July 14th, 2014
New day, new trendy health claim. It’s tough to keep up and even tougher to know which are worthy of your wallet. We break ‘em down & call in the experts for the truth behind the trend.
If you thought IVs were only for sick people cooped up in a hospital – then you’d mostly be right – until now.
Now there’s a little thing called IV Vitamin therapy (or Vitamin Infusions) available to all… (Well “all” who can shell out the average $100/ session.)
Administered by Naturopathic Doctors, high concentrations of vitamins are delivered intravenously - via saline or water solution – straight into the bloodstream. With this direct route (slightly different from the traditional ingest then digest pathway), cells have quick and easy access to the nutrients.
Why not simply eat a big salad for a nutrient hit? Well, due to poor digestion or absorption, someone might not be getting all the good stuff they need. Typically IV vitamin therapy has been used for people with acute illness (like the flu) or as part of a treatment plan for chronic conditions (like migraines, fatigue and more serious diseases).
But now there are spa-like facilities popping up with a whole menu of IV choices – anything from fighting the flu to reducing stress and even relieving a hang- over (which seems like something out of The Capital in the Hunger Games).
Naysayers contend that nutrients are designed to be digested and enter our blood stream slowly. Not to mention that they come in food form for a reason – vitamins working in concert together.
Our ancestral cave men and women didn’t lumber down to their local vitamin-IV drip bar for a nutrient top up so why would we need to now?
Let’s see if our expert panel has somethin’ to say about it:
Eric Mardsden (BSc, ND): Intravenous (IV) nutrient therapy is emerging as an essential treatment for some of the most challenging health conditions. Many natural therapeutics have shown great promise in diseases like cancer, diabetes, chronic fatigue, Lyme disease, Alzheimer’s, etc. Unfortunately, oral intake of these therapies often cannot achieve the levels in the body necessary for therapeutic success. By administering natural therapeutics through IV we can bypass absorption via the gut (often disturbed in patients with chronic illnesses) and attain those effective levels. Several clinical trials have validated this effect, and in my own practice I have seen how IV nutrition can greatly help some of the most ill patients.
Laura Imola (BSc, ND): Patients often have compromised digestive function, which hinders oral nutrient absorption. In addition, they may require nutrients at doses that are too high for the body to absorb at one time through the gut. Intravenous Therapy (IVT) provides high dose nutrients that are absorbed more effectively through the bloodstream. IVT helps a number of serious health concerns by improving healing capacity. This also makes IVT an effective therapy for healthy people seeking optimal wellness.
Intrigued? Check out your local naturopathic clinic if they have vitamin therapy on offer.
Niki Boileau from Vancouver, British Columbia
Niki is a lover of learning - she’d study every imaginable topic if she could, including Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts. As her patient boyfriend will attest, she’s obsessed with going just a bit further to see around every bend on the beach and peak of land in the mountains. Her friends will tell you she likes to hug trees, occasionally walks too fast, and makes really tasty porridge. She’s a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Yoga Instructor and all-around life and wellness enthusiast.
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