24 Benefits of IV Therapy
The Ultimate List: Pt 2

In this post, we continue our exhaustive list of IV Therapy benefits with part 2 (see part 1 here).

9 Bone Density

Osteoporosis is a reduction in bone density. Under a microscope, your bones actually look kind of like a honeycomb. If you develop osteoporosis that honeycomb develops holes and this greatly weakens the bone, leading to an increased risk of fractures.

Almost 1 in 4 American adults over 50 have some loss of bone density and it usually gets progressively worse as you age. Women are twice as likely as men to develop osteoporosis. This condition is also what can cause many women to lose height as they age. This can happen in men as well, but it’s much less common.

Experts project that by 2025 osteoporosis will be responsible for 3 million fractures annually at a medical cost of $25 billion.

The best thing you can do to prevent osteoporosis is regular resistance exercise (weight training) but let’s face it – very few of us are about to take up bodybuilding.

We all know that calcium is important for our bone health. Supplementation with calcium gluconate, which is formulated to better deliver calcium to our body can be extremely effective at preventing bone loss. In addition, many of us don’t get enough calcium in our diet. IV therapy is a very effective method of making up for this shortage.

Osteoporosis is called a ‘silent disease’. We can’t feel our bones weakening and a broken bone is often the first sign of osteoporosis. By then, however, it’s too late to fully reverse this condition. Prevention is the best treatment.

10 Brain and Nervous System Health

It’s obvious that keeping your brain and nervous system healthy is vital to your quality of life. While most of us don’t need to worry about this too much in our younger years, as we approach and pass middle age it can become a major problem. From brain fog to dementia, from muscle weakness to a dangerous loss of balance and coordination, deterioration of your nervous system can have devastating results. Degeneration of your nervous system can eventually lead to Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s disease.

Micronutrients are essential in avoiding this deterioration. Our IV Therapy treatments contain many nutrients that can protect your brain and nervous system from degeneration.

B complex vitamins are especially important. Niacin (B3) is a key nutrient in the development and survival of nerve cells, which includes your brain cells. B5 (pantothenic acid) is a precursor in the synthesis of cholesterol, amino acids, phospholipids, and fatty acids, all of which are essential in the formation of nerve cells.

Your nerve cells are insulated by a fatty layer called the myelin sheath. Loss or deterioration of your myelin sheaths can lead to serious malfunctions of your nervous system. Think of it like the insulation on an electrical wire. Without the insulation, the wire can short-circuit, resulting in the signal going where it shouldn’t. B7 (biotin) is required for the maintenance of your myelin sheaths.

B12 (cobalamin) is also needed for protecting your myelin sheaths and has a number of other neurological benefits. These are kind of complex and describing them all here would simply be impractical, but you can read more here if you’re curious.

While B12 is included in the Myers’ Cocktail that forms the basis of several of our IV Therapies, it has so many benefits that we also offer B12 injections.

Calcium gluconate enables neurotransmitter release. This means that if you’re deficient you’ll experience a drop in the release of dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, and norepinephrine, all of which are essential in cognitive function.

Finally, proper function of your nervous system is dependent on the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Without acetylcholine, your muscles and brain cells would simply shut down. In short, you would die. Dexpanthanol is a vital precursor to acetylcholine, so a deficiency of dexpanthanol will lead to a shortage of acetylcholine.

11 Cancer Prevention

According to cancer.org, this year alone over 600,000 Americans will die from cancer, and almost 2 million new cases will be diagnosed. Despite dramatic improvements in cancer treatment, it remains the number two cause of death in our nation, second only to heart disease. And, even if you survive, the side-effects of treatment can have lifelong repercussions.

While the cause of many cancers is still unknown, some types of cancer, including colorectal and breast cancer (two of the most common) may be caused in part by inflammation. As already covered in the section on arthritis (see part 1), B6 supplementation via IV therapy can help reduce inflammation. Numerous studies have shown a correlation between healthy levels of B6 and a reduced incidence of cancer.

Cancer risks that can be reduced by B6 (pyroxidine) supplementation include breast cancer, colorectal cancer and some types of lung cancer.

12 Cholesterol and Atherosclerosis

We’re sure you know that high LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) levels are linked with an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Studies show that Niacin (B3) supplementation can lower LDL and raise HDL (the good cholesterol). In fact, doctors often prescribe B3 supplementation in conjunction with medication to help control cholesterol levels.

Some people also experience protection from atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) with additional B3.

13 Dementia

As already covered under the section on the brain and nervous system, the B complex vitamins are essential for the health of your brain and nervous system. Supplementation can help to prevent dementia and keep your brain sharp as you age.

But believe it or not, that old cold remedy, vitamin C, is also extremely important in protecting your mental faculties as we age.

According to this study (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3727637/) and many others, a large percentage of the population is deficient in vitamin C. In fact, in one recent study in the UK, it was found that among the general population of those 65 years old and over, more than 2 in every 3 were vitamin C deficient. In addition, due to its effectiveness in maintaining brain health, some experts advise that the minimum daily requirement is actually double what is currently recommended.

Oxidative stress is to blame for much of our mental deterioration as we age. Our brain cells don’t work as well, die sooner and our body has a harder time replacing them. Vitamin C is a very effective anti-oxidant, and therefore making sure we are not deficient is vital in avoiding cognitive decline as we age. IV therapy is the most effective way of delivering anti-oxidative micronutrients to your body.

14 Diabetes

Many of you reading this have Type 2 diabetes, or your doctor has told you that you are pre-diabetic. The incidence of diabetes in the US has risen astronomically in the past 60 years. In 1958 only 1% of Americans were diabetic. Today, according to the American Diabetes Association, that figure is over 10% with over 1 in 4 seniors afflicted with this disease.

The dramatic rise is due almost entirely to the addition of sugar to manufactured foods, which we Americans eat every day. Most of us aren’t consciously stuffing ourselves with sweets, but our food supply is saturated with it. While the best thing you can do to avoid this disease is to eat a diet almost entirely devoid of manufactured foods (this includes fast foods) we know that’s hard to do, and for some people, even impossible if you live in an area where natural, whole foods are hard to get or very expensive.

While it won’t completely protect you from this disease, IV therapy supplementation with magnesium sulfate can help. Magnesium is important in many processes within your body. Among them, it helps to control blood sugar levels and reduce insulin resistance. Studies have shown that regular magnesium supplementation reduces blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetics and prediabetics while increasing insulin sensitivity.

And because we care about your health, here’s a simple tip. Read the labels on the packaged foods you buy at the grocery store. If sugar is listed in the top 10 ingredients, leave it on the shelf.

15 Improved Energy

Lethargy, or a lack of energy, is an extremely common complaint. Even among adults reporting that they get 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night, almost half said they felt ‘tired or fatigued’ up to 3 times per week.

Of course, our busy schedules are largely to blame, as they leave little time for proper nutrition or a needed brief nap. Stress and poor diet are also factors. While we can’t buy you more time, we can help with some supplements that are known to reduce fatigue and increase energy levels.

The Ringer’s Lactate solution that forms the basis of many of our IV Therapy treatments includes essential electrolytes such as sodium, calcium, and chloride. Electrolytes are the stuff that athletic rehydration drinks include that make them more effective than plain water. Electrolyte depletion can definitely lead to fatigue.

As already covered, pyroxidine (B6) is essential for preventing anemia. Low hemoglobin levels will definitely cause fatigue as a result of poor oxygen delivery to your cells. Riboflavin (B2) is required for your body to break down fats for energy. No, B2 isn’t a magic weight-loss bullet, but if you have to go a while without food and your body runs out of glucose, requiring that your cells switch to burning fat for energy, a B2 deficiency can definitely cause an ‘energy crash’ at that point.

16 Eye Health

A 2016 study shows that for a large number of us, losing our vision is our number 1 fear. Unfortunately, as we age, this fear is hardly unfounded. Macular degeneration, which affects the nerves leading to your retina, is the number one cause of vision loss. And lest you think it’s only the old who are at risk, macular degeneration can start as early as 40. By the end of our lives, fully 25% of us will experience severe vision loss as a result of macular degeneration. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to greatly reduce this risk.

As already covered in our section on the brain and nervous system, there are several essential nutrients that protect our nerves from this type of degeneration. Of course, this includes our optic nerves. The B Complex vitamins, dexpanthanol, and calcium gluconate are all included in the Myers’ Cocktail that forms the basis of many of our IV Therapy treatments.

Next week we conclude this series with part 3. If you missed part 1, you can read it here.