Do you need IV Therapy?
Do you need IV Therapy?
Have you heard of IV therapy?
IV therapy is getting intravenous fluids outside a medical or hospital setting for therapeutic use and not for medical "need."
I heard about it for many years but hadn't thought much about it. But recently, it seems like I am seeing it advertised a lot more, and I thought I would look into the alleged benefits.
Anyone who's ever been to the hospital, emergency department, or urgent care (or even seen this sort of thing on television) knows that an IV is a common way for the medical staff to deliver medications and assist with overall hydration.
IV therapy is available outside of this setting for apparently healthy people at medical spas, wellness centers, and even in your own home (not self-administered, but someone coming to your home to administer it).
One of the things that IV therapy claims are that it is a therapeutic way to deliver fluids directly into your bloodstream and bypass the digestive system. Allegedly this is to help vitamins, and other nutrients such as electrolytes (sodium and potassium, for example) be absorbed more quickly into your system and hydrate you quicker than eating and drinking alone.
Several types of IV therapies are available, including one targeted at those who have overconsumed alcohol and want to recover faster (hangover therapy), immune therapy, metabolism-boosting, "beauty" therapy, and anti-aging therapy.
Some places that offer IV therapy claim that we can only access half the nutrients from food if we consume it by mouth. This is not true.
What is so interesting about some of the claims is that we can quickly absorb water via the stomach. It is one of the few things absorbed directly into the stomach in our digestive system. (Alcohol and certain medications are also directly absorbed in the stomach.)
One of the claims of some IV therapies is that we're chronically dehydrated because we don't have time to hydrate adequately.
What I find ironic is that many of these IV therapies take 45 to 60 minutes to administer. This time does not include the time it takes to schedule an appointment (which may not be much) or get to the locations (unless you are getting a home visit).
And the cost for one of these therapies is $100 - $200.
I don't know about you, but I have plenty of time to drink water throughout the day. I am not so busy that I don't have time to drink water. However, just because I have the time to drink enough water doesn't mean I drink enough. I am busy enough that I don't have time to spend more than an hour driving somewhere, sit for some IV therapy to get an infusion of select vitamins and minerals directly into my bloodstream for faster hydration, to "boost my immune system," or speed up my metabolism. Especially considering that vitamins and minerals don’t speed up our metabolism.
I don't doubt that plenty of us are likely dehydrated. Still, I don't see that one has to get IV therapy (especially with the time and cost involved) for something that we could quickly get from an electrolyte beverage, tablet, or just drinking water and eating food. Seriously.
I know some people will be offended by me saying that IV therapy is wholly unnecessary, but really, it is unnecessary.
If one finds that they've had too much to drink, they can quickly drink some Gatorade. If they want to avoid the sugar in Gatorade, fine, but that is one of the things that will help the hangover symptoms. In addition, it will help with some of the muscle aches and pains from overconsumption. But if they still don't want the glucose, they can find plenty of electrolyte tablets or other ways to replace electrolytes and not have to spend over $100 on it and an hour to administer it.
I am sure that people feel IV therapy is beneficial and swear that they feel better. When someone gets an infusion of a liter of fluid, vitamins, and minerals within an hour, most people will feel better. But I guarantee you can do this on your own at home without spending this much time and money on this "therapy."
The only people who genuinely benefit from these therapies are the people who are selling and administering them to you.
If you want an immune boost, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and protein foods.
If you want more B vitamins, eat plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean protein foods.
If you want to speed up your metabolism spend those hours skipping the IV therapy and exercise.
If you want to recover from a hangover? Have a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink such as Gatorade or something similar before you go to bed and as soon as you get up. Or, don’t have a hangover in the first place.
In the medical setting, there are four different ups of IV infusions:
Normal Saline – NaCl 0.9%
Half Normal Saline – NaCl 0.45%
Dextrose – D5W, which is 5% dextrose in water solution
Lactated Ringers – water and electrolytes
These are all for various medical purposes and the healthcare provider decides which is best.
Suppose you have the time, resources, and inclination to do IV therapy. In that case, there is likely no harm if you are going with a reputable company that has a qualified person administering the needle into your vein AND isn't putting in a solution that may cause harm. Do you really know what is in there?
As I've said, save your money and time and eat well, hydrate well, and don't waste valuable resources by getting IV therapy.
Note: IV Therapy is not the same as the product Liquid IV. Liquid IV is a product like Gatorade and Powerade that has electrolytes to help with hydration. But there is also nothing wrong with plain water.
