Intravenous (IV) Therapies — Part 2

iv_therapy3FAQs and Answers:
Of What Benefit is
Nutritional Intravenous
(IV) Therapy?

By Dr. Marcel Hernandez, ND

What is IV therapy?

Marcel Hernandez, ND, of Pacific Naturopathic in Mountain View, CaliforniaIntravenous vitamin and mineral therapy involves injections of vitamin and mineral solutions into a vein in the arm. Injections directly into veins provide a powerful route of administration and absorption of these nutritional and healing media.

Hospitals use IV therapy mainly to infuse antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals, including chemotherapy. At Pacific Naturopathic, we use IV therapy to introduce nutritional and therapeutic substances.

Who is using IV Therapy? What benefits are they receiving?

Intravenous administration of vitamins, minerals, and herbs is rapidly becoming a mainstream therapy.

  • Hollywood stars use it for anti-aging protocols.
  • Athletes use it to improve performance.
  • Cancer patients use it to promote quality of life.

Others use it for a variety of reasons, including to kickstart the immune system in the first stages of a cold or flu – or to quickly and efficiently address specific nutrient deficiencies.

Why not just eat the right foods, or use oral supplements?

Eating the right foods doesn’t guarantee that you are getting the nutrients your body needs to maintain health and vitality. IV nutrition therapy feeds amino acids, vitamins, minerals and other natural formulations directly into the blood stream, by-passing the digestive tract where much of the nutritional value of foods and supplements can be lost.

Unlike oral supplements, IV therapy delivers concentrated amounts of nutrients that would otherwise cause digestive discomfort or even illness.

Why do people choose IV therapy?

For two main reasons.

First, to address specific illnesses that are difficult to treat by any other therapeutic approach. These include:

  1. Hepatitis
  2. Flu
  3. Viral diseases
  4. Upper respiratory tract infections
  5. Seasonal allergic rhinitis
  6. Asthma
  7. Migraines
  8. Chronic fatigue/ fibromyalgia.
  9. Autoimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis
  10. Lupus)
  11. Cancer (as adjunctive therapy)
  12. Inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis)
  13. Cardiovascular disease
  14. Neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s
  15. Parkinson’s
  16. Multiple sclerosis
  17. Depression
  18. Allergies and many others

Second, to maintain or improve their current state of good health, including:

  1. To prevent or minimize effects of colds or the flu or other viral illness
  2. To either prepare for or recover from a surgical procedure
  3. To improve athletic performance
  4. To slow the effects of aging and the aging process
  5. To better manage stress and its effects on the body
  6. To enhance the appearance of hair, nails and skin.

How do intravenous vitamins and minerals work?

IV vitamins and minerals:

  1. Correct nutritional and biochemical deficiencies
  2. Improve cellular function
  3. Stimulate the immune system
  4. Protect cells from damage, decrease inflammation and detoxify the body

Is IV therapy safe?

It is extremely safe. Before any IV therapy treatment begins, every patient must have a baseline blood test to ensure tolerances to all vitamins and minerals. You must meet with one of our doctors to discuss general health questions and determine the best course of IV treatment for you.

For patients wanting to fully integrate IV therapy into their personal wellness plan, adding a comprehensive blood panel and food tolerance panel will provide a complete nutritional and biochemical analysis.

A weekly regimen is an excellent way to assure your body is getting all of the vitamins and minerals it needs to support your healthy lifestyle.

Does IV therapy have any side effects?

The on-line literature notes very few side effects with properly administered IV therapy. At Pacific Naturopathic, we have observed very few side effects in the hundreds of IVs we’ve performed. Magnesium may make some people light-headed. If this occurs, we moderate the amount of magnesium in future IVs. People with a propensity for kidney stones receiving high dose vitamin C may (or may not) mobilize the stones that already exist. Rarely, some patients may experience a mild detox reaction or a short period of fatigue.

What have we observed at Pacific Naturopathic in our IV therapy patients?

  • We have seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of life of cancer patients.
  • We have seen colds and flus vanish within hours.
  • We have seen herpes infections dramatically reduced in intensity and duration.
  • We have seen fatigued patients perk up and their stamina increase.
  • We have seen IV therapy resolve negative results on blood tests.
  • We have seen people enjoy a sense of well-being and vitality that they have not experienced in years.

Quite often, people feel markedly better right away after an IV. This indicates that the nutrients are addressing an acute deficiency. A wise course would be to work with us to determine why the deficiency existed in the first place, while continuing to address it.

My own experience after an IV is that I don’t notice any dramatic change, but Dr. Connie has noticed that my stamina improves.

How often do people need IV therapy treatments.

The number and frequency of treatments depend on the condition being treated, the current health status of the patient and the response of the patient to treatment.

A general estimate of treatments is decided upon at the evaluation appointment, and then a more specific number is determined as we go along with the treatment plan.

More information on IV therapies is available HERE.

For more on Dr. Marcel’s work click HERE.

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