Intravenous, or IV, is administered by licensed specialists in a safe, comfortable, and spa-like setting. IV therapy is safe, effective, and provides your body with an excellent source of vitamin, nutrients and hydration. IV vitamin therapy is a great way to enhance your existing wellness routine, and is particularly good at boosting recovery from difficult workouts or activities like hiking, biking and running.
How Does IV Vitamin Therapy Work?
IV vitamin therapy circumvents your digestive tract and delivers hydration and nutrients directly into the bloodstream. If you’ve been to a hospital or emergency room, it’s not unusual to see patients who are being treated through an IV. A “vitamin drip” is a specific kind of IV therapy that efficiently delivers vitamins, minerals, medications, and hydration to the body via an intravenous drip.
It’s used to treat many conditions, but other options are available.
Conditions It May Treat
Besides symptoms of tiredness, hangovers, anxiety, and many others, IV vitamin therapy may be on the cusp of broader acceptance for treating other medical conditions.
- Someone with inflammatory bowel disease may see improvement in their health, especially if their IV vitamin therapy includes calcium, folic acid, iron, vitamin B12, zinc, and other vitamins.
- Symptoms of ulcerative colitis may also be relieved with IV vitamin therapy. Still, the U.S. National Institutes of Health cautions that “Currently, there are no complete cure possibilities, but combined pharmacological and nutritional therapy may induce remission of the disease.”
- People suffering from cystic fibrosis need more vitamins in their bodies, and IV vitamin therapy may be a way to achieve that goal. Much-needed vitamins include A, D, E, and K, among many others.
- Problems related to cardiovascular issues.
- Depression and other mental health worries.
Specific questions about the pros and cons of IV vitamin therapy should be directed to your healthcare provider or staff at the facility where you receive treatment.
What About Alternatives?
If you desire fast hydration or want to get vitamins and nutrients into your system following an intense physical workout, an injury or illness, or just want something to improve your mood, IV vitamin therapy may be an option. But there are others, too.
One of the best ways to get needed vitamins and nutrients into your system is following a well-balanced, healthy diet. A list of vitamins and their food sources is as follows:
- B-1: ham, soymilk, watermelon, acorn squash
- B-2: milk, yogurt, cheese, whole, and enriched grains, and cereals.
- B-3, B-5, B6, B-7, B-9, B-12: meat, poultry, fish, fortified and whole grains, mushrooms, potatoes, chicken, broccoli, avocados, legumes, whole grains, eggs, soybeans, asparagus, spinach, milk, cheese
- Vitamin C: citrus fruit, potatoes, broccoli
- Vitamin A: beef, liver, eggs, shrimp, fortified milk
- Vitamin D: Fortified milk and cereals, fatty fish
Who Administers IV Vitamin Therapy?
In all cases, IV vitamin therapy is administered by a licensed medical professional in a hospital, doctor’s office, outpatient center, or other accredited facility.
“IVs can be medically needed when the digestive system isn’t working well, to receive more fluids than you’re able to drink, to receive blood transfusions, to get medication that can’t be taken by mouth, and for a host of other treatments.”
As IV vitamin therapy has grown in popularity, locations across the country have been popping up. Still, it’s important to only seek out facilities that have been licensed and accredited by local or state governments – and have their licenses on display.
It’s essential to be aware that each state has its own licensing, but all are bound by Corporate Practice of Medicine laws. According to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, “The corporate practice of medicine laws require corporations created to employ physicians in an outpatient clinic to be incorporated under the state’s professional service corporate laws.
The laws also require all providers of medical services to be licensed. Often, the laws mandate that all stock in the corporation providing the services be held by a physician licensed in the state, and all members of the board of directors be physicians licensed by the state. Generally, one physician holds all the stock, but New York state law indicates all physicians employed by the professional service corporation may be shareholders.”
Many clinics offering IV vitamin therapy also provide ketamine infusion therapy to treat a wide range of symptoms related to mental illness and chronic pain.