What is IV Therapy and What are the Benefits?
Intravenous nutrient therapy, also known as IV Therapy, uses high doses of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins to treat a wide range of health issues. In some cases, Charles Moss M.D. of Moss Center for Integrative Medicine may prescribe IV therapy as a preventative measure or to improve the patient’s overall health. The specific dosage and elements received intravenously is determined by the patient’s current symptoms and response to previous methods of treatment.
Why Would Someone Choose IV Therapy?
When a person has healthy digestion, his or her gastrointestinal (GI) tract beaks down food, drinks, and medications and delivers the nutrients to the blood by way of the GI tract lining. However, this process if ineffective for many people for a variety of reasons. Those who have a weak gut are unable to process the nutrients properly, leading to an upset stomach or excretion of the nutrient through urination or a bowel movement. The nutrients never reach the blood or the cells that depend on them for good health. Other people absorb only some of the nutrients, thereby losing the full potency of their nutrition or medication.
IV therapy is an ideal solution because it bypasses the GI tract entirely. This eliminates problems with oral administration as well as the need to limit ingestion of minerals like magnesium, nutrients, and certain vitamins. For example, consuming large amounts of Vitamin C orally may cause severe stomach upset that may lead to vomiting and diarrhea. When administered intravenously, the vitamin goes directly to the bloodstream and is absorbed immediately without complications.
Common Types of IV Therapy Drips
Because of the wide range of conditions that IV Therapy treats, there are several different kinds of IV Therapy. An IV Vitamin Therapy specialist can help patients to determine which type of IV Therapy is right for them. Some of the types of IV Therapy include:
Vitamin C: Increased dosages of Vitamin C can help patients that are suffering from cancer, chronic viral infections, or autoimmune diseases. Because it is a major antioxidant, it can boost immune function while flushing out toxins.
Antioxidant: Glutathione, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and Vitamin C can be given intravenously to detoxify the body and prevent the side effects of high levels of free radicals, chemical, and pollution.
Myer’s Cocktail: This special mixture of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants can benefit close to 50 different health conditions, and it has been in use for close to four decades.
Immune Booster: Essential vitamins, amino acids, and minerals can be a part of IV Therapy infusions in order to elevate immune function and prevent illnesses.
Detoxification: Metabolic waste, heavy metals, and xenoestrogens from the environment can all build up in the blood and the liver, leading to increased toxicity and reduced organ functioning. IV Therapy with Glutathione, which literally sticks to toxins and guides them out of the body, can help with detoxification. In addition to antioxidants, magnesium is a key ingredient in the IV mixtures. It is a critical nutrient in energy production, needed for transport of electrolytes across cell membranes as well as inducing the production of glutathione, the key antioxidant for the brain. In addition, glutathione itself in the IV has shown great benefits not only in fatigue, but problems such as multiple sclerosis, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
Calming: Stress is one of the leading causes of poor health because it leads to inflammation, lower immune function, and reduced adrenal gland function. IV Therapy can help to manage the physiological consequences of stress on the body, while producing an overall calming effect.
Energy Boosting: Many people suffer from ongoing fatigue and syndromes such as chronic fatigue and adrenal fatigue; however, with IV Therapy, important nutrients can be restored to boost energy levels.
Intramuscular Injections for Fatigue
In some cases we can use intramuscular magnesium and B vitamins for fatigue if the IV’s are impractical, though we have limits on what can be injected compared to the IV Like the IV therapy, IM shots increase tissue levels of nutrients more efficiently than oral supplementation. For fatigue I often use the following injections:
Magnesium sulfate which increases energy production, relaxes smooth muscle in blood vessels (helpful for migraine headaches, high blood pressure, asthma, cramps) and is a crirtical cofactor in over 200 enzymes preventing cardiac arrythmias and sudden death
B12, either methylcobalamin or hydroxycobalamine depending on genetics (MTHFR status) which increases BDNF and energy production in the brain and nervous system
B Complex required for neurological health and cellular energy production
Folate, a key ingredient in methylation and control of gene expression
An IV Therapy doctor with experience in providing intravenous concoctions will help patients decide which nutrients are best for them. Endless combinations of nutrients are available with any type of IV Therapy, and an IV Therapy specialist can customize infusions to suit individual needs.
