special subjects
Intravenous Vitamin Therapy (Myers' Cocktail)
What claims are made about intravenous vitamin therapy?
IV vitamin therapy is supposedly best used for people who cannot get enough vitamins and minerals because they cannot eat enough food or an illness prevents them from absorbing nutrients. However, in contrast, some advocates claim that IV vitamin therapy can enhance wellness even in people who do not have vitamin (or mineral) deficiencies. Clinics and companies offering the Myers' cocktail and other high-dose IV vitamin formulations claim that these infusions can do the following: Treat dehydration after extreme exercise or too much alcohol intake Boost the Overview of the Immune System (although what this means or how this could be done is not clear) Increase levels of energy and reduce fatigue Relieve stress, anxiety, and depression Eliminate toxins from the body Make skin healthier Treat hangovers and headaches Treat asthma, allergies, chronic sinusitis, high blood pressure, fibromyalgia, diabetes, heart disease, acute muscle spasms, and Parkinson disease Treat migraine and tension headaches Sellers of IV vitamin therapy also claim that infusions are better than dietary sources of the vitamins because The infusions can be given to people with various food sensitivities. Large amounts of vitamins and minerals are delivered directly into the bloodstream, so they have a more direct path into the cells and mitochondria, where they allegedly have beneficial effects. 