Benefits Of Iv Therapy & What is the purpose of it

IV Vitamin Therapy: Does It Work?

Intravenous nutrient therapies (IVNT), or vitamin IV therapies, are part of a popular health and wellness trend spreading across the United States. For instance, some celebrities are promoting vitamin IV therapy on social media.

From IV Drip Bars to IVNT health clinics, more and more alternative medicine practitioners are glorifying the use of vitamin IV therapy, so in this article, we’ll look deeper into this health and wellness trend. Then, we’ll compare vitamin IV therapy’s pros and cons, side effects, and cost. 

After that, you can decide if it is the right treatment for you.

Vitamin IV therapy, also referred to as intravenous micronutrient therapy, administers a high dose of minerals and vitamins directly into your bloodstream. While your body ordinarily absorbs nutrients slowly, vitamin IV therapy allows it to rapidly absorb nutrients at higher doses.

Vitamin IV therapy has been promoted as a treatment for several medical conditions over the past few decades. Some of the issues that proponents claim IV therapy will treat include:

  • Fatigue
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Depression and Anxiety
  • Migraines
  • Withdrawal 
  • Hangovers 
  • Dehydration
  • Cardiovascular disease 
  • Any many more 
The Myers’ cocktail is the most popular IV mixture of vitamins and minerals, named after the doctor who first administered the treatment in the 1970s: John Myers. The Myers’ cocktail includes:

  • 2 to 5 mL of magnesium 

  • 1 to 3 mL of calcium

  • 1 mL of vitamin B6

  • 1 mL of vitamin B12

  • 1 mL of vitamin B5

  • 1 mL of vitamin B complex

  • 4 to 20 mL of Vitamin C

What Are the Benefits of Vitamin IV Therapy?

One benefit of vitamin IV therapy is that your body can receive proper hydration from the fluids it contains. This dehydration is believed to largely explain why people feel better after receiving this treatment. 

 

Another benefit of Vitamin IV therapy is that it is an excellent way to supplement vitamins for people with digestive issues that otherwise prevent them from properly absorbing the nutrients in their food.

Alan Gaby, who began treating some of Myers’ patients after the latter passed away in 1984, published his own findings after prescribing IV vitamin therapy to an estimated 800–1,000 patients. In addition, he documented 16 years of clinical results, including using the Myers’ cocktail in various treatments of many disorders. He reported it to be a safe and effective treatment, and the anecdotal reports of his patients supported these claims.

For example, one of his patients was a small boy, age 5, who had chronic asthma. The boy came to him wheezing and having difficulty breathing. He administered a slow IV vitamin therapy, and the boy’s wheezing resolved in a couple of minutes. He also treated multiple patients with chronic fatigue. 

Gaby states in his clinical findings that he performed around 15,000 treatments. He reported that there were no severe adverse reactions, and the treatments were relatively well-tolerated by his patients. 

Unfortunately, not much more research has been published since his findings. However, IV vitamin therapy as a monotherapy or in cooperation with chemotherapy has been found to be beneficial for patients with cancer. While research has found no proof that it cures cancer, it may reduce fatigue and lift the spirits of those undergoing treatment.

 

Scroll to Top