What if there was a potion that could nix everything from general exhaustion to hangovers, in a matter of a few hours? You could enter a clinic, party-weary or tired from a long week at work, and come out recharged for round two? Turns out, this magical potion does exist—the only caveat is—it involves a needle.
Intravenous or IV therapies are treatments delivered right to your bloodstream, and are a safe and pain-free way to get a boost of feel-good nutrients into your body. We asked Dr Ruby Tandon, MD and founder of Shiffa Wellness, every question you may have about IV therapies, to arm you with all the information before you try it out for yourself.
Vitamin drips usually contain vitamin C, B vitamins, magnesium and zinc. IV drips may also contain amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and antioxidants, such as glutathione.
Anything taken orally has to go through the digestive tract, where most of the nutrients are lost. Only about 20 to 30 percent of the nutrients are absorbed, compared to when they’re taken through intravenous therapies. Since they directly go into the blood, this results in 90 to 98 percent absorption, giving better results.
There are various reasons IV vitamin treatment can be recommended: to relieve stress, rid your body of toxins, balance hormones, boost immunity, and make your skin healthier. Whether you’re dehydrated, debilitated from a migraine, hungover, jet-lagged, suffering from a cold or flu, recovering or just have low energy, these mixtures of fluids, vitamins, minerals, and medicines will provide you with the care you need.
Every client goes through a basic consultation with the medical expert, where questions about their lifestyle, medical history, daily routine, habits, etc are asked. Depending on the consultation and the client’s requirements, an IV drip is recommended to them. If there is any medical history that needs to be addressed, it is further assessed by me and instructions are given for the same to the nurses.
Yes, the drip can be customised as per the needs of the client. This is mainly done through the potency of the ingredients
We at Shiffa, usually administer one IV to a client at one time, if another one is required they can take it after a gap of 24 hours, if it is for wellness.
However recovery IV drips are stronger and the maximum frequency for these can be two in a month.
Recommendations differ from person to person, based on the consultation and the feedback we get from the client after their first IV.
We do not recommend IV drips for people under the age of 18.
While wellness IVs can give a boost of energy to the client, making them feel absolutely refreshed and alert, recovery IVs can make a client feel drowsy and energy-less. This is because of the extreme detoxification happening in the body. Hangover IVs can lessen the nausea related to alcohol consumption and leave people feeling fresh and light.
The process of cannulation (inserting a needle in the vein) is very safe. Nurses are well trained and they use an anaesthetic spray before injecting, which makes the prick of the needle pain-free.
We do have certain post-treatment guidelines that depend on the IV therapy given. Some of our guidelines include not removing the band aid for up to an hour post IV and also avoiding hot water showers.
