AZ Integrated Medicine, LLC - WorkingPoint

AZ Integrated Medicine, LLC - WorkingPoint

The Benefits of Nutrient IV Therapies

The Benefits of Nutrient IV therapies – Dr. Heather Wojslaw, NMD

Dr. Heather Wojslaw, NMD has extensive training in IV therapeutics, Environmental Chelation therapies with IVs, and was involved in several clinical rotations administering IVs of various kinds and also adjuvant to cancer patients.

                                                 Benefits of IV therapies:

                IV therapies are a great way of getting essential nutrients into the body for best absorption and maximum utilization.  These important nutrients such as vitamins, amino acids, minerals and other recommended nutrients get administered directly into the bloodstream with intravenous solutions; therefore, bypassing the GI/digestive system.  This form of administering nutrients allows for maximum absorption by the body into cells more so than with oral supplementation.

                Some IV therapies can be used for acute or chronic conditions and allow for healing almost immediately!  The duration of illness is therefore lessened and if used as a treatment at the initial stages of acute illness, such as colds and flu, people will have less severe complications and symptoms from the illness!  Healing thus occurs at the cellular level and helps the body to return to a healthy state.

                Why would I do IV therapy when I already take supplements and vitamins?

The benefits of IV therapy is that the nutrients are readily absorbed by the body’s cells and absorption is not a key factor to consider while with oral supplements and vitamins absorption is a huge obstacle.  Most people will not get maximum absorption of oral supplements and when there are health concerns and GI/digestive issues to consider the rate of absorption greatly decreases.  Things such as age, stress, fatigue, chronic inflammatory states, dysbiosis and imbalance of good gut flora, as well as chronic GI disorders such as IBS/IBD, Crohn’s disease and many more limit the ability of nutrient absorption.

IV therapy is best for cellular function as we adjust the plasma concentration with these nutrients being administered.  By altering the plasma concentration we are able to directly affect the functioning of cells and allow for improved health and wellness on a greater scale, more effectively and with quicker results.

                              Nutrients commonly used in IV therapies and their benefits:

                ALA is alpha lipoic acid and it is a diversified fat and water soluble antioxidant.  ALA is part of the grouping of antioxidants that are known as scavengers of free radicals in the body that are associated with cellular damage and cellular aging.  ALA will also help with the regeneration and repletion of other antioxidants in the body such as CoQ10, glutathione and vitamin C.

Recent studies have indicated that people with type II diabetes have significant benefits from IV ALA therapies by increasing the insulin-mediated glucose metabolism.  Patients with known vascular disease or a family history of vascular disease can benefit as well from ALA IV therapy.  For these people, ALA will improve the function of blood vessels and the vessel integrity.

Studies also show significant benefits in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s with IV ALA therapy and other antioxidants such as glutathione.

                Glutathione: Reduced glutathione (GSH) is best absorbed and utilized by the body and is also another antioxidant that the body just cannot get enough of in our everyday lives!  Stress, (SAD) Standard American Diet that is lacking in choices and nutrients, Environmental exposures to heavy metals, pesticides, and solvents, medications people use daily, illness and infections.  All of these  will deplete the body’s resources of glutathione.

Structurally, glutathione is a protein known as a tripeptide which has 3 amino acids within it.  Again glutathione is a very strong and potent but very necessary antioxidant to help quell free radicals in the body causing damage to our cellular structure.

IV glutathione is very beneficial to help replete the body’s glutathione that is constantly be used up trying to repair and support the body from damages to our cells.  Oral glutathione is not well absorbed and broken down by the body and topical preparations can often be oxidized and less active and less effective.

                                               

People with many different health conditions may benefit from glutathione IV therapies including:

                Neurodegenerative diseases – Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS

                Lung conditions – Asthma, COPD, allergic conditions

                Liver disorders – Hepatitis, NAFLD at form of fatty liver, cirrhosis

                                               

                Magnesium:  Magnesium sulfate is the form most commonly used in IV therapy in a diluted solution and is a mineral used by many areas of the body including the heart, liver, kidneys, brain and all muscles of the body. 

This nutrient is a co-factor for many processes in the body including detoxification by the liver, enzymatic activator for chemical pathways within the body, and assist with energy production and many of our neurotransmitters.

Magnesium in IV therapy can be used with acute severe asthma, many cardiovascular issues associated with rapid irregular heartbeats, medication associated epilepsy in pregnancy, headaches and Migraines and many more conditions like just plain stress and the ability for the body to cope.

                Vitamin C:  Vitamin C is a very useful nutrient for acute illnesses like cold and flu, but also for adjuvant care in Cancer therapy treatments and also cardiovascular disease and dyslipidemias especially with CVD.  Known for its antioxidant properties the body cannot get enough Vitamin C from our diets.  Foods such as citrus is known for vitamin C, but foods like bell peppers, red and hot chili peppers, dark leafy greens like kale and spinach, guava, papaya and kiwi fruits, herbs like parsley and thyme, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.  However, the best way to get a high dose of vitamin C into the body when needed is IV therapy.  Oral supplementation usually can only be dosed as high as 3 grams before GI discomfort of gas, bloating, and diarrhea are often seen even with divided dosing.

Vitamin C is necessary for the synthesis of the amino acid L-Carnitine.  L-Carnitine will help to push fat into cells to be used for energy and very beneficial for weight loss.

High doses of Vitamin C in IV therapies have been used for years to treat acute illnesses like colds and influenza but also in cancer treatments.  Cancer therapies of IV Vitamin C at high doses are about 50k mg or more at times and the body cannot orally take this dosing.  This is therapeutic dosing of the nutrient and is used for cancer pro-oxidative medical benefits.

Cancer benefits of IV Vitamin C high dose therapies include:

                Increase in appetite to alleviate cachexia associated with cancer treatments

                Decrease in nausea and pain symptoms

                Increase in mood, memory and alert feelings, energy and most importantly increased Survival!

                B-Complex:  this nutrient is a collection of all the B vitamins together.  There are 8 water-soluble vitamins in the B-complex such as B1-3, B5-7, B9 folic acid and B12.  Together, these nutrients are very beneficial individually but most effective together as the nurture so many pathways and processes in the body.

Several named vitamin deficiency diseases may result from the lack of sufficient B-vitamins. Deficiencies of other B vitamins result in symptoms that are not part of a named deficiency disease.

Vitamin	Name	Deficiency effects
Vitamin B1	thiamine	Deficiency causes beriberi. Symptoms of this disease of the nervous system include weight loss, emotional disturbances, Wernicke's encephalopathy(impaired sensory perception), weakness and pain in the limbs, periods of irregular heartbeat, and edema (swelling of bodily tissues). Heart failure and deathmay occur in advanced cases. Chronic thiamine deficiency can also cause Korsakoff's syndrome, an irreversible dementia characterized by amnesia and compensatory confabulation.
Vitamin B2	riboflavin	Deficiency causes ariboflavinosis. Symptoms may include cheilosis (cracks in the lips), high sensitivity to sunlight, angular cheilitis, glossitis (inflammation of the tongue), seborrheic dermatitis or pseudo-syphilis (particularly affecting the scrotum or labia majora and the mouth), pharyngitis (sore throat), hyperemia, and edema of the pharyngeal and oral mucosa.
Vitamin B3	niacin	Deficiency, along with a deficiency of tryptophan causes pellagra. Symptoms include aggression, dermatitis, insomnia, weakness, mental confusion, anddiarrhea. In advanced cases, pellagra may lead to dementia and death (the 3(+1) Ds: dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, and death).
Vitamin B5	pantothenic acid	Deficiency can result in acne and paresthesia, although it is uncommon.
Vitamin B6	pyridoxine	Deficiency may lead to microcytic anemia (because pyridoxyl phosphate is the cofactor for heme synthesis), depression, dermatitis, high blood pressure (hypertension), water retention, and elevated levels of homocysteine.
Vitamin B7	biotin	Deficiency does not typically cause symptoms in adults but may lead to impaired growth and neurological disorders in infants. Multiple carboxylase deficiency, an inborn error of metabolism, can lead to biotin deficiency even when dietary biotin intake is normal.
Vitamin B9	folic acid	Deficiency results in a macrocytic anemia, and elevated levels of homocysteine. Deficiency in pregnant women can lead to birth defects. Supplementation is often recommended during pregnancy. Researchers have shown that folic acid might also slow the insidious effects of age on the brain.
Vitamin B12	cobalamin	Deficiency results in a macrocytic anemia, elevated homocysteine, peripheral neuropathy, memory loss and other cognitive deficits. It is most likely to occur among elderly people, as absorption through the gut declines with age; the autoimmune disease pernicious anemia is another common cause. It can also cause symptoms of mania and psychosis. In rare extreme cases, paralysis can result.

                                Source of table: http://en.wikipedia.org

                Selenium:  Is a trace element that is essential for the human body and is part of two dozen selenoproteins.  These selenoproteins are known to play very important roles in reproduction, thyroid hormone metabolism, DNA synthesis, as well as assist the immune system and help in detoxification.

Selenium is mostly found in the form of seleomethionine and selenocysteine and skeletal muscle is the site of the majority of selenium storage.  Selenium is also noted to highest in the thyroid gland compared to any other gland in the body.  Thyroid function is largely dependent on the selenium and iodine for function and metabolism of the gland.

The benefits of Selenium are vast such as stimulating the immune system, helps to replete glutathione, assists with HIV patients fighting infections and constant attack, as well as cancer and male infertility issues.

                N-acetyl Cysteine:  Is a nutrient that is an amino acid that is able to deal with so many health issues from liver toxicity associated with acetaminophen/Tylenol® poisoning when used intravenously, COPD/emphysema and chronic bronchitis, and H.pylori in the GI system.

NAC can restore intracellular levels of the most powerful antioxidant in the body, Glutathione.  Therapies are numerous for NAC such as being a mucolytic loosening  phlegm, aid when inhaled/nebulized with cystic fibrosis, and many more uses!

                                Much of NAC’s beneficial activity derives from its capacity to modulate expression of genes for myriad signaling molecules in the inflammatory response.10-12 NAC inhibits expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines following exposure to bacterial cell components and infection with influenza A virus.13,14 NAC suppresses the “master signaling molecule” nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kB), which in turn prevents activation of multiple inflammatory mediators.15,16 NAC also regulates the gene for COX-2, the enzyme that produces pain- and inflammation-inducing prostaglandins in a wide array of chronic conditions.17

http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2010/may2010_N-Acetyl-Cysteine_01.htm

a reference from an article above in Life Extension:  “The Overlooked Compound That Saves Lives,”

By Julius Goepp, MD

                (M.I.C) L-Methionine, Inositol and Choline:  L-Methionine is an amino acid and Inositol and Choline are cofactors in the body.  These nutrients when used in intramuscular injections (IM injections), are thought to promote weight loss as lipotropics and assist the liver.

L-Methionine is an essential amino acid that the body does not make and needs to be taken in from food sources or other exogenous sources.  IM injections allow for higher levels of this nutrient into the body to be used at cellular and tissue levels for increased metabolism and elimination of abnormal fat storages within the body.

Inositol is considered a myo-inositol and is most often described as a carbocyclic polyol and is essential for signaling and secondary messenger transport.  Inositol is important in breaking down fats (most effective this way given via injection) and decreasing serum cholesterol levels, activity of serotonin, and insulin signal transduction throughout the body.  Food sources are nuts, beans like red beans and kidney beans, grains, cantaloupe, and oranges.  Inositol has great literary references in treatment of depression, anxiety, PCOS – polycystic ovarian syndrome in women, as well as fatty liver disease/NAFLD.

Choline is an amine that is involved in the synthesis of L-carnitine, cell membrane phospholipids, and the important neurotransmitter Acetylcholine.  It is a well known methyl donor with its metabolite trimethylglycine (Betaine).  Think of eating peanuts, soybeans, chicken, fish, lean beef, cauliflower, and eggs.

                Lysine: Is an amino acid nutrient found in all proteins within the body.   This amino acid can assist with elevated LDL bad cholesterol, symptoms of angina with vitamin C, antiviral properties to assist with Herpes breakouts/cold sores and shingles, but lysine is also important in bones as it assists with the increase of absorption of calcium and decreases the excretion of calcium.

Lysine is found in spinach, lentils, cheese, soybeans, fish, poultry and eggs

                Vitamin D:  A fat-soluble vitamin and steroid vitamin that is considered a prohormone and is so important for people of all ages and genders.

Vitamin D deficiency is important to recognize and also take to prevent illnesses and health conditions that it has been shown to be linked to.

Vitamin D is important to supplement especially with known deficiencies but also in treatments of several health conditions.  Associated conditions that vitamin D can help with are muscle weakness, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, psoriasis, bone density issues, asthma, viral infections such as the flu periodontal disease and mental disorders like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia but also with Cancer.