Maybe you’re someone who doesn’t like taking vitamins but still wants their nutrients. Or, you’re someone who already takes vitamins, but still wants more.
That’s where intravenous (IV) infusions come in!
With an IV infusion, you’ll get everything from electrolytes to vitamin C delivered straight into your bloodstream so you feel better faster. IV infusions are a great way to get all your vitamins, minerals, and nutrients in one quick treatment. Plus, it only takes about 45 minutes! If this sounds like something that might help you, check out this replay!
Have you heard about IV infusions? How many of you have ever had one. Or maybe you always wanted to know more but aren’t sure if it’s worth it or what it’s all about. In this article, I’ll explain what all the hype is about and whether or not you should get them (Hint – you should).
How Does IV Infusions Work?
The acronym “IV” stands for intravenous therapy, “intra-” meaning within or inside, and “venous” relating to the veins. So, IV therapy is a method of administering fluids into the body via the blood vessels, and it’s one of the fastest ways to deliver medications or essential nutrients to your body. Hospitals use it all the time.
When I worked in the ER, most of my day was spent putting in IVs. Why? Because it gets the job done fast. It’s an efficient way to ensure that the patient doesn’t get dehydrated and get all the meds that they need. Also, the medication goes straight into the bloodstream and doesn’t have to get absorbed through the stomach.
IV therapy cuts digestion out of the equation. There is no breakdown of nutrients, and there is no wait time. Your body will absorb everything it needs, and anything it doesn’t will be expelled.
IV Therapy Allows Higher Doses
In addition to speed, IV therapy also allows for higher doses to be given that can’t be given orally. This is true for medications but also for supplements.
Vitamin C
Let’s talk about Vitamin C for a moment. When you take it orally, it gets broken down, and only some of it gets into the bloodstream. Another word for that is serum. No matter how much vitamin C you take orally, the serum concentration will not go higher than 9.3 mg/dl. If you take it through IV, it can get as high as 80 mg/dl.
Okay, so why is that a good thing?
Well, Vitamin C becomes antiviral at a level of 10-15. It becomes antiallergy at a level of around the 80s. It has also been used to treat some cancers, and studies have shown that it only works in megadoses and not in oral doses.
Magnesium
The same is true for magnesium. Orally, it causes little change in concentration. But IV administration can double or triple serum levels for a short time.
IV magnesium has been used for:
- asthma attacks
- migraines
- fatigue
- fibromyalgia
- depression
- seasonal allergies
It is also used for heart patients and has been shown to help prevent heart failure.
Higher doses are not true for every supplement, but it is, in many cases. And again, whatever the body doesn’t need, it will expel.
Before Taking IV Infusions
If you’re not feeling optimal or have certain issues, please please don’t diagnose yourself and just head over to the nearest IV lounge and start taking IVs. Please see your medical provider first. If you have any heart or kidney issues, you must be cleared first.
How to Use IV Infusions
For ER patients, time is of the essence. If you don’t get that infection down or the blood pressure down, things will go south real fast. But out here, in the non-ER world, IV therapy is what I like to call part of a complete breakfast.
It’s not going to help you if you smoke, eat McDonald’s, then show up for an IV drip. Well, maybe it will help you a little bit, but it won’t move the needle along too much. So many toxins are being put in – it would be hard to overcome them.
I like to use IV drips on my patients IN CONJUNCTION with a healthy lifestyle. The patient is eating clean, doing the work, and wants to take it to the next level. Because getting healthy isn’t just about removing foods or toxins, it is also about adding the good stuff in.
So we give our patients supplements. We give them oral supplements depending on what they have going on, but then we like to help jump-start things and add IV therapy on top of it. Making sure that the body can take what it needs as fast as it needs it.
How Often Should You Have IV Infusions?
This depends on the patient and on the type of IV. Some people need IVs for a few weeks or months and slowly lessen the frequency or come off of it totally. Remember nutrients are taken up by the cell from the IV. So as you start your IV treatments, hopefully, you are also working on your diet and movement.
Over time, some patients get progressively healthier and then we transition them to less frequent IVs and oral supplements. If they have a health decline, they may revisit the frequent IVs again.
However, some patients just don’t do well without it. They notice an immediate decline when too much time goes between. This can be due to genetics or sometimes people’s health is just so advanced that they need it for maintaining the health they have managed to achieve.
There are some IVs with specific timeframes like NAD and Plaquex that I’ll talk about in a moment.
What Goes Into an IV?
Every IV has a base fluid:
- Normal saline
- Sterile water
- Dextrose
Supplements are added to the base depending on the need. Some of the Magnesium, calcium, vitamin B, amino acids, and all kinds of deliciousness.
At The Knew Method, we also add glutathione to some of our IVS. Glutathione is magic. Our body creates it and pumps it into our mitochondria. It works at the cellular level to prevent inflammation and other cell damage that can make you sick. It is essential for the immune system to function properly. It decreases as we age and when we are sick. So we put it in the IV.
So a variation of these cocktails is used for most of our patients. But there are also some specialized IVs that have specific targets.
NAD
NAD+ is a vital coenzyme that functions mainly in the mitochondria of our cells. But it declines with age and illness. It supports healing and enhances brain performance. It is also used with addiction cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Some people use it as a single dose or when they are prepping for a race or event. To take it for withdrawals or addictions, there is a recommendation to use it daily for 10 days.
For other uses, there is no specific protocol; just a general recommendation to get it in when you can.
Plaquex
Plaquex is my favorite. It was discovered to remove fatty plaques arteries. Studies have shown that with pre and post-scan, the plaque deposits have drastically improved. For this, we recommend 2 per week for 10 weeks. But it has also been shown to help psoriasis, improve inflammation, rejuvenate the liver and the gut so I personally try to get it once a week.
Alpha-lipoic Acid
ALA is essential for cell metabolism through its effects on mitochondria (power sources of cells) and cellular energy production. Because ALA can pass easily into the brain, it may help protect the brain and nerve tissue. It has been studied for DM neuropathy. In that study, it was given daily for 3 weeks.
The Bottomline? IVs Work!
Here is the bottom line: IVs work. They work fast and they can give you higher doses. I recommend using them in conjunction with an overall health plan and as always if you find this confusing, you can reach out to our team for help.
