The First Questions People Often Ask About IV Vitamin Therapy
IV vitamin therapy is a treatment that has become quite common over the past few years. There are now IV treatment clinics, or IV bars as they are sometimes called, in most major cities. The first time or two you walk by one of these clinics, you might have some of the following questions:
What does IV vitamin therapy do?
In other words, why would someone purposefully seek out this medical treatment? In short, IV vitamin therapy infuses your blood with an electrolyte fluid that has been enhanced with various vitamins and minerals. This has a lot of benefits. It can correct various vitamin deficiencies, causing the symptoms of those deficiencies to disappear. It can help energize you, boost your immunity, help you heal from a cold or other illness, enhance sports performance, and even ease the symptoms of diseases like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Do you get to choose which vitamins are given?
You can if you wish. Most IV treatment centers have several pre-mixed cocktails and will recommend the one that's best for you. For example, they might have a cocktail they give people who want to enhance their immunity. That one tends to be high in vitamin C. They may have another one designed for athletes that is really high in B vitamins. If you have a certain nutrient you want to be added to the IV, they can generally do that for you. (And yes, they can add minerals and various amino acids, too—not just vitamins.) Do keep in mind that only water-soluble nutrients can typically be added to the IV, though. So, fatty acids like omega-3s are out of the question.
Does IV treatment work?
If you've never had an IV before, the idea of having a needle placed in your arm can be a little scary. But rest assured that this procedure is not too uncomfortable. You'll feel a prick when the needle first goes in, but that only lasts a few seconds. Then, you can lie back and relax while the vitamins are being infused. That takes less than an hour, and you shouldn't feel any pain while it occurs. You may feel a tiny pinch again when the needle is then removed.
With any luck, your most burning questions about IV vitamin therapy have now been answered. Talk to someone at an IV vitamin therapy treatment center if you have any more questions.