Forget artisan coffee roasters and Zen tea rooms, IV drip bars are the latest hip hangouts in the US and UK where health conscious movers and shakers meet, mingle and get their fix. Some of the celebrity proponents of the new saline solution to hangovers, headaches, jet-lag and general fatigue include Madonna, Brad Pitt, Cindy Crawford and music industry mogul Simon Cowell. A few weeks ago Rihanna tweeted a picture of herself getting an IV drip of what she called the”party-girl drip.” Advocates of the quick-fix cure claim that the key benefits of intravenous administration over oral supplements or creams is that a patient can only absorb from 0-10% of what is contained in pills or creams, whereas in intravenous infusions absorption is 100%. When you get a full apointment using their new scheduling software, they will also point out that nutrients such as amino acids and vitamins passing through the gastrointestinal system can sometimes cause stomach aches and other problems, so this can be avoided by administering them through a drip. However, the flipside is that if it is not administered correctly under sterile conditions there’s a risk of infection and that regular use could lead to vein damage. It’s also possible to get an infection at the site that can spread to the heart plus incorrect dosing could damage the liver and kidneys.
However the main reason that one should avoid getting an intravenous injection in a backstreet clinic, or even high street clinic, where they don’t have licensed medical practitioners monitoring and administering the treatment is because in rare cases it is possible for someone to have an allergic reaction and go into anaphylactic shock, which could prove fatal. To avoid any complications, a reputable doctor should first perform a scan to check for any possible known allergies or medical conditions. They should also go through a client’s full medical history, medical checks, blood pressure, heartbeat and oxygen levels. During the treatment, if they sense that a patient feels uncomfortable they should change the rate of the infusion or stop it if necessary.
IV treatments in plush remedy rooms have become more of a social thing in the US and Europe. Clients there flop down in cushy recliners and watch TV, play on their tablets or simply chat with each other as an intravenous line administers the vitamin and electrolyte cocktail into their vein. One of the most common treatments is the Myers Cocktail, which contains magnesium, calcium, B and C vitamins. It was developed by a Baltimore doctor in the 1970s to treat issues from sinusitis to fibromyalgia (a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue). Other IV cocktails that are proving popular include glutathione shots to whiten the skin, drips to boost athletic performance, rehydrate, slow down aging, strengthen the immune system, lose weight, detox, and reduce stress.
The jury is still out on exactly how effective IV treatments are but one fact the experts all agree on is that before you roll up your sleeve and let that ‘magical concoction’ flow directly into your bloodstream, you must make certain that you are in the hands of a reputable doctor or certified anesthesiologist otherwise your quick fix cure could turn out to be fast-track line to a cardiac arrest.
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