For some reason, most people are mild to moderately dehydrated and are deficient in vitamins and minerals. This is because they are not absorbing the nutrients from food or oral vitamins. IV Nutrition Therapy allows the nutrients to be delivered directly into the bloodstream for the body to use immediately.
Why Is There A Need For IV Nutrition Therapy?
Most of the time, bodies have been attacked by so many external environmental factors, causing oxidative stress and inflammation. This includes everything from food that lacks nutrients to over-scheduled calendars, which elevate pressure on many people. That said, the toxic burden hinders the body’s ability to absorb essential vitamins and minerals properly.
With the help of IV Nutrition, the nutrients bypass the digestive system and head to the bloodstream and organs when they are delivered to the body intravenously. This allows faster delivery, better absorption, and improved nutrient bioavailability than tablets, topical creams, or liquid formulas. Also, the drip helps boost the immune system, enhance athletic performance and improve recovery time or nursing a hangover.
How Does IV Nutrition Therapy Work?
The IV fluid drip involves a small tube called a catheter and a saline-based electrolyte solution that contains the selected nutrients and vitamins. The intravenous drip delivers these essential nutrients and fluids directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the digestive tract. The good news is there’s no wait time, and the nutrition is instantly available to remedy the body’s health and wellness needs.
Hence, the process looks like this:
- The medical practitioner places a small, thin plastic tube called a catheter directly into the vein. A numbing spray will be applied to help minimize any discomfort to place the catheter.
- Once the vein has been accessed, the needle will be removed.
- The catheter remains inside to deliver the IV nutrient infusion.
- Lastly, the catheter is attached to a bag that contains the selected drip.
Overall, an IV drip takes around 30 to 45 minutes for a complete therapy session. This includes completing a few forms before the infusion and a quick health assessment.
What Are The Benefits of IV Nutrition?
IV nutrition offers numerous benefits since it has become known in the medical field. Below are the benefits that it includes:
- Delivering nutrients quickly
- Preventing dehydration
- Decreasing pain and inflammation
- Strengthening immune system
- Promoting the overall good health
- Helping the body heal
- Increase daily energy levels
- Improve digestion
- Reduce cold and flu symptoms
What Settings Are IV Nutrition Therapy Used?
The people who are more likely to have a nutritional deficiency or experience dehydration than other populations are elderly patients. Deficiencies can come from many factors, including the natural decline in body functions, compromised immune function, and weakness, so older adults often benefit most from IV Nutritional Therapy.
Moreover, the types of settings where IV Nutritional Therapy is common to include:
- Short- and long-term rehabilitation centers
- Hospitals
- Long-term nursing centers
- Home hospice care
- Home palliative care
- Medical Spa
What Conditions Can IV Nutrition Therapy Address?
Taking care of nutrient deficiencies is critical when dealing with a health condition. The conditions that can benefit from IV nutrition therapy include the following:
Wounds & Surgery
When healing from a wound or recent surgery, the body needs certain nutrients that will help with:
- Collagen production
- Immune system support
- Wound tensile strength
Chronic Pain
Many people deal with chronic pain, especially as they get older. Specific vitamins and nutrients can be delivered through IV nutrition therapy to help with pain caused by:
- Migraines
- Fibromyalgia
- Neuropathy
- Spinal cord injury
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Aging
Dementia
People with dementia or memory loss often experience a decline in their ability to care for themselves. For people with dementia who want to make sure they stay hydrated and have optimal vitamins and minerals in their bodies, IV nutrition therapy can help.
What Happens During an IV Therapy Session?
Before the nutritional IV therapy session, the medical professional will run bloodwork (if necessary) to ensure the patient is a candidate for this type of treatment. In addition, a health history will also be evaluated and check the vital signs.
The patient will be asked to lie down comfortably during the therapy while receiving the IV infusion. The infusion should not hurt, and the patient can only feel the initial small prick of the needle with a slight weight in the arm as the ingredients begin to flow in. Depending on which infusion is selected, its delivery lasts from 30 minutes to two hours.
Who Can Benefit From IV Nutritional Therapy?
Vitamin drips are for most people, including those under chronic stress, not getting enough sleep or adequate nutrition, and feeling run-down, tired, and in pain. As a matter of fact, it’s a great way to treat any vitamins or minerals deficiencies and achieve a maximum level of nutrient and hydration status.
In addition, vitamin IV therapy is a great tool to treat acute cases, such as headaches, migraines, flu, colds, jet lag, morning sickness during pregnancy, seasonal allergies, hangovers, and fatigue. IV vitamin drip therapy could also improve mental health if the issues are related to deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals.
What Side Effects Does IV Nutritional Therapy Give?
In general, IV Nutritional therapy is relatively safe when qualified practitioners administer the procedure since they know how to deliberate the solution’s osmolarity and have completed the certification course. Like other treatments, it didn’t come without its risks, and the most common complications could include irritation, pain, inflammation, or bruising at the injection site.
Those with systemic complications such as an allergy to a substance or using a solution containing preservatives may receive complications on rare occasions. That said, some should not receive this treatment since they might not be able to tolerate the potent infusions of vitamins, which include:
- Those who are frequent smokers
- Pregnant women
- Those with renal or cardiac dysfunction
- Newly diagnosed cancer patients
- People with certain genetic factors
The Bottom Line
Also called parenteral nutrition, IV Nutritional Therapy comprises nutrients, electrolytes, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and fluids directly infused into the patients’ veins. Integra Care offers IV Nutrition therapy that bypasses the digestive system and goes directly into the bloodstream, absorbing nutrients. With IV therapy, you will have 100% absorption into your body, and it will give you days’ worth of nutrients in just one treatment.
