Everyone is wondering should I Try IV Therapy? You have probably heard about it from your friends or family or read about it in beauty, health or wellness magazines, celebrity news updates as the “new hangover cure!” or even television.

Intravenous Vitamin therapy (IV therapy) is so popular lately that it sometimes is being talked about as a new “fad.” The truth is that this technique has been around for decades and is only now being made available to the mainstream public through the growing community of Naturopathic medicine.

For the first time, IV therapy is being used as a wellness remedy for prevention and quick response health boosts for multiple scenarios.

Previously, IV drip therapy was a medical response administered to already hospitalized people to build up their immune systems with the appropriate vitamins for their well-being and to keep them well hydrated.

The first doctor to make IV therapy so popular was Dr. Myer’s creating his “Myer’s Cocktail” which consists of vitamin C, magnesium, b12, and b-complex.

Should I Try IV Therapy?

So why the recent explosion of IV therapy conversations around the world?

Increased Absorption – Bypass The Gut

The most appealing aspect of IV Therapy is the absorption method–it is the most efficient way to boost your immune system.

Many people have sensitivities and even gut lining issues (have you heard of leaky gut?) that make taking vitamins and supplements a challenge. Problems with digestion and the lining of the gut translate to nausea and other uncomfortable side effects when taking vitamins by mouth.

Not to mention, the supplements and vitamins that you swallow have to move through your system to be absorbed into your bloodstream which not only takes longer but dilutes the dose that is already much lower than a drip dosage. Intravenous hydration therapy delivers vitamins, amino acids, and minerals directly into the bloodstream–bypassing the gut completely–for the maximum possible absorption.

Using this method, naturopathic doctors can deliver higher doses of essential vitamins that can be tolerated orally.

Additionally, being dehydrated, drinking alcohol (hangovers), and having other less healthy dietary habits can prevent full absorption of the vitamins found in your foods or contained in your daily supplement regimen.

So, effectively, by choosing IV vitamin therapy over traditional supplements you get more of the vitamins you need, straight into your bloodstream, sidestepping the gut and any nausea or complications with absorption for a quick dose of what your body needs when it needs it. The hydration benefits of the drip procedure further improve your energy and ability to absorb so the overall effect is growing more popular in our busy world.

We Don’t Live In A Perfect World

In a perfect world, everyone has access to the right nutrients and vitamins through their food source and plenty of alkaline water to keep them hydrated.

It is possible to get your vitamins, nutrients, and hydration in the old fashioned way through having a well-balanced diet and drinking your prescribed 8 glasses of water daily (in between meals for optimal hydration).

So why opt for IV therapy?

IV hydration therapy’s popularity has grown out of the common dilemma of an unbalanced diet and fast-paced society where it is becoming increasingly harder to stay balanced and healthy. From processed foods which are void of nutritional value and even have harmful ingredients to more extreme diets like veganism which avoid natural sources of B12 (from meat) and calcium (from dairy), it is possible that many people are unaware of their nutritional deficiencies altogether.

How Do We Achieve Optimal Health with IV Therapy?

There are even challenges presented in foods themselves that make absorption difficult.

For example, Vitamin B1, aka Thiamine, is commonly found in whole grains, meat, and fish.

So theoretically a diet high in raw fish (read: sushi, which tends to be popular in many health circles) could help balance out thiamine. However, another enzyme in raw fish is thiaminase, which breaks down the vitamin thiamine. Based on your overall diet, there may be many contrary foods that negate the benefits of other foods right away. Even cooking vegetables reduces their nutritional benefits and vitamin levels drastically.

Your regular doctor, as well as your naturopath, will emphasize a well-balanced diet as the cornerstone for your optimal health, but both will still check your health vitals and recommend supplements to keep you at your best.

In addition to dietary concerns surrounding proper vitamin levels, we are also living in an even less perfect world full of toxins in the air, free radicals and a plethora of other obstacles that challenge our health. Especially for people living in cities with higher pollution factors and people who work in offices surrounded by toxic emissions in carpets, plastics, and paints–there is an on-going concern about environmental toxins.

These environmental factors, or “epigenetics” – are altering the way our environment affects the way we express our genes, thus altering our health at the base level.

The Ways IV Vitamin Therapy Can Help Benefit Your Life

IV therapy can only be administered by a certified Naturopathic doctor and is tailored to your health needs based on a consultation with your doctor.

Based on your health, vitamin levels, needs, and concerns, the doctor will recommend a particular combination or drip to help boost your immune system and bring your body into a radiant level of health.

Many people choose IV therapy for the associated aesthetic benefits that accompany the surge in vitamin absorption; many people report having a “glow” to their face as well as a reduction in the appearance of fines lines and other less desirable features associated with poor hydration and health.

Athletes choose vitamin therapy as a way to boost their energy levels prior to big competitions as well as in their recovery stages after they deplete their systems through overexertion.

The nutritional benefits that come with IV therapy exceed the superficial and situational; balancing your body’s vitamins reduces the signs of aging, reduces the risk of chronic illness, and improves your body’s muscle and bone health. For instance, a classic IV drip package includes:

• Vitamin C which is essential for your formation of collagen which in turn supports your bones, cartilage, blood vessels and muscles.
• Glutathione is an antioxidant that helps prevent disease, repair tissues, aids in the production of proteins and helps improve immune system health.
• Vitamin B12 is something that many people, especially people who eat less clean sourced meat are substantially lacking — which leads to many health concerns.

These are only some of the vitamins included in drip packages that make clients feel better, healthier, younger, more energetic AND positively impact their overall health by eliminating toxins, reducing fatigue and building up the body’s ideal immune system.

The “Quick Fix”

Another reason IV therapy is so popular in our fast-paced society is that it is literally a “quick fix” and people nowadays like things to be fast and easy.

There are IV therapy packages for a “weekend recovery” or “hangover cure,” athletic performance packages before and after huge feats like marathons and other competitions, post-surgery packages to optimize recovery.

There are cancer combinations that help naturally fight cancer and improve the system after chemotherapy, IV relief for food poisoning, the flu, and common cold symptoms. IV therapists within the naturopathic realm have been monitoring people’s health from a natural stance for decades and have created packages for almost any situation, deficiency and scenario you can think of–making IV therapy one of the most efficient ways to improve your health in as little as 25 minutes.

Who Benefits From IV Hydration Therapy?

A wide variety of people benefit from IV therapy.

Some of the most common symptoms treated by IV hydration therapy are fatigue, common colds, and flu, hangover symptoms, post-surgical recovery, wound healing, malabsorption conditions, extreme vitamin deficiencies, dehydration and more.

IV Hydration therapy boosts energy and vibrancy so many athletes, performers, and people looking to prepare for special events choose to enhance their health prior to games, marathons, shows, events, etc.

Nowadays more and more people are challenged by cancer, chemotherapy and cancer recovery so there has also been a lot of interest in IV hydration therapy within the cancer recovery realm because of the ease and effectiveness of a quick session.

Based on the condition that you are treating and the reason you get an IV drip session in the first place, there is a wide range of intervals suggested by your doctor for how often treatment should occur.

Conclusion

Dr. Jason Phan NMD – LIVV Natural Health | Naturopathic Medical Doctor specializing in IV Vitamin Therapy, PRP (platelet rich plasma)/Prolotherapy Regenerative Injections, Men’s and Women’s Health, and Optimal Living.