What is IV Therapy ?

By August 13, 2019 Modern Therapy

Intravenous therapy (IV) is the administration of liquid medical substances directly into a vein using a syringe. IV therapy can be used to treat patients with various medical conditions as well as healthy people who just want to maintain their vitality and stay fit. If you usually experience hangovers, jet lag, flu, or other stress-related issues, IV therapy might be your lasting solution. 

IV therapy is also used to treat pain dehydration, especially after illness or strenuous activity. Through the use of IV fluid transfusion, patients will be rehydrated and regain their strength. This can be administered in two different ways which are manual regulation and electric pump. 

The fluid is a concentration of medication which may be made of water with electrolytes, sugar, or other elements, depending on your medical need. Some of the common types of IV therapy include intravenous blood transfusion for the replacement of lost blood and correcting bleeding disorder as well as intravenous nutrition treatments.

Intravenous Blood Transfusion

Intravenous (IV) blood transfusion is a common practice in the medical profession. Apart from the typical blood transfusion performed for people who lose blood during surgeries and through severe injuries, IV blood is also used in other treatments. 

For example, if you have a bleeding disorder, severe infection, liver or kidney disease, cancer or other health issues that prevent your body from adequately making or circulating blood, you may need this IV procedure. According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, almost 5 million Americans need a blood transfusion yearly. Intravenous blood therapy could be for the transfusion of red blood cell, platelets and clotting, or plasma.

Intravenous (IV) Nutrition Treatments

This is also known as total parenteral nutrition (TPN). It is a way of infusing fluids containing nutrients directly into the bloodstream through the veins. The use of intravenous nutrition allows the substance to bypass the digestive tract and liver, thus allowing your body to get more nutrients than it would typically absorb.

Proteins, carbohydrates, electrolytes, lipids, and other vital nutrients needed to maintain hydration and strength are infused into the body through IV nutrition. It is commonly used for people who cannot get enough of these required nutrients through normal food intake, either because they are just recovering from illness or have a particular condition. 

Apart from illness related needs of IV nutrition treatment, this simplified therapeutic process is also an ideal anti-aging option. Lack of adequate vitamins can make you look older than you are. To treat this, a mix of antioxidants and vitamins administered through intravenous therapy may be used by medical experts to give you a youthful appearance. 

Benefits of IV Therapy

Intravenous therapy has been described as a breakthrough in the medical practice due to its effectiveness in treating and improving different medical conditions. Although researchers are still working to substantiate exactly how the therapy works to solve many medical issues, the evidence is clear that the usage of IV therapy is effective in treating the following medical cases: 

Neurological Conditions

Not all neurological diseases require surgery. Some neurological conditions can be effectively treated using medication. Intravenous immunoglobulin is one of the infusion therapies that has been widely used by medical experts in the past few decades. 

So, if you have been diagnosed with any neurological conditions such as polymyositis, CIDP, dermatomyositis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, migraines, or multiple sclerosis, you might want to discuss the IV therapy with your doctor.

Low Immune System

You need a balanced immune system to make enough antibodies required to fight infection-causing germs. Body immune deficiency will expose your body to different attacks that will affect your health.

Some of the weak immune system common symptoms include regular headaches, rashes, joint aches, infections, cold hands, dry eyes, and more. Weak immune systems may also cause other rare diseases like thrombocytopenia, Kawasaki disease, and Lupus. These conditions are usually treated with IV therapy.

Chronic Fatigue

In the United States, almost 25% of adults have below-adequate vitamin C blood levels, and 6% of adults suffer vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin C deficiency has been a critical factor that causes chronic fatigue syndrome. IV vitamin C treatment has been used by doctors on patients with chronic fatigue and the results revealed that nearly all patients who used the therapy showed improvement after the procedure.

Dementia

Dementia is a deterioration of intellectual and mental cognitive abilities that affects people’s reasoning and behaviors. The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. According to a publication by the American Academy of Neurology, research where doctors used medicine intravenously made from pooled plasma antibodies to treat people with Alzheimer’s showed that the patients experience a significant improvement that suggests “different intravenous immunoglobulin product could be beneficial for Alzheimer’s.”

Depression & Anxiety Disorder

Up to 40 million American adults are affected by anxiety disorders, and the condition has been known to almost always lead to depression. Despite the availability of treatment for this most common mental illness, only 39.9% of those suffering from it receive treatment. 

This perhaps is due to the fact that about one-third of patients don’t experience any relief after using many of the common antidepressant drugs on the market. The good news, however, is that a new breakthrough has just been made in depression treatment known as Ketamine. Ketamine, also known as Ketalar is a newly FDA-approved anesthetic that is administered intravenously to treat patients with severe depression. 

Unlike conventional antidepressants, which take weeks to show results, Ketamine begins to improve patients conditions within hours of the therapy. This, experts believe, might be the most important breakthrough antidepressant in decades.

Does IV therapy Have Side Effects?

Just like almost all other orthodox medications, IV therapy has some side effects that may lead to different after-treatment complications. Some of its side effects include allergic reactions, fever, and there is also the possible risk of infection just like every treatment that involves the use of a syringe. 

However, these reactions are very rare and sometimes, depending on the body makeup of individual patients. Medical experts always ensure thoroughness and sterility when administering IV therapy to ensure patients get the proper care, free from complications. 

How Modern Therapy Can Help 

Your mental and physical fitness is vital to your general wellbeing. Good health is essential to living a fulfilled life both in your career and family life. At Modern Therapy we offer effective health services for general body treatments. Effective therapies and sexual health are some of our numerous services. Getting the best IV therapy is as simple as booking an appointment with us by filling out our free consultation form or call 1-888-663-1777.