As the body ages, cells and tissues can develop nutrient deficits that worsen with each passing year. Nutrient supplementation can help ensure the body receives needed levels of vitamins and minerals on an ongoing basis.
While IV nutritional therapy and oral supplementation both work towards the same ends, the two methods vary widely in overall efficacy.
Nutrient Therapy
Nutrition works as a biological process that transforms daily food intake amounts into the cells and tissues that make up the body. The various nutrients present in food provide needed materials for the ongoing repair, growth, and upkeep of the body.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, scientists have identified and classified various nutrients and compiled nutritional standards for promoting optimal health. IV nutritional therapy and oral supplementation exist as two different routes for supplementing a person’s daily dietary intake.
Oral supplements consist of essential minerals, vitamins and minerals contained in capsule, tablet and gelcap forms. Likewise, IV nutritional therapy uses the same types of materials, with quality and consistency standards far exceeding those used for oral supplements.
Absorption Processes
Regardless of the form or type of nutrients used, the route of ingestion most determines how well nutrients are absorbed. According to the National College of Natural Medicine, the body’s digestive tract blocks nutrient absorption rates due to the enzymes used in the digestion process.
These effects have a tremendous impact on the effectiveness of IV nutritional therapy versus oral supplementation. Rather than ingest nutrients orally, IV nutritional therapy delivers nutrient materials directly into the bloodstream making them readily available to the body’s cells and tissues. With oral supplementation, digestive enzymes not only reduce nutrient absorption, but also weaken the overall potency of available nutrient materials.
Regulatory Controls
Regulatory controls—as they pertain to manufacturing processes, product safety and effectiveness—vary considerably for nutrients used in IV nutritional therapy versus oral supplementation. IV nutritional therapy procedures are performed by physicians with access to quality nutrient supplements that come in measureable amounts.
With oral supplementation, regulatory controls only ensure for safety by requiring manufacturers to meet minimum quality standards. These provisions work to reduce the levels of contaminants in the final product. Otherwise, oral supplements vary widely in potency and overall product quality. Likewise, when it comes to effectiveness, oral supplements offer few to no guarantees, as manufacturers are not required to ensure product effectiveness.
Benefits Of Iv Nutritional Therapy
IV nutritional therapy delivers nutrients at full potency levels, making them fully accessible to the body’s cells and tissues. Compared to oral supplementation, IV nutritional therapy offers the most effective means for supporting the body’s nutritional needs.
Receiving IV nutritional therapy on a biweekly or monthly basis can work wonders for the body’s immune system functions, can increase energy levels, and can create an overall improvement in chronic health problems.
IV nutritional therapy has been used as an ancillary treatment for a range of chronic medical conditions, including:
- Fatigue syndrome
- Asthma
- Heart disease
- Migraines
- Anti-aging
- Hypertension
- Heart disease
Ultimately, IV nutritional therapy offers health enhancement benefits for most people, regardless of their health status.