your body absorbs 1-5% of vitamin pills. With shots, you absorb 95%.
Even vitamin C tablets?
Yep. Sorry.
How often do people take them?
Depends on how you’re feeling. We say that about all our shots. They’re just water-soluble vitamins—you can’t overdose. Most patients come once a week, or every other week.
You take them yourself?
We both do. Perry used to nap every afternoon. He was reluctant—even after we opened—to try. But now he doesn’t nap anymore. I take one every four-five days. I have three kids, multiple businesses and a dog. Now, I can wake up without throwing my alarm across the room. And when that awful “I don’t want to get up today” dread hits, I know it is time for another shot.
