You can hardly drive through suburban America anymore without running across at least several IV hydration vitamin therapy clinics. Also known more simply as vitamin IV therapy, the therapy is among the hottest crazes in modern wellness. But does it work?
That is a loaded question. Why? Because the answer depends on your goals and perspective. It also depends on how you define ‘work’. If you are hoping that IV hydration therapy will cure heart disease or help you lose a hundred pounds, forget about it. It’s not going to work. But the therapy can still do a number of positive things for the body.
The Therapy in a Nutshell
To understand exactly what IV hydration therapy is, we turn to Lone Star Pain Medicine based in Weatherford, TX. Although the therapy is not known to directly alleviate pain, it can enhance other pain treatments by restoring nutritional balance.
Lone Star describes IV hydration vitamin therapy as a strategy to “improve overall wellness” among patients complaining of fibromyalgia pain, migraines, headache pain, and chronic fatigue syndrome. The therapy involves intravenous introduction of key vitamins and minerals known to support good health.
What It Can and Cannot Do
Getting back to the question of whether it works, the answer lies in understanding what it can and cannot do. If a person’s goals are aligned with what IV hydration vitamin therapy can actually accomplish, then it’s fair to say it works. Otherwise, it doesn’t.
Here is what the therapy can do:
- Rapidly Hydrate – The most plentiful ‘ingredient’ in a typical IV vitamin drip is saline. As such, being hooked up to a IV is one way to rapidly hydrate a body that has been depleted of water.
- Nutritional Absorption – We live in a world in which it is tough to maintain a nutritionally balanced diet. Supplements are one way to manage the problem, IV vitamin therapy is another. The therapy increases absorption of both vitamins and minerals by delivering them directly to the bloodstream. Does IV Hydration Therapy Work? – It Depends on Your Definition
- Improved Perception – Much of what goes into wellbeing is linked to individual perception. IV hydration vitamin therapy can improve a person’s perception of wellness, thereby leading to better feelings about one’s health. Call it the placebo effect, if you will.
Here is what the therapy cannot do:
- Cure Disease – At best, the therapy is vitamin and mineral supplementation at its maximum. But IV hydration vitamin therapy is not a cure for any disease. If any clinic is marketing it as such, that clinic is breaking the law.
- Heal Injury – Likewise, the therapy does nothing in terms of healing from injury. Undergoing the therapy is not going to heal a broken bone or close a gash that really needs stitches. The therapy only offers large doses of vitamins and minerals in a saline solution.
- Directly Reduce Pain – Although some pain management doctors recommend the therapy, it doesn’t reduce pain directly. It is utilized in concert with other pain treatments to improve nutritional balance, thereby helping the body respond better to pain signals.
You should also know that IV hydration vitamin therapy is not considered standard medicine. As such, do not expect your health insurance to cover treatments. If it’s a therapy you believe in and want to utilize, plan to pay for it out of pocket.
Does IV hydration vitamin therapy work? That depends on your perspective and definition. If your goals align with what we know the therapy can accomplish, you might discover that it works for you. Otherwise, you might decide that the therapy is a waste of both your time and money.
