How Does IV Therapy Work?

IV therapy stands for intravenous therapy. During this treatment nutrients are delivered to your cells directly through the bloodstream, thereby bypassing processing done by the liver and the rest of the digestive system.  This allows doctors to administer highly nourishing solutions to people who suffer from malabsorption issues, digestive problems or nausea from chemotherapy.

The theory is that IV therapy is better than taking vitamins orally because the cells are directly nourished in the bloodstream which leads to a better functioning of the patient in generally.  The body does not have to work as hard to absorb nutrients effectively. It can really assist people with ulcers or irritable bowel syndrome that are experiencing pain ingesting certain foods. It can also help diseased livers accept and metabolise B vitamins.

Intravenous therapy is also useful for the treatment of:

A gravity-fed  IV bag

• Acute infection
• acute muscle soreness
• asthma
• Cardiovascular issues
• chest pain
• cold and flu symptoms
• congestive heart failure
• chronic candida
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• cramps
• fibromyalgia
• fatigue
• hangovers
• heart disease
• heart palpitations
• hepatitis
• HIV
• hives
• hyperthyroidism
• infection
• irritable bowel syndrome
• macular degeneration
• migraines
• muscle pain
• Parkinson’s Disease
• PMS
• Post surgery (including plastic surgery) support
• respiratory problems
• seasonal allergies 
• ulcers

…and many more conditions that are too numerous to name.

A naturopathic doctor knows which vitamin therapy “cocktails” best suit certain conditions. A famous vitamin cockail is called the Myers cocktail and it is used to help athletes recover quickly after a game. It’s named after Baltimore physician John Myers who invented and it contains magnesium, calcium, B vitamins and vitamin C.  Many run down executives and celebrities are also embracing the solution called “the vitamin drip” to help them recover many different kinds of malaise. Vitamin drip IV cocktails are also used as an anti-aging mechanism.

What to Expect

Each case is individual and it is the naturopath who devises your own nourishing cocktail. IV therapy can be administered two ways: 

1.    Through a gravity drip where the bag of solution is hung above you. This method takes between a half an hour to two hours to be administered.

2.    Through a “push” where the naturopath administers the vitamins manually at a predetermined paced rate. This method usually only takes about twenty minutes but it is not suitable for all vitamin therapy cocktails and it takes more attention and vigilance on the part of the naturopathic doctor

Depending on your condition it can take five to 12 visits to maintain your condition. If you are being treated for cancer support or HIV support then you might need more sessions over a longer period of time. If you are seriously ill then it is recommended that you start with a series of twelve visits.

This is a very safe therapy and the risks mostly have to do with needle use and include infection, clotting, fluid leakage and bruising. Reactions to the therapy have been known to occur in individuals with kidney and liver diseases, diabetes, hypoglycaemia and hypertension.

For more information or to book a consultation about intravenous or any health issue you may be experiencing, visit the Pinewood Natural Health Centre website that has a list of full services and products at www.pinewood.ca or call our Toronto Office at  (416)-656- 8100.  We also have an office in Pickering, Ontario at (905)-427-0057. You can also email us at info@pinewoodhealth.ca and we would be happy to answer any question that you have about our holistic health services.