IV Therapy

With increasing barriers preventing us from gaining access to pure foods, lifestyle challenges, genomic vulnerabilities and environmental toxicity we are constantly struggling to provide our bodies with the vital nutrients needed to maintain optimal health. Disease process is never binary and new research shows that in many cases there is a pre-disease state which can build up over many years before disease becomes detectable. Ensuring the body has optimal nutrients, vitamins and minerals to maintain and restore imbalances is crucial.

With over a decade of experience in functional medicine and anti-ageing medicine, Dr Harvey Rao launches his IV vitamin lounge. Patients can rest assured they will receive the purest form of natural vitamins in combinations backed by scientific research.

IV (intravenous) vitamin therapy is a new and novel approach to nutrition that allows vitamins and micronutrients to pass directly into the bloodstream along with a hydrating saline fluid. The benefits of this are that many of these nutrients have poor absorption rates, especially in someone with a weak or inflamed digestive tract. Additionally, it allows doctors to saturate the cells of the body with targeted nutrition that can help prevent, reverse and mitigate disease process.

Due to the often poor bioavailability of the nutrients in the gut, it’s challenging if not impossible to get these nutrients in the same concentrations that are available with IV vitamin therapy.

What Is IV Vitamin Therapy?

IV Vitamin Therapy, also known as IV Hydration therapy, is a delivery system for vitamins, minerals, and amino acids directly into the bloodstream. The goal is to deliver these nutrients with the highest efficiency possible. These micronutrients are delivered directly into the bloodstream with a specially infused IV saline drip fluid. The benefits of these treatments are highly variable and can be used to improve recovery times after a workout, reduce stress levels, improve energy levels, and help you recover from surgical procedures or illnesses. Additionally, there is a long list of health conditions that may benefit directly from specially formulated cocktails of IV vitamin therapies.

What Nutrients Are Given With IV Vitamin Therapy?

Water-soluble vitamins like the various B vitamins, and vitamin C, along with trace minerals like selenium, zinc, magnesium, and other compounds like alpha-lipoic acid, and glutathione can all be given intravenously.

The nutrients provided through IV vitamin therapy needs to be water soluble because fat-soluble nutrients like vitamin D, and vitamin E need to first enter the liver through the body’s lymph system in order to be conjugated into the proper water-soluble forms.

Providing the water-soluble nutrients in this way acts to eliminate the poor absorption rates often found in the gastrointestinal tract, and bypasses the first round of filtration by the liver (beneficial for reaching other tissues of the body faster).

Vitamin C is a popular vitamin given during IV vitamin therapy for its supportive effects on the immune system. Dietary vitamin C is hard to consume in high enough doses because it tends to cause gastrointestinal upset, with symptoms including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Using IV vitamin therapy techniques, vitamin C can easily reach therapeutic doses to possible provide preventative benefits from conditions like cancer, and viral or bacterial infections without causing any gastrointestinal upset in the process.

Vitamin B12 is another popular vitamin with IV vitamin therapies because of its ability to increase energy levels in a short amount of time. This nutrient is often included in IV vitamin infusions for its influence on the immune system, cognitive functioning, and energy levels. Many of the most famous vitamin therapy “cocktails” like Meyer’s Cocktail include vitamin B12 for this reason.

How Does IV Vitamin Therapy Work?

IV vitamin therapy is administered using a standard IV cannula and saline solution infused with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. The process takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours and is completely painless. The insertion of the cannula is the only part of the process with any discomfort, which is no more than a slight prick to the hand.

The patient then sits in one of our comfortable chairs in the IV lounge, where they can take a nap, complete some work, or read a book. The vitamin solution needs to slowly drip into the bloodstream over a set duration of time. This provides the perfect opportunity to relax, and enjoy yourself while your nutrients are replenished and optimised.

The effects of this therapy are fast acting, and are far more effective than consuming them through the diet. Although adequate nutrition is the best way to obtain nutrients in the long term, small boosts through IV vitamin therapy can optimise a workout, provide support in those with poor digestive health, and give the cells a boost of essential nutrition to recover faster from surgery or illness.

What Medical Conditions Can Benefit From IV Vitamin Therapy?

IV Vitamin Therapy is perfect for healthy individuals looking to optimise their energy, fitness, and overall wellbeing. Additionally, people affected by certain medical conditions, such as (but not limited to) those listed below, can find incredibly beneficial improvements to their lives and the condition they are facing. IV vitamin therapy provides unique nutritional benefits to people going through convalescence, and deficiencies.

Some of the conditions IV vitamin therapy can be used to support includes:

  • Arthritis
  • Cancer
  • Parasites
  • Cold/Flu
  • High levels of stress
  • Dehydration
  • High blood pressure
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Alzheimer’s disease

  • Asthma
  • Allergies
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Migraine headaches
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Recovery after surgery
  • Immune dysfunction

Is It Safe?

IV vitamin therapy is very safe. IVs were  invented almost 200 years ago, but have been used in the medical industry as a standard practice for over 60 years. In this time, we have perfected the technique, eliminating many of the common side effects of secondary infection, and air embolisms with improvements in the technology. In modern times, it’s impossible to count the amount of IV’s given each day. The practice is incredibly safe.

The water-soluble vitamins we use during IV vitamin therapy have all been proven for safety and efficacy. All procedures are supervised by trained medical staff including Dr Harvey Rao himself.

There have been numerous clinical trials investigating both the efficacy and safety of using vitamin IV injections suggesting a high tolerability of the vitamin doses given. As with all medical treatments, the first series of tests conducted are done specifically to assess its safety. IV Vitamin Therapy has passed this round of research with flying colours, and although ongoing research will continue to investigate this question, we know that the practice is safe, allowing us to focus on more specific applications of the therapy instead. There are ongoing research studies examining benefits of IV Vitamin Therapy to benefit patients suffering with fibromyalgia and cancer.

Why Should I be Interested In IV Vitamin Therapy?

IV therapy is an attractive therapeutic agent for numerous conditions, especially those suffering with a reduced efficiency of the digestive tract. Patients suffering with Inflammatory bowel disease, post cholecystectomy (removed gallbladder), pancreatectomy, and during convalescence from a chronic or debilitating disease are all situations where IV vitamin therapy can make a big difference.

Additionally, IV vitamin therapy is a useful technique for optimisation of the healthy body. This can involve speeding post-workout recovery times, preparing the body for high exertion activities, or boosting energy levels. Other popular uses involve quick hangover remedies, improved cognitive performance and focus, and better immunity during cold and flu season.

What Does It Cost?

The cost of the IV vitamin therapy can vary depending on the cocktail given and how many treatments are desired. Please contact us for more information.

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