IV Nutrient Therapy/Chelation
Vitamins and minerals provide the raw materials necessary for our cells to function properly. Usually, we consume these nutrients through our diet if we eat healthfully. However, sometimes even a balanced and healthy diet may not translate to proper nutrition within our cells. There can be many causes of this, which may include poor digestion, food sensitivities, chronic inflammation, poor immune function or infections. It is in these cases, where intravenous vitamin (IV) therapy may be beneficial for a patient.
What is Chelation Therapy and a heavy metal detox?
In IV therapy, various pharmacy grade vitamins, minerals, amino acids etc. are mixed into a solution, and injected directly into the veins. With today’s advances in medicine, many natural substances may be given intravenously with applications for a variety of disease conditions. The rapid and successful passage of the natural substances through the body using intravenous therapy gives it an advantage over the much slower process of ingesting supplements orally. There are numerous conditions that IV therapy and chelation therapy (injection of a solution into the bloodstream that binds with metals and passes through the kidneys for removal from the body) may improve. A naturopathic physician that is certified in IV therapeutics can tailor the IV protocol by varying the type and amounts of nutrients.
IV therapy may be beneficial for:
- Asthma*[1][2][3]
- Migraines[4][5]
- Chronic fatigue[6][7]
- Allergies[8]
[1] Skobeloff EM, Spivey WH, McNamara RM, Greenspon L. Intravenous magnesium sulfate for the treatment of acute asthma in the emergency department. JAMA 1989;262:1210- 1213
[2] Ciarallo L, Sauer AH, Shannon MW. Intravenous magnesium therapy for moderate to severe pediatric asthma: results of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. J Pediatr 1996;129:809-814
[3] Rowe BH, Bretzlaff JA, Bourdon C, et al. Intravenous magnesium sulfate treatment for acute asthma in the emergency department: a systematic review of the literature. Ann Emerg Med 2000;36:181-190. 20.
[4] Mauskop A, Altura BT, Cracco RQ, Altura BM. Intravenous magnesium sulphate relieves migraine attacks in patients with low serum ionized magnesium levels: a pilot study. Clin Sci 1995;89:633-636.
[5] Demirkaya S, Vural O, Dora B, Topcuoglu MA. Efficacy of intravenous magnesium sulfate in the treatment of acute migraine attacks. Headache 2001;41:171-177
[6] Clague JE, Edwards RH, Jackson MJ. Intravenous magnesium loading in chronic fatigue syndrome. Lancet 1992;340:124-125.
[7] Cox IM, Campbell MJ, Dowson D. Red blood cell magnesium and chronic fatigue syndrome. Lancet 1991;337:757-760.
[8] Intravenous vitamin C in the treatment of allergies: an interim subgroup analysis of a long-term observational study. Vollbracht C, Raithel M, Krick B, Kraft K, Hagel AF. J Int Med Res. 2018 Sep;46(9):3640-3655. doi: 10.1177/0300060518777044. Epub 2018 Jun 27.
IV’s may also be used periodically in healthy people to enhance overall well-being. There is another advantage of IV therapies; IV nutrients go directly into the bloodstream in an unaltered form. Patients may start feeling better within hours of administration because the body is being nourished with the proper natural substances.