IV Nutrient Therapy
A major part of any functional or integrative medicine practice revolves around helping people to improve their absorption of nutrients. Most patients come to our practice in some state of nutritional deficiency, and quite a bit of our focus is on helping patients restore their nutritional status, thereby improving overall health. This is one of the “root causes” that we focus on in functional medicine.
Addressing Nutritional Deficiencies
Nutrients are absorbed through the digestive system, and it is this area that we are engaged in healing, enhancing, and working to make “whole” again. This is a very worthwhile goal but does take time, effort, and commitment to a sometimes drastically different way of eating, which can take a long time to wholly embrace! This goal is crucial for healing, but we are keenly aware that this is a long process for many who are moving into a way of life that they may not be familiar with. This means that their own healing response and benefits may be delayed and that they may continue to suffer from symptoms longer, which in turn tends to lead to less motivation and commitment to maintain what they may perceive as a difficult process.
An Alternative to When Oral Supplements Are Not Enough
We know that absorption of vitamins decreases naturally with age, and this is one cause of “aging.” When people have disrupted digestive tracts, including leaky gut, dysbiosis, SIBO, chronic candidiasis, IBS, IBD, chronic gastritis, GERD, etc., this means that they have diminished absorption, thereby causing oxidative stress, another term for premature aging. One of the principal reasons we give people oral supplements is to help them replace what has been lost, and while these are very important to assisting the healing process, there are times when these are still not enough because there are many nutrients that have a rate-dependent quality to them, meaning the lower the level that exists in the body, the harder it becomes to absorb that substance, causing a negative feedback loop. Magnesium is an example of this, being the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and responsible for hundreds of cellular functions. It is estimated that over 50% of Americans are magnesium deficient!
We also know that having a well-functioning nervous system is vital to the healing process, and this is another area where nutritional absorption is critical. All the B vitamins are absorbed through the stomach and small intestine and when there are deficiencies, then the nervous system and brain start to suffer.
What Is IV Nutrient Therapy?
It is with this understanding that the field of Integrative Medicine has turned to using intravenous nutrient therapy as a way to help people get back on track more quickly. IV nutrient therapy involves combining vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients into a carrier solution and administering them directly into the bloodstream through an IV “drip.” Therapeutic agents may also be “pushed” through the IV catheter over a short period. These innovative, safe, and powerful therapies support the biochemical correction of numerous health problems. IV access bypasses the GI tract completely and allows nutrients to directly reach the cells, aiding in replacement of losses, and restoring nutritional balance.
The History of IV Nutrient Therapy
IV nutrient therapy has a long history of use in the U.S., starting back in the 1940s and then re-emerging in the 1960s when it was widely used by John Myers, MD, a physician in Maryland, who created many of the protocols that are still used today. After Myer’s death in 1984, Alan Gaby, MD, took over many of Myer’s patients and started using IV therapies successfully. Many others have followed this path as well, and we are thankful for all the courageous physicians who have persevered in the use of IV nutritional therapy, in the face of conventional medical dogma and persecution. We are further grateful to Dr. W.A. Schrader, who has not only been a wonderful practitioner of these therapies but who has also had a mission of teaching many other physicians to pursue this safe and useful therapeutic modality.
How IV Nutrient Therapy Is Used
IV nutrient therapy can be used as part of a general health regimen, to help increase athletic performance, for pre-/post-surgery, or to ease the symptoms of cold and flu, asthma, allergies, migraines, fatigue, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, chronic stress, injury, and other imbalances.
What Can I Expect?
Your first visit will include an office visit to go over your health history and medical conditions, as well as a physical exam. To establish the proper intravenous nutrient therapy for your condition, the health care practitioners at our clinic will spend time discussing your individual needs and charting a course of treatment. You can receive your first IV treatment at the conclusion of this visit. The most common side effect that people experience with IV nutrients is a sensation of warmth or heaviness at the IV site and through the body. Depending on if you receive a “push” or “drip,” the IV will take between 30 and 60 minutes, although higher doses of some nutrients require a slower administration time.
To maintain overall health: One session monthly; pay attention to your overall awareness, mental clarity, and body functioning. The effects are noticeable for several days, depending on your overall health at the start. We recommend doing one treatment weekly for four weeks to “fill up the tank,” after which time you will notice a maintenance of the benefits you feel after a treatment.
For athletic events, surgeries, weddings, work presentations, travel, etc.: Do an IV treatment before and after the event, to prime your functioning and then to help you recover more quickly.
Acute injury or illness: One to two times a week for up to four weeks.
Chronic illness or injury: One to two times weekly until overall health and functioning are improved, then monthly.
In most cases, including an oral vitamin and nutrition supplement program is necessary to allow the effects of IV nutrient therapy to be their greatest.
What Types of Nutrients Are Given Intravenously?
Click on the links below to learn more about each type of IV we administer.
IV Nutrient Therapy References
References:
Alan R. Gaby, MD. Intravenous Nutrient Therapy: the “Myers’ Cocktail”; Alternative Medicine Review, Volume 7, Number 5 2002
PDQ® Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board. PDQ High-Dose Vitamin C. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam /hp/vitamin-c-pdq
The Definitive Guide for Intravenous Therapy with Nutrients, by WA Shrader, Jr., MD; revised January 2015.
2017 Riordan IVC Symposium, Wichita KS
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