Should I Get an IV?
By design, the human body was made to take in food and digest and absorb nutrients in the GI tract. In a perfect world, food would be the only medicine that anyone would need. Unfortunately, we live in a world where fruits and vegetables do not have the nutritional value that they had in the early 1900s (when nutrient and diet guidelines where established) and much of the food that we have available to eat (even organic food) has lost the nutritional density that it had a hundred years ago.
The poor nutrient content of our food is not the only reason that we benefit from IV nutrients. Digestive complaints are common in these times. The nutrients that we ingest are not getting 100% absorbed. Genetic variations can make it difficult for some of us to utilize the forms of vitamins that we get from our food and we may get greater benefit from getting the correct forms intravenously. IVs are a powerful tool to help with specific nutrient deficiencies such as iron or more comprehensive nutrient deficiencies like those seen in acute and chronic illnesses.
Chronic illness can decrease our body’s ability to absorb nutrients from our food. IV therapy can be a safe and effective way to bypass the GI tract which may not adequately absorb nutrients from food. To recover from certain illnesses our body needs more nutrients than what we can take in orally. In these cases, IVs can be more effective and sometimes, just plain easier. A good example of this is Vitamin C, a nutrient that boosts the immune system to fight infections and is usually taken orally in small amounts. Vitamin C can be administered in a much larger dose with an IV.
The world we live in is filled with stress both good and bad. Keeping up with email, taking children to and from activities, cross fit classes and international travel mean more meals on the go. Quick and highly processed “comfort foods” tend to lack adequate nutrition and the body requires more nutrients when under stress. Nutrient IVs can support us during these busy times and help us manage to get the vitamins and minerals that our body needs to heal, grow and thrive. IV therapy lets you deliver highly purified nutrients directly to where they will do the most good—your cells. This is a feat that not even food or supplements can manage!
