At Pacific Naturopathic, we’re more than a little skeptical of health products that are hawked with heavy-duty celebrity endorsements.
That being said, long experience has convinced us that the glitterati who’ve lined up behind the IV Myers Cocktail treatment are definitely on to something good.
(If you’re curious, here’s a partial list: Brad Pitt, Madonna, Simon Cowel, Rihanna, Alan Cumming, Rita Ora, Kelly Osbourne, Jessa Hinton, Beyonce, Dr. Oz, and many other athletes and celebs.)
They’ve all benefitted from the amazing healing and rejuvenating power of the special blend of nutrients delivered intravenously in the Myers Cocktail.
Myers Cocktail Origins
In the 1960s, Dr. John Myers, MD, an internist at Johns Hopkins, concluded that the human digestive, absorptive, and detoxification systems permit only a small fraction of the vitamins and minerals we take orally to reach the bloodstream.
Myers thought it might be useful to give a safe mixture of key nutritional supplements by IV, which he conjectured would literally flood the body cells with nutrients.
The vitamins and minerals that Dr. Myers chose for his innovative cocktail had been available intravenously for years. But no one had ever considered combining them in a single IV smoothie. Shake and stir!
Here’s the back story…
Myers knew that many patients who regularly took high-quality, appropriate supplements and nutrients weren’t receiving the expected benefits.
He realized that before a nutrient can be therapeutically effective, it must be properly absorbed and carried to the cells. The problem with taking oral nutrients was that the gastrointestinal tract has to break down the supplements, release the core nutrients, and transport them to the bloodstream. And not all bodies are equally efficient at these chores.
So this is where the problems arise. Our body’s ability to send nutrients to the cells is highly individual and depends on a large number of complex physiological systems functioning properly.
Few people realize how many delicate chemical processes are involved – they include hundreds of enzyme reactions, proper acid production, healthy gut flora, a healthy gastrointestinal lining that’s free of inflammation and irritation, an absence of “bad” bacteria, and countless other variables.
Even after the nutrients are broken down and transported to the bloodstream, they still need to be delivered to the liver for filtering and detoxification, before they’re sent to the cells.
A compromised liver can deactivate certain nutrients or make them ineffective. Worse, an unhealthy liver can simply give up and send the nutrients for excretion.
Furthermore, many nutrients only have a therapeutic (healing and restorative) effect when they’re delivered in very large quantities.
For example, vitamin C has an antiviral effect at high serum concentrations (10-15 mg/dl). And it’s simply not possible to achieve these levels with oral vitamin C, even in healthy individuals. If we try to achieve extremely high concentrations by super-dosing oral C, the result is most often diarrhea and nausea.
Another problem with trying to achieve rapid improvement with oral supplements and improved diet is that by the time we start eating better and supplementing, the body may be so depleted of nutrients that it needs a long time to “catch up.”
Also, most folks base their supplementation on the levels the government tells us are adequate for avoiding deficiency-induced diseases. But these RDA figures have little to do with the levels required to promote optimal health and healing.
Thus, many people are nutrient-deficit without even knowing it!
And the more deficient our bodies become, the higher the amount of supplementation required, and the longer it takes to bring us up to healthy levels.
Here’s where IV therapy gets interesting…
The reason IV nutrient therapy works so astonishingly well is that it delivers nutrients directly to the bloodstream and cells, where the nutrients are needed.
Moreover, whereas just 1-25 percent of oral supplements reach the cells, IV therapy makes 100 percent of the nutrients available for repair and health.
IV supplementation completely circumvents the problems with malabsorption, gastrointestinal disease, and liver dysfunction. The result is that the nutrients have an immediate, direct effect in promoting improved health and function.
Interested in exploring IV nutrient therapy? Dr. Marcel will be happy to answer your questions. Please phone 650-917-1121 for more information.
A Myers Cocktail Q & A
Why take nutrients intravenously? Besides the problems discussed above with malabsorption, etc., the harmful chemicals and other toxins in our environment, added to general life stress, allergies, genetics, infections, etc. are causing many people to suffer from compromised digestion, resulting in impaired ability to convert foods and absorb vital nutrients.
What Is the Myers cocktail?
The basic Myers Cocktail is an intravenous vitamin/nutrient blend that has been thoroughly tested and proven to promote healing and restore energy and stamina.
The standard Myers Cocktail includes magnesium, calcium, selenium, zinc, vitamin B-5, vitamin B-6, vitamin B-12, vitamin B complex, and Vitamin C.
Other vitamins or nutrients may be added, depending on the patient’s diagnosis and overall health, as well as the condition being treated.
Have there been formal scientific studies of the Myers Cocktail?
Yes. Yale researchers recently tested the Myers Cocktail on a group of patients in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial.
The study measured tender points, depression levels, and quality of life in subjects who subsequently were administered the Myers Cocktail.
Significant improvement was shown in all pertinent outcome measures with the Myers’ group, with no improvement in the placebo group.
There are currently 274 ongoing clinical research trials on intravenous micronutrient therapy. About half of these are related to the treatment or prevention of cancer. The remaining studies cover a wide spectrum of medical and health conditions.
How many treatments does it take to feel better?
Patients vary in the number of treatments needed. Some experience improvement after just one treatment, while many report significant healing by the fourth infusion.
People with chronic conditions may need ongoing treatment, from several times per week to every few weeks, to regain their energy.
How long does a Myers infusion take?
A typical Myers drip takes about 15 minutes.
Is It Safe?
The Myers Cocktail is a safe, effective, minimally invasive therapy that is well tolerated by most people.
It carries an extremely low risk of serious adverse side effects. If the protocol is administered quickly, there may be a sensation of warmth and flushing. This is due to the rapid rise of magnesium. Some patients may also experience a “vitamin taste” in their mouth shortly after receiving the infusion.
Is any preparation needed before receiving a Myers Cocktail?
Before your treatment, it’s best to drink plenty of water and have some food in your stomach.
Is a Myers Cocktail right for me?
At Pacific Naturopathic, we provide comprehensive holistic medical care, including thorough evaluation of each patient’s symptoms, health, and special needs before proposing treatment.
During the evaluation, we can determine if IV therapy will help you achieve your health goals. After the consultation, we can schedule IV treatments in our office, starting the same day.
What conditions can be improved by the Myers Cocktail?
The following is a partial list of conditions that may be improved with Myers Cocktail treatment:
- Acute or chronic asthma
- Acute or chronic muscle spasms and cramps
- Acute viral illness and colds
- Allergies
- Anxiety and insomnia
- Cancer (adjunctive support for traditional medical treatment)
- Chronic depression
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, with or without Epstein-Barr virus
- Fibromyalgia
- General immune system boosting
- Intestinal malabsorption
- Migraine headaches (often improved within minutes)
- Narcotic withdrawal
- Respiratory problems
- Seasonal allergic rhinitis
- Sinusitis
- Tension headaches
- Vitamin B12/folic acid anemia
- Vitamin/mineral deficiency
The Myers Cocktail is especially useful in situations where oral nutrients or other therapies aren’t working. IV delivery allows nutrients to bypass the digestive system, allowing much higher levels of nutrition to reach the cells.
If you tend to be anxious or overstressed, the Myers Cocktail can help calm and relax you. If you tend to feel fatigued and run-down, it can help boost your energy. Many diseases and symptoms benefit from this therapy. It is like getting a supercharge of vitality!
For an excellent article on the Myers cocktail, please see:
http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/7/5/389.pdf
For testimonials, please visit our intravenous vitamin and nutrition therapy website. To schedule an appointment, or to discuss the Myers Cocktail and other therapies at Pacific Naturopathic, give us a call at (650) 917-1121, or send us a message using the Contact Form.
For more on Dr. Marcel’s work, follow this link.