Does IV Therapy Work?

IV therapy is no longer something you only experience when in the care of a hospital or medical clinic. These days, more and more people are trying out IV therapy as a recreational or health wellness treatment to bolster their daily energy or health levels.

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Sound scary? It doesn't have to be, even though IV therapy does always include at least one needle! The truth is that IV therapy can safely be applied at a health optimization clinic like Next Health. But what exactly is IV therapy, and is it a smart choice for your health goals? Let’s answer both of these questions and more.

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What Does IV Stand for?

IV (which is an acronym that stands for intravenous) therapy is any kind of medical or wellness treatment that delivers fluids straight into your body via the veins.

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What Is IV Therapy?

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This is effective compared to ingesting fluids for a few different reasons:

• If you ingest fluids regularly, your body must digest those fluids by mixing them with stomach acid and filtering them through your intestines. This takes time, even if you have an empty stomach.
• In contrast, IV therapy allows any fluids – and the vitamins and minerals that may be contained within – to be applied straight to your bloodstream, which allows for faster absorption.

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These benefits are the reason why IV therapy is almost universally used in medical contexts across the board. Only on rare occasions, like when a vein appropriate for IV therapy can't be found or if a patient has a very stressful reaction to the presence of needles, will medical fluids be offered orally instead of intravenously.

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But IV therapy doesn’t have to be limited to hospital or clinic use. These days, there are plenty of qualified IV therapy professionals who offer their skills at health optimization centers like Next Health. And rather than only receiving IV fluids if you are injured or in the hospital, you can now sign up for IV therapy to voluntarily get fluid mixtures containing key vitamins and nutrients for extra health benefits.

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How Does IV Therapy Work?

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Since IV therapy involves placing a needle directly into a large enough vein, any fluids connected to the needle will automatically flow into the bloodstream and mix with your blood. This results in extremely fast absorption of both the fluid and any vitamins and nutrients that might be contained within.

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IV therapy works primarily by having a bag with the fluid prepared ahead of time. The fluid is then very slowly dripped into a tube and needle connected to the patient’s vein, which is normally on the arm for easy visibility and because many arm veins are large enough for this purpose.

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Since the fluid drips into the bloodstream slowly and progressively, it doesn’t accidentally harm the vein or the patient. This also ensures that the IV therapy can be stopped before it’s completed in case there’s an issue.

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Benefits Of IV Therapy

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IV therapy can, under correct supervision and when done properly, possibly provide numerous health benefits both in medical treatment and general wellness situations.

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Medical Care

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Of course, most people only experience IV therapy when they go to the hospital. It’s common practice for a hospital to set up a new patient with an IV, even if they don’t particularly need certain vitamins and nutrients as part of their treatment. The IV is the best way to make sure that a patient remains hydrated, so a lot of hospital IV therapy just involves water.

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However, hospitals and clinics can also use IV therapy to provide:

• Medical treatments or nutrients to a patient
• Medicine or anesthetics to a patient either in response to or for preparation for a surgery
• Painkiller administration, especially if the patient needs some fast due to an injury

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Better Hydration

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As mentioned, some people (provided they have the training and equipment) may voluntarily give themselves IV therapy for the purposes of better hydration. By giving themselves pure water through an IV, they can ensure that their body doesn’t suffer all of the side effects associated with dehydration, like increased or chronic fatigue and exhaustion, lack of concentration, and muscle soreness.

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Vitamins and Minerals

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More importantly, lots of people try out IV therapy specifically for the vitamin and mineral benefits. IV nutrient mixtures, which are essentially mineral waters bolstered with different vitamins and cellular nutrients, can be applied to those who sign up for IV therapy services.

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A patient simply signs into a wellness clinic like Next Health, sits down, and lets the IV drip vitamins and minerals into their bloodstream over the course of a few hours. During this time, they can relax in comfortable chairs or chat with their friends.

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By the end of the session, they might feel benefits like increased cognition, better awareness and energy, and a livelier mood. The benefits vary from person-to-person since vitamins and minerals affect people slightly differently, even though our cells broadly need the same stuff to function correctly.

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Health Enhancements

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Some also use IV therapy for the purposes of immune support and overall cellular health. That’s why Next|Health offers IV services like NAD+ Infusion and all IV formulations are proprietary to Next Health using the safest and most reliable ingredients to ensure the highest quality of ingredients.

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NAD+ infusion is one of the most popular IV therapies available, and for good reason. This IV drip contains nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, which is one of the key amino acids and coenzymes necessary for proper mitochondrial function and cellular respiration. In essence, it’s needed so your cells can produce the energy required for daily activity and overall wellness.

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This infusion IV therapy just gives your cells more of this amino acid so they have the energy they need to replicate and repair themselves with youthful vigor and vitality. Those who try out this therapy might find themselves feeling better and younger than before.

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Think of these treatments as compressed and consolidated nutrient boosts to your system. Sure, you could get the same nutrients by consuming lots of multivitamins and carefully tailoring your diet precisely to your needs. But a single IV therapy session might provide the same benefits with only a few hours instead.

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Immune System Boosting

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You can’t forget the benefits to your immune system! IV therapy, when combined with fluid mixtures containing antioxidants and Vitamin C, may also result in a more fortified immune system: a key concern during the coronavirus pandemic. While IV therapy alone can’t ensure that you don’t get sick, this treatment method may be more effective than eating a few oranges or taking vitamin pills in preparation for being around a lot of people.

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Overall, IV therapy might be useful for just about any health-boosting goal you have. Think of IV therapy as a way to fast-track your body's absorption of key medicines, minerals, or vitamins that you think would be beneficial.

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Risks Of IV Therapy

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While IV therapy can indeed be quite effective for some people, there are also a few risks.

• For instance, IV therapy is only safe if it's applied by a trained professional. It takes real skill to carefully and accurately insert an IV needle into your own or another person's arm. You should never try IV therapy alone if you haven't had proper training
• Furthermore, some people may try IV therapy and accidentally absorb minerals or nutrients that their body doesn’t agree with.

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However, it should be noted that both of these possible side effects can be diminished with the right preparation. For instance, signing up with a health optimization clinic like Next Health will guarantee that your IV therapy is administered by trained Registered Nurses certified by Next Health. Furthermore, spending some time consulting with a health professional at Next Health can ensure that you don’t accidentally sign up for IV therapy that contains one or more potentially allergic compounds. All in all, IV therapy is generally safe and something that folks interested in long-term health optimization would do well to investigate.

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Where To Find IV Therapy

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IV therapy is usually only provided at licensed and well-trained health optimization clinics such as Next Health, or at hospitals and clinics that provide medical care to injured or sick patients. That’s because IV therapy can only be applied by trained professionals to minimize the risks.

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The best way to try out IV therapy for yourself is to contact Next Health and set up an appointment. You’ll be able to see everything that Next Health has to offer for your IV therapy session, speak with a professional about your goals and concerns, and go through the appointment if everything seems to be in order.

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Summary

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In the end, IV therapy isn’t for everyone. There are some folks who just won’t get over their fear of needles, and we can’t blame them!

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But if needles aren’t a dealbreaker for you, we’d definitely recommend trying IV therapy sometime in the future. It’s a great way to ensure that your body gets the nourishment and vitamins it needs to constantly function at its best. Contact us today to set up an appointment!
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Sources

https://www.cambridgehealth.edu/iv-therapy-common-questions/

https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/wellness/story/iv-therapy-2019-wellness-trend-60180179

https://www.healthline.com/health/under-review-IV-vitamin-therapy