The IV or intravenous delivery of nutrients to a patient is called IV Nutrition Therapy. It is a customized mixture of vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients using an IV line inserted directly into the vein. By receiving vital nutrients, the body can initiate improved immune function, correct deficiencies, and maintain proper metabolic processes for balance.
How Does IV Nutrition Therapy Work?
Infusion therapy directly delivers nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidant compounds to the bloodstream. The exact infusion “cocktail” will depend on the results of the pre-treatment testing and what is desired to achieve. As a matter of fact, some therapies can, among other things, help increase energy levels, enhance sports performance, or boost the immune system.
During the treatment session, a medical professional will insert an IV catheter into one of the veins. This will deliver the specified mixture of supplements directly to the bloodstream. Direct delivery only means that the nutrients are fully bioavailable to the patient, marking an improvement over the approximately 20 percent bioavailability of nutrients obtained through oral supplements.
How Long Does It Take To Work?
Incorporating health and wellness vitamins into the daily routine can feel empowering while giving the body and mind what they need to perform their best. While vitamins are expected to have an immediate effect, that’s not always how the bodies respond to new medicines and supplements. Depending on various factors, the vitamins will work differently, including:
Deficiencies
If the body cries out for a particular vitamin, it will absorb it faster. Although treating the body with a lacking vitamin is helpful, it doesn’t mean the vitamin will take effect immediately.
When the body is deficient, it’s in great need of a particular vitamin.
If the body is given the vitamins it’s deficient, it will gladly absorb them, but it isn’t effective immediately. It will take time to replenish the system to healthier levels. For the body to benefit from a particular vitamin, it needs to have enough of it to run through its digestive system and bloodstream.
Lifestyle
Aside from vitamin and mineral levels, lifestyle and other ways the body has been treated can impact the supplements’ effectiveness. The lifestyle habits like drinking alcohol and caffeine or smoking can cause malabsorption and require a higher intake to reach sufficient levels. On the other hand, activities like exercise, water consumption, and time spent outdoors can help with the absorption of vitamin supplements so they can take effect sooner.
Medical Conditions
Although everybody’s taking the same vitamins, not everyone’s body operates similarly. Vitamins are constant, and the bodies can be the dependent variables that change how long it takes for vitamins to work. That said, certain health issues can also impact the absorption of nutrients.
For instance, gut diseases like coeliac or inflammatory bowel disease cannot absorb certain vitamins. Also, a medical condition can increase the body’s requirements. For example, obesity increases the inflammatory response of the nervous system, which increases the need for anti-inflammatory nutrients such as long-chain omega-3s.
What Are The Benefits Of IV Nutrition?
IV Nutrition therapy is a safe, effective, and customized method that enhances the body’s healing and regeneration process. In fact, it can provide some other surprising benefits. Below are its fantastic benefits, which include:
Promotes Weight Loss
Weight loss is one of the first incredible benefits of IV nutrition therapy. This is because of lipotropics, which is one of the critical supplements in IV nutrition therapy that promotes weight loss. That said, lipotropics might help the body break down fat naturally and help those calories burn faster.
Additionally, these compounds bring the breakdown of fat in the body during metabolism. Without lipotropics, fats can be trapped in the liver, which will cause severe problems and inhibit fat metabolism. Hence, lipotropics are fundamental to maintaining a healthy liver and burning fat for energy, with a good diet and frequent exercise.
It helps Treat Nutrient Deficiencies.
Since intravenous is the quickest way to administer nutrients into the body, it can help treat nutrient deficiencies that, include electrolyte and vitamin deficiencies due to excessive alcohol consumption.
In fact, individuals with severe alcohol consumption may have a low amount of essential electrolytes and vitamins. With the help of IV fluids, the treatment provides electrolytes to dehydrate the body when experiencing thirst, fatigue, and nausea.
Cleanses Toxins and Free Radicals
IV therapy purifies the body by eliminating heavy metals that might harm the cells. These heavy metals are lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and arsenic, which exist everywhere, and can also be found in water, food, and the environment. That said, exposure to heavy metals is inescapable.
With the help of IV Vitamin C therapy, it can help eliminate toxic metals, prevent cell damage, and improve aging effects. This is because Vitamin C can act as an antioxidant that protects the body from free radicals by neutralizing them before damaging cells. Additionally, antioxidants reduce or eliminate the harmful effects of free radicals, such as oxidative stress.
Promotes Cardiovascular Health
IV therapy can play a role in improving cardiovascular health by providing magnesium. As a matter of fact, low magnesium levels in the blood are connected to a higher risk of heart disease (arrhythmia) and mortality in congestive heart failure patients. Magnesium supplements may reduce the development of ventricular arrhythmias in heart failure patients.
In fact, magnesium sulfate stabilizes the condition of patients with compensated heart failure due to ischemic heart disease. This only means that IV magnesium therapy may be beneficial in treating heart failure.
Eases Anxiety and Promotes Relaxation
Another benefit of IV therapy is easing anxiety and promoting relaxation. Aside from the cardiovascular health benefit, IV therapy can be beneficial to those experiencing stress through supplementing magnesium. On the other hand, magnesium deficiency has been linked to subjective anxiety.
Magnesium supplements might help alleviate anxiety symptoms. According to a study, increasing magnesium appears to have a beneficial impact on mild anxiety. However, it should be combined with a healthy lifestyle, a good diet, and regular exercise to ensure real life-changing experiences and well-being.
How Often Are IV Therapy Treatments Scheduled?
How often a person can undergo IV therapy will vary from person to person. They may need to schedule weekly infusion sessions when they first begin treatment. If having a chronic health condition affecting the immune system, they may decide to maintain this schedule.
Nonetheless, most people will benefit from treatments spaced about two weeks apart once their nutrient levels stabilize. This is because the nutrient levels remain elevated for two to three weeks after each treatment. Some patients schedule infusion therapy sessions monthly once they have achieved their desired results, and others only seek treatment when they experience symptoms.
Because the treatment plan will be customized for an individual, it isn’t easy to put a schedule for sessions. Talking to the provider about what is best to achieve and maintain the results is best.
The Bottom Line
Nutrients help the body function, perform, and recover most efficiently. Integra Care offers IV Nutritional Therapy, also called parenteral nutrition, in which nutrients are directly infused into the patient’s veins, giving days’ worth of nutrients in under an hour. They offer different IV nutrition therapies, including the Myer’s Cocktail, immune enhancement IV therapy, Hydration infusions, and many more.
