Why America Seems to Be Sold on Vitamin Hydration Therapy
Feeling run down and tired? Would you consider visiting a retail clinic to receive an IV therapy through which a concoction of vitamins and minerals was slow dripped into your bloodstream? The therapy is known as vitamin hydration therapy, and it is one of the hottest things in health and wellness right now.
Everywhere you go it seems like a new vitamin hydration therapy clinic is opening. Even clinics that don’t specialize in the therapy itself, like Lone Star Pain Medicine in Weatherford, TX, have started adding it to their list of services.
Lone Star pain clinicians say the therapy is safe – when implemented according to industry best practices – and minimally invasive. They also say that patients appreciate vitamin hydration therapy for a number of different reasons.
An Immune System Boost
Although there is little scientific evidence to prove it, plenty of patients believe that vitamin hydration therapy offers an immune system boost without the use of any pharmaceutical products. Such thinking is not completely without merit.
We already know the body needs vitamins, minerals, etc. to maintain optimal health. That’s why we are told to eat a healthy diet rich in such things. Common sense dictates that getting them through an IV should be just as effective as getting through one’s diet. But common sense doesn’t always match hard science.
Better Overall Wellness
Patients also tend to believe that vitamin hydration therapy leads to better overall wellness. It is not uncommon for patients to expect the therapy to:
- lead to healthier skin
- improve joint and muscle health
- improve the normal benefits of exercise
- improve overall physical fitness.
If nothing else, vitamin hydration therapy guarantees more water gets into body tissue by bypassing the digestive system. Getting more water directly to body tissue is believed by some to help combat the natural effects of dehydration.
It’s Fast, Easy, and Simple
Beyond a belief that the therapy can boost immune function and contribute to better physical fitness, it’s also fast, easy, and simple. Therein lies what could potentially be the most attractive aspect of vitamin hydration therapy. Remember that we Americans like convenience. We like fast solutions.
It could be that patients see the therapy as a fast and effective way to better health. They show up at a clinic, sit for an hour-long IV drip, then get on with life. It’s like the drive-through version of medical intervention.
It is Easy on the Body
As far as medical interventions go, vitamin hydration therapy is pretty easy on the body. First and foremost, it’s minimally invasive. Inserting the IV requires just a small incision that can be bandaged and forgotten about after the fact. You are not talking about major surgery here.
In addition, an IV drip puts the vitamins and minerals directly into the bloodstream rather than the stomach. Bypassing the digestive system dictates that patients are less likely to feel major discomfort after the treatment. And in terms of side effects, the risks are minimal.
No Recommendation Required
One last thing to consider about vitamin hydration therapy is that no doctor’s recommendation is required. In most states, patients can walk into a local clinic without any appointment or referral. It is a lot like walking in to get your hair cut.
The science is still out on whether vitamin hydration therapy offers all the benefits proponents say it does. Yet there is plenty of anecdotal evidence from patients who swear by. If vitamin hydration therapy is something you are interested in, you might want to get your doctor’s opinion. Just remember that the decision is ultimately up to you.