How IV Vitamin Therapy Helps Improve Nutrient Uptake
Posted by: Regenerate Medical Concierge in Learn
Are you still sniffling over the last cold you had? Trying to achieve smoother, healthier skin? Maybe you want to find an easy cure for those Sunday-morning hangovers?
IV vitamin therapy can achieve all that and more.
Approximately 31% of the US population is at risk for at least one vitamin deficiency. With IV therapy and the assistance of a doctor, you can develop your own wellness regimen to ensure you’re getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs. Even A-list celebrities are relaxing in comfy seats to receive this wellness treatment.
What exactly is IV vitamin therapy, and how does it work?
Keep reading our guide to find out!
What Is IV Vitamin Therapy?
IV therapy allows licensed physicians to replenish a patient’s nutritional status. This treatment option allows vitamins and minerals to bypass the digestive system. As a result, your body can completely absorb the supplements you need to improve your overall health.
IV vitamins can help improve your current condition, allowing you to achieve optimal wellness.
How Does the Body Process Vitamins?
To receive the majority of daily vitamins and minerals, people chew food or swallow whole vitamins. Then, the substance travels down the esophagus and into the stomach. There, the stomach’s naturally acidic environment will begin to break the food or vitamins down.
Once they enter the small intestine the process of digesting and absorbing the vitamins and minerals begins.
During this process, enzymes such as bile break the food and supplements into smaller molecular pieces. One of these pieces are amino acids, the building blocks for proteins.
Your body will then absorb these amino acids along with the vitamins and minerals throughout the gut. Once they enter the bloodstream, they will pass through your blood to their final destination where they may used in a multitude of processes.
During this process, you might only absorb 20% of the vitamins you took originally.
Different factors impact your body’s ability to absorb nutrients, including:
- Age
- Metabolism
- Health status
- Genetics
- The supplement’s physical and chemical makeup
The complex, multi-step process of receiving vitamins and minerals from food can take a while. If you’re feeling tired and need vitamin B-12, it can take time before your body processes and uses the vitamin. IV vitamin therapy, on the other hand, speeds up the process.
How Does IV Therapy Work?
During the treatment, you’ll receive a liquid mix of vitamins and minerals. This cocktail will travel into your body through a small tube that’s inserted into a vein.
As a result, you can receive higher levels of the vitamins and minerals you need. The drip will pass the supplements straight into your blood. As a result, you’ll absorb the vitamins faster through IV therapy than by taking them orally.
Bypassing the gut and going straight into the blood via an IV delivers 100% of the vitamins and minerals mixed in the bag. This, in turn, leads to a greater uptake into the cells that can use these vitamins and minerals to maintain your health or fight viruses.
Who Benefits the Most?
IV nutrient therapy is used to remedy numerous health concerns. Some common nutrients that are used in a vitamin drip include:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Vitamin C
- B-complex
You can personalize your own IV therapy cocktail based on your specific needs. For example, some patients might have nutrient levels checked and combined with genetic testing to create custom-tailored IVs. Others may opt for pre-mixed IV bags such as a Myer’s cocktail if they suffer from chronic migraines.
IV nutrient therapy is also used for:
- Muscle spasms
- Pain
- Allergies
- Respiratory tract infections
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Asthma
- Sinus infections
- Fibromyalgia
- Boosting immunity
- Balancing hormones
- Removing the body of toxins
- Relieving stress
- Improving skin health
Athletes use IV vitamin therapy to quickly rehydrate after intense sporting events. Meanwhile, other people use treatments to improve their skin’s condition.
People who aren’t able to eat enough food or have an illness that impacts nutrient absorption benefit as well.
However, most people can receive the vitamins they need from eating right.
What Kind of Vitamins & Minerals Work Best?
Over 40% of American adults have a dietary intake below the average requirement for:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Calcium
- Magnesium
IV therapy can infuse numerous vitamins into your body. The best vitamins for this type of treatment, however, are vitamins that are natural to the human body.
Speak with your doctor to determine which vitamins you’re deficient in to determine an ideal cocktail for your needs.
What Are the Risks?
Every time an IV is inserted into your body, it creates a path into your bloodstream. As a result, the needle bypasses your body’s natural defense against bacteria: your skin. As a result, IV vitamin therapy could cause you to develop an infection.
However, the risk of infection is low.
Make sure to speak with a medical professional before requesting IV therapy. They can determine your needs before your first treatment.
It’s also possible to receive too much of one vitamin or mineral. For example, too much potassium could lead to a heart attack. Too much of any vitamin or mineral could stress your organs.
With this in mind, it’s important to speak with a doctor before your treatment. Bloodwork can reveal which vitamins and minerals you’re deficient in before you receive IV vitamin therapy. That way, you can develop a cocktail that benefits your overall health instead of risking it.
Considerations
Before scheduling your first IV therapy treatment, make sure to look for a reputable doctor or clinic. You’ll likely need to provide the clinic with a comprehensive medical history before your appointment. This way, the doctor can review the medications you’re taking, as well as health concerns you’ve encountered.
Make sure to list any prescriptions, over-the-the counter medications, dietary supplements, and teas you consume regularly.
Otherwise, make sure you manage your expectations. IV vitamin therapy can improve your body’s nutrient uptake, but it won’t fix all of your health concerns.
IV Vitamin Therapy: Improving Your Body’s Nutrient Uptake
Give your body the boost it needs with IV vitamin therapy! The right cocktail can ensure your body gets the nutrients it needs.
Eager for your first appointment? Contact us today to get started!