by Jim Paoletti, BS Pharmacy, FAARM, FIACP
IV nutrient therapy is making its way into more and more integrative medicine, holistic medicine, and functional medicine practices. Practitioners are finding that many disorders and dysfunctions respond more significantly and/or quickly with IV nutrition versus oral supplementation, particularly in patients with malabsorption issues. Parenteral therapies, aka IV nutrient therapies, are a rising trend in integrative care due to their efficiency and effectiveness, in addition to being profitable and fairly easy to manage (on the business side).
IV nutrient therapy includes any parenteral therapy that enhances a patient’s health or well-being. This may include the administration of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other essential micro nutrient by intravenous infusion. In a broader sense, IV therapy may also embrace certain well-defined therapies such as chelation, stem cell, or detoxification therapies. IV nutrition therapy also incorporates new treatment protocols to enhance the repair and regeneration aspects of medicine. These therapies are designed to repair the damages that have incurred to biological processes in the body, which are cellular and system injuries, the foundation of regenerative medicine. The true potential of IV medicine is incorporation of these modern advanced therapies developed or redefined in the last few years.
Modern protocols for IV therapies include stress therapies, chelation therapies, detoxification, immune function, cell therapies, and even therapies for possible life extension. Scientific evidence has demonstrated that a variety of conditions can benefit for the use of IV nutrition.
Some of the most popular IV therapies include:
- Alpha Lipoic Acid IV is used for diabetes, diabetic neuropathy, liver disease and stroke and brain disorders.
- Glutathione IV for cataracts, glaucoma, alcoholism, asthma, cancers, heart disease, high cholesterol, AIDs, Chronic Fatigue, Alzheimer’s disease, Osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, COPD, allergies, IBS, Crohn’s and impaired liver function.
- Chelation IV therapy uses either calcium EDTA or disodium EDTA to remove heavy metals, improve blood flow, and remove chemicals that damage arteries. Chelation therapy has shown benefits for hypertension, heart disease, cognitive issues, poor circulation, autism, diabetic complications, and more.
- Rapid Mineral Replacement (RMR) IV protocol infuses high concentrations of minerals to quickly boost energy and alkalinize the body. It is used for stress-related disorders, exhaustion, or a general sense of depletion.
- Magnesium IV uses high dose magnesium in the treatment of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction. Other indications for it include asthma, COPD, neuropathic pain, hypertension, PVCs, fatigue, fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Coronary Artery Disease.
- High-dose Vitamin C IV has demonstrated anti-tumor effect in various cancers, an effect not seen with oral Vitamin C. It is also used for reducing the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.
Popular cocktails include:
- Meyer’s Cocktail is an IV vitamin and mineral therapy indicated for chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, muscle spasm, asthma, hives, Congestive Heart Failure, angina, infections, and Senile Dementia. It is also used to help prevent cold and flus or just give the system a boost in energy.
- Liver Detoxification – glutathione, alpha lipoic acid, hepar compositum and high dose vitamin C.
- Dr. Gallagher’s Cocktail – vitamin c, glutathione, glyoxal compositum and more to increase energy, repair enzyme systems, and promote optimal nervous system function.
- Heart Health – magnesium, trace minerals, cerecomp, vitamins and more to treat atherosclerosis, heart disease, hypertension, etc.
- Migraine IV utilizes high concentrations of magnesium, riboflavin and other ingredients to relieve acute episodes of migraine and decrease further episodes.
- Hangover Recovery Accelerator, which is popular with business professionals and millennials, replenishes with saline, B vitamins, vitamin C and glutathione.
Jim Paoletti, BS Pharmacy, FAARFM, FIACP, is a Clinical Consultant with over 30 years of experience creating and using bio-identical hormone therapies in both retail pharmacy and clinical practice.
Jim is a Diplomat in Functional Medicine in addition to being a former faculty member for the Fellowship of Functional Medicine. Jim is also author of the book “A Practitioner’s Guide to Physiologic Bioidentical Hormone Balance.”
At Power2Practice, he applies his wealth of knowledge and experience by hosting live webinars and creating useful content, such as blogs, podcasts and clinical support tools.
