IV therapy (IV Therapy = Intravenous Therapy), is a well-known and reliable practice and consists in the administration of substances (such as drugs, vitamins, minerals and other biological compounds) intravenously, typically via drip, in order to obtain a curative benefit or to support processes of general well-being of the individual (for example, anti-aging administrations are currently very popular).
It is a constantly evolving treatment to which, for many years now, specialists have relied both because there is incontrovertible evidence of the objective improvement of patients and for the ductility of clinical applications. Not surprisingly, it is estimated that the IV therapy infusion market will reach 10.99 billion dollars by 2026.
Here, we discuss on the integrative dietary uses and curative or reinforcement nutritional therapeutic intervention, while we postpone the vast chapter of real pharmaceutical declination to other treatments.
The first to begin using treatments based on the injection of vitamins and minerals was Dr. John Myers, in Baltimore in 1954, mainly on patients suffering from chronic fatigue, muscle spasms, fibromyalgia and other symptoms consistent with this picture.
The pioneering work of dr. Myers created a real model of intravenous therapy, actually called Myers’ cocktail, which consists of the administration of a combination of nutrients, such as magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C and calcium, in different dosages.
IV therapy is technically grafted into a branch of Regenerative Medicine, as the treatment, as a rule, consists in restoring, through medical therapy, the optimal level of nutrients that support the body’s natural self-healing processes.
This is the only form that allows specific biological substances to enter the bloodstream immediately and be used by cells really quickly and in greater quantities than other modes of administration. For these reasons, the dosages used may be higher, compared to the classic administration “by os” and with the non-negligible advantage of bypassing the gastro-intestinal tract, which with its filtering action hinders the absorption of the active ingredient and evidently reach the target organ more efficiently.
In numerical terms, roughly the human body absorbs only 10-15% of the active ingredients contained in supplements taken orally while intravenously absorption is very close to 100%.
The substances used vary, obviously, depending on the effect to be obtained or the deficiencies to be solved (it is also possible to pursue several objectives at the same time), can be, for example, administered B vitamins (methylcobalamin, hydroxocobalamin), high-dose vitamin C, alpha lipoic acid, folic acid, microelements (zinc, selenium, copper, chromium, magnesium, etc …), etc …
IV therapy for integrative purposes, often consisting of an injectable galenic processing, prescribed by the specialist, who will have previously investigated the patient’s condition appropriately. At the time of administration, the ampoules, usually mono-substance, are combined with each other within a solvent, as a saline solution or lactated ringer.
Depending on the type of mixture and the recommended volumes, there are three different routes of administration:
- DRIP
Generally in the “real” IV therapy we resort to the use of a drip, with a volume that runs around 300 – 500 ml and a maximum infusion time of 60-90 minutes; The latter obviously can vary depending on the type of substance to be administered and the patient’s response to treatment.
- PUSH or also called bolus administration
This type of intravenous administration is usually adopted for unstable substances (e.g. reduced glutathione) or even to administer large amounts of solution in a very short time. It differs from the others for:
- Volume of solution to be administered, which is around 20 ml
- The very short administration time ranging from 15 to 20 minutes
In this case, through the aforementioned procedure, a concentrated dose of drug is introduced, which goes directly into the systemic circulation; This makes it potentially dangerous for the patient, because it could cause direct irritation to the inner wall of blood vessels and the intervention could be difficult.
- INTRAMUSCULAR (SHOT)
Finally, we also mention intramuscular inoculation although it is outside of IV therapy, since it is very often associated with this to pursue integrative and therapeutic nutritional objectives. Its use is closely linked to specific substances (typically some vitamins) and is characterized by administration in a very short time.
IV therapy, in essence, as you will be well understood, is able to bring numerous benefits to the patient, among which we remember: detoxification of the body from toxins and catabolites, relief from stress, mood disorders and anxiety, significant support to the immune system, help accelerate healing and reduce pain, for example, after surgery, acute infections or even in sports where it improves physical recovery and muscular endurance, promotes hydration and integrates nutrients; in addition to the aforementioned anti-aging properties.
As with any type of therapy, any side or side effects should not be forgotten, among which, the most recurrent are: dizziness, dizziness, pain at the point of insertion, fainting, feeling cold and hot; These are mostly temporary and rapidly reversible symptoms, which often resolve simply by slowing down the speed of administration or waiting for the patient’s body to adapt naturally.
The potentially worrying adverse event, more frequent, related to intravenous therapy that could be encountered is phlebitis, or an inflammation of the walls of blood vessels and in particular of the veins. Phlebitis can have mechanical, chemical and bacterial genesis, and evidently depending on the cause, the extent, severity and type of treatment indicated also vary.
Infra intervenes indirectly in this area, supplying the infusion bag, especially to pharmaceutical industries, which can be single or double compartment and produced with PVC Free and LATEX free materials; More specifically, polypropylene is usually used and for this reason thermally welded.
We can supply the bag in different capacities, with one or more ports and with different connections according to the scope of application and the request that is made by the customer (below is a brief diagram where the main aspects of the two-way Infra standard single-compartment bag are indicated, which is the most used by our customers).
In conclusion, IV therapy, in the last two decades, has acquired, with full merit, a great popularity, and being constantly growing can be considered, rightly, a cutting-edge procedure. This, in fact, is preferred to other methods of administration thanks to the full possibility of personalization of the therapy, according to the needs and characteristics of the patient, to the possibility of obtaining an almost total absorption of nutrients, finally, but not least thanks to the almost immediate effectiveness of the therapy.