IV nutritional therapy provides your body with hydration as well as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and amino acids. By going straight into the blood stream, it bypasses the stomach, which increases the availability of these nutrients for the body. This means that these nutrients can be more readily absorbed and utilized by cells of the body. Wouldn't drinking water be just as good? Drinking water is wonderful for your health! But sometimes we don't fully absorb the water we do drink. Sometimes certain conditions within the body decrease the ability of the cells to assimilate the water. By giving fluids intraveneously, the much-needed fluid is given directly to your bloodstream where the body can distribute it to the cells. I take vitamin C and B vitamins and even magnesium already. Isn't that enough? Oral supplementation on a regular basis is great! However, only a fraction of oral supplements are absorbed and able to be used by the body. Getting an IV bypasses the stomach and the gut and allows the body to have easy access to the much needed nutrients. Is getting an IV outside of the hospital safe? Yes, it is. We use aseptic technique in a clean environment and monitor you frequently for any unexpected side effects. Common "side effects" can be a temporary feeling of warmth or dizziness in the head, being able to 'taste' the B vitamins, the urine may have a different odor or be more yellow (due to riboflavin, a B vitamin). It is possible for there to be some mild bruising at the site of injection. There may also be an increased urine output as your body flushes out waste products. Furniture, blood pressure cuffs, and surfaces are cleaned with aseptic spray and cleaning cloths in between each client. How long will it take? Treatment time depends on the type of infusion you are receiving. An IV “push” is intended to be given over 1-5 minutes, so total time in the office can be as little as 15 minutes. Regular infusions range from 45 minutes to 90 minutes. How do I prepare for my visit? Can I drive myself home? It is best to prepare your body for IV nutritional therapy by drinking 16-24 oz of water before and after your treatment. Coconut water or beet juice before an infusion also helps prepare veins for IV infusions. Hydrating before your treatment will ensure easier IV access and hydrating after your treatment will assist in flushing out waste metabolites. Avoid drinking large amounts of soda, coffee, or tea prior to your treatment. Caffeine dehydrates you and makes it more difficult to start your IV. Make sure you have eaten a good meal within a few hours of arriving for your therapy or you can bring a small meal/snack with you to eat during the treatment. This will help keep your blood sugar stable during the treatment. If you are intermittent fasting, please let your IV provider know beforehand. Can I drive myself to and from the appointment? Yes, you can drive. There are no restrictions or limitations after the IV. You may find it beneficial to avoid heavy/strenuous exercise for 2 hours after treatment to allow your body to process the nutrients. Moderate intensity exercise is fine. What should I expect during my visit? Does it hurt? A brief medical history and exam will be completed prior to your first infusion. If you do not have record of basic labs (CBC and BMP) within the last year, then these may also be ordered. We use aseptic technique in a clean environment and monitor you frequently for any unexpected side effects. We use small gauge IV catheters, so the process is minimally invasive and well tolerated by most people. It is possible for there to be some mild bruising at the site of injection. Common "side effects" can be a temporary feeling of warmth/flushing or dizziness, being able to 'taste' the B vitamins, your urine may have a different odor and be more yellow. There may also be an increased urine output as your body flushes out waste products. If you are doing an IV “push,” there may be a feeling of warmth and flushing which is expected and normal. Some people may experience temporary nausea, but this can usually be avoided. If you are doing an NAD+ IV you may feel nauseous or have stomach cramping, but we can give you anti-nausea medication to offset this and it will dissipate quickly after the infusion. How will I feel after? What will I notice after I get an IV? Your response to IV nutrition will be individual and can even vary with each treatment depending on your recent activities, travel, sleep patterns, etc. Often people feel calm and relaxed during and after the infusion. This can be due to the body receiving the nutrients it needs to put itself in a parasympathetic state (rest, digest, and repair). The magnesium in the IVs is also very calming to the body. It is common to have better sleep and less muscle pain/fatigue. The nutrients continue to work overnight and clients often feel more energy and stamina the next day. Others, feel a noticeable improvement right away. If you are getting an NAD+ infusion, you may feel tired after the first few treatments, but this typically improves with each treatment The goal of our treatments is to improve mental clarity, mood, muscle performance, tissue repair, skin health, and support overall energy, detoxification, and immune function. If you are doing high dose vitamin C therapy, the goals of therapy are to support your body’s natural immune function. If you have chronic health issues, you may notice an improvement with the first infusion, or it may take up to three or four before you experience improvements. Each time you get an infusion you are allowing your body to use those nutrients to help the cells repair and function optimally, meaning that results can continue to build if you get infusions regularly. If you're coming in with a hangover, your results will be more noticeable! Hangovers respond to hydration and vitamins, so you'll be feeling 50-70% better by the time you leave, and 90-100% within the following hours. Even though the IV can be hydrating, we still recommend you drink 16 oz of water in the two hours following your IV. This will assist your body in flushing out any toxins. Again, results are highly individual and can vary each time. How quickly can I expect to see results? After the first one? After several weeks? Your response depends on your current health conditions and the specific treatment given. It may take three to four IV treatments before you start to notice significant changes or you may start feeling better right away, i.e., better mood, energy, sleep, etc. For many people, they notice the greatest effect the next day after the body has had time to assimilate and use the nutrients, feeling more stamina, mental clarity, resiliency, and recovery from exertion. This effect can last anywhere from two days to two weeks. Will I feel worse before I start to feel better? Your response to the IV is individual, but we do our best to customize the treatments so that your body responds well. In rare instances, people can experience a “detox reaction,” such as fatigue, fever, headache, body aches, diarrhea, but this would be a short-term response. With NAD+ infusions, there are some people that feel tired the day of and evening of treatment, but this response typically improves with each treatment. Is this something I do multiple times? It may take multiple treatments before you start to feel significant improvements, as we are replenishing depleted nutrient stores in the body. IV treatment programs are customized to you and can range from 1-2 times a week to once a month. Often treatments are recommended to be done frequently to start with (i.e. weekly) and then once nutrient stores have been replenished you can begin to space out treatments based on your body’s response. Some IV therapies, such as high dose vitamin C and NAD+ have specific protocols that are to be done multiple times a week. Of course, with regular infusions it is fine to just get a single treatment, but the benefits are greater with consistent treatments