The use of peripheral intravenous nutrition has been growing in recent years. More out patient based IV therapies are being performed. This is possibly due to an increased aware-ness that both the public and practitioners see the importance of nutritional interventions in various disorders. The results are often an optimal return to health in a reduced timeline.
Intravenous therapy is the giving of liquid substances directly into a vein. It is useful for delivering vitamins, minerals, amino acids, Homeopathic and other medications that can be quickly and efficiently absorbed into the body. It can be benefi-cial for numerous purposes including:
Natural detoxification, General health maintenance using vitamins and minerals, Diabetic neuropathy, Arthritis, In-juries with muscle Pain and inflammation, Migraine headaches, Viral infections such as sinusitis and rhinitis, Immune system deficiencies, Heart problems, Hardening of the arteries. Treat-ments can also include EDTA, Chelation and Infusions of high doses of vitamin C for Cancer support and other medical problems.
How does IV therapy work?
First, absorption into the blood stream is complete and bioavailability of the substances is immediate. Second, there is no "first pass" effect in the liver, thus the procedure lessens the workload on the liver. Another thing to consider is that the absorptive capacity of the bowel may be less than normal. This happens in many bowel disorders and age can be a factor as a decrease in the natural production of hydrochloric acid and pancreatic enzymes can result in nutritional deficiencies result-ing in reduced cell metabolism.
Homeopathic and other natural remedies can also be used in IV therapy to treat many conditions. Homeopathic solu-tions often work as well as conventional medicines in the treat-ment of pain, viral infections, immune deficiencies, and other conditions but with the added benefit of little or no side effects. In any case, IV therapy will "jumpstart" your metabolism allow-ing most patients to feel good and see excellent results within a short time after treatment.
Unlike supplements that are ingested orally and fil-tered through the digestive system, IV Vitamins and Mineral therapies are beneficial for many people with food sensitivities and digestive disturbances. These valuable and necessary nu-trients are injected thereby bypassing the digestive system and restoring the patient to good health.
Chelation Therapy and Heavy Metal Detoxification Chelation therapy is a chemical process in which a synthetic amino acid solution along with vitamin C and other vitamins and minerals are used intravenously to remove toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and abnormally located metallic ions such as iron from the body. This is accomplished by ad-ministering an amino acid Ethylene-diamine-tetra acetic acid ( EDTA). A series of treatments are required within a certain timeline. Throughout the world thousands of treatments are administered very successfully by the holistic minded physi-cians. These treatments are used in heart problems, angina, hardening of the arteries, cancer support and various other disorders. DMPS another substance is used intravenously in mercury toxicity.
IV Vitamin C
Nobel Laureate Dr. Linus Pauling, PhD researched and published extensively on correcting the balance of vita-mins, minerals, amino acids and other similar substances in the body. His many publications included and highlighted the effectiveness of fighting cancer cells with intravenous infusions of Vitamin C in doses greater than 10,000 mg daily. Vitamin C has shown to have many benefits; orally it can assist the immune system and intravenously it has the ability to elevate immune response, kill pathogens etc. New research has con-firmed that IV vitamin C has an effect on cancer. A team of scientists from the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, published their findings on September 20, 2005 in a study us-ing human lymphoma cells. In this study the scientists found that IV vitamin C treatment was an effective method of fighting cancer. It was shown that using IV Vitamin C in high doses (25 gms-75gms) increased the production of hydrogen perox-ide (H2O2).This natural body biochemical is not harmful to healthy cells and tissues yet can kill cancer cells, bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites and other microbes.
Vitamins and Depression
The B-complex vitamins are essential to mental and emotional well-being. They cannot be stored in our bodies, so we depend entirely on our daily diet to supply them. B vitamins are destroyed by alcohol, refined sugars nicotine, and caffeine so it is no surprise that many people may be deficient in these. There are a variety of vitamin deficiencies that can lead to de-pression symptoms. Correcting deficiencies, when present, of-ten relieves depression. The first clinical effects of insufficient vitamin B complex are mood changes, insomnia, changes in appetite, sugar cravings and impaired drug metabolism. As a group, the B vitamins play an important role both in alleviating depression and in relieving the anxiety and restlessness which often accompanies it. Vitamin B1 is essential for nerve stimula-tion and for metabolism of carbohydrates to give brain energy as well as body energy. Deficiency symptoms include mood disorders, anxiety, insomnia, restlessness, night terrors etc. Vitamin B2 and its deficiency may lead to aggressive person-ality changes. Vitamin B3 deficiency has been associated with depression and anxiety; it helps in irritability and other men-tal disturbances. Vitamin B5 is active in the formation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which can be involved in some depression its deficiency can cause depression, fatigue and al-lergies. Vitamin B6 has a major importance in regulating your mood disorders and is the most implicated of all the vitamins in the cause and treatment of depression. Vitamin B12 and its deficiency cause depression The mental changes caused by deficiency of Vitamin B12 can be difficulty in concentrating or remembering, mental fatigue and low moods, to severe depres-sion, intense agitation etc A combination of vitamins and miner-als along with IV vitamin C is often helpful in cases of depres-sion and anxiety. Dr. Hugh Riordan, Kansas, studied the effects of intravenous vitamin C in cancer therapy for over 28 years. He finds that intravenous vitamin C will work and help practically all kinds of cancer regardless of the stage of the disease.
Contraindications or precautions
These include minor local pain at the infusion site,Rapid tumor death (necrosis) with resulting toxemia, Allergies or sensitivities to any Vitamins, Minerals etc.Calcium and magnesium supplements could also be taken if one is sensitive to the acidity effects of vitamin C. Care must also be taken by anyone adversely affected by the infusion of relatively large amounts of fluid such as might occur in people suffering from congestive heart . Here the infusion fluid can be reduced and given over a longer period of time.
Other Uses of IV Vitamins – The Myers’ Cocktail
The Myers Cocktail was so named after John Myers MD a Baltimore physician who treated many medical condi-tions with a cocktail of intravenous(IV) vitamins and minerals. To achieve therapeutic results in many chronic, seemingly incurable conditions, the vitamins and minerals must be giv-en intravenously. Myers’ Cocktail can help to alleviate acute asthma attacks, migraines, fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome), fibromyalgia, acute muscle spasms, anxiety, de-pression, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergic rhinitis, angina, hypertension and other cardiovascular disorders.
Dr. Rakhra is a Naturopathic Physician, serving Calgary
for more than twenty years and practicing Complementary Medicine since 1964. He is a
Member of Alberta Association of Naturopathic Doctors. Dr. Rakhra's clinic is located at 121 - 14 Street North West in Calgary, Alberta. You
can reach his office at 403-270-7033. Visit his website at: www.aynh.com.
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