What Is Nutritional IV Therapy and Which Type Do I Need?
Article by Danny Bruns, PA-C
Certified Functional Medicine Physician Assistant at KanodiaMD
Imagine that a part of your house has caved in and there's quite a bit of damage. Would you grab your hammer and nails and slowly get to work rebuilding it over time? You might … but it is probably more effective to hire a company that will come out with power tools to quickly repair it properly and get you back to normal life. IV nutrition therapy is “the power tools”— the powerful boost you need to heal faster and more completely. In general, we find that IV nutrients can help speed up healing by about 30%.
What are nutritional IVs and why do we use them?
IV Nutrient therapy delivers custom mixes of nutrients directly into the bloodstream instead of depending on our gut to maximize nutrient absorption from food. For those with any type of gastrointestinal issues, nutrient absorption from our food can be as low as 10-40%. This can limit our body from getting the adequate building blocks it needs for all our physiologic functions. If we deliver these key nutrients via IV, you are getting 100% of the ingredients. This can be hugely beneficial even for those without GI issues.
There are many IV infusion businesses whose products contain corn and soy-based fillers to help offer a cheaper product that is easier to come by. These filler ingredients can cause inflammation and counteract the benefits of the IV nutrients, sometimes causing more damage. At KanodiaMD, we use only the highest quality medical grade IV nutrients—a curated collection of infusions that meet our very high standards.
What IV nutrient options do we offer at KanodiaMD?
Jump Start
The “foundation” IV to jumpstart your system from years of nutritional deficiency. With a blend of B vitamins, amino acids, electrolytes, and minerals, it is like jumper cables for your body to kickstart all the processes that are not functioning optimally. It helps to maintain systems such as muscles, bones, immune support, and the circulatory system. It is recommended that you start your IV nutrition therapy with this infusion (1-2 times a week for 2-4 weeks).
Gut Booster
This is specifically geared toward repairing and maintaining a healthy gut wall and the overall intestinal environment with a comprehensive blend of B vitamins that perform a range of vital functions like helping your body convert food into energy, assisting with immune function, and cardiovascular support. It contains an optimal blend of amino acids. taurine, carnitine, glutamine, arginine, lysine, and proline.
Brain Power
The Brain Power IV works to help improve overall brain function, increase memory recall, alleviate brain fog, and improve certain aspects of learning. It's a combination of folic acid, B12, selenium, glutamine, taurine, arginine, vitamin C, and alpha-lipoic acid.
Stress & Anxiety
This offering gives you the raw materials to help make neurotransmitters for optimal function and to provide stress and anxiety support. Electrolytes, minerals, selenium, glutamine, and B vitamins are associated with preventing memory loss, improving concentration, and relaxing the brain.
Top Secret (Libido Enhancer)
By delivering the proper nutrients, this IV therapy reinvigorates your interest in sex and improves your ability to perform. The goal is to increase blood flow and produce a naturally stimulating change in libido. This is done with a mix of B vitamins and amino acids.
Liver Support
Working to improve overall liver function, enhance detoxification, and support the healing process, the Liver Support infusion consists of N-acetyl cysteine, glutathione, magnesium, and B complex.
What can I experience following an IV treatment?
- Everyone is different in how they respond to IV therapy. In addition to improvements in the targeted areas listed above—like the gut, brain, libido, stress, and liver—some benefits reported with all of them include more energy, an increased sense of well-being, mental clarity, and less stress.
- Some patients can also experience transient fatigue from their body going to work using their new nutrients. These key materials have been deficient or under-utilized for years. Picture trying to get an old motor to run again, and you can see how it might be a bumpy road at first. If you have any “detox” type of reactions, let our nursing staff know and we can adjust the type or amount of ingredients.
- Some patients may require 8-16 IV treatments before feeling improvement. Just know that during the time leading up to that, your body is replenishing the stores of vitamins and minerals that it needs to function optimally. Some patients may even benefit from multiple rounds of different IVs.
If you're interested in IV therapy or are struggling with other medical conditions, we’re happy to discuss your health needs and how we can help get you feeling better and living better. Just contact our office to set up an appointment.