In most cases, no.
IV Micronutrient Therapy
There is an easy and safe method to avoid the nutrient deficiencies brought on by absorption problems and energy deficits associated with aging and illness, and that method is parenteral (IV) micronutrient therapy. At IMI we tailor make our IV preparation to the needs of each patient. We recognize that every patient’s history, metabolic process and lifestyle are uniquely different; we believe that there is no single formula that works well for all patients.
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IV Therapy can be helpful for headaches, upper respiratory infections, asthma, chronic fatigue, chronic viral infections, depression, anxiety, allergies, athletic recovery, overall health & many more.
Our Menu
IV for immunity support
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Hydration IV
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Detox Cleanse IV
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High Dose Vitamin C
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IV Glutathione Therapy
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IV for Stress & Anxiety
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IV for Inflammation & Pain
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PK Protocol (IV Phospholipid therapy)
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IV for Immunity Support
The immune system is a balanced network that is designed to ward off disease and viruses. It is not until we become ill that we give immunity much thought. The strength of our immune system depends upon the things we are doing to support our immune system not just when we are ill, but on a regular basis by making sure our bodies are supported with essential micronutrients. Micronutrient deficiencies predispose us to infection from bacteria and viruses and affect our overall immune function.
We are all familiar with the importance of micronutrients such as vitamin C for fighting off illnesses. Vitamin C helps to strengthen immunity by supporting various cellular functions of the immune system. The benefit of high dose intravenous vitamin therapy is that vitamins and minerals are administered directly into the bloodstream, avoiding the digestion process and increasing potency and absorption. Micronutrients are all food-based products.
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Hydration IV
Proper hydration is a simple necessity easily gone unnoticed as we go about our daily lives. Maintaining adequate hydration levels is crucial for our basic bodily functions and supports our body’s ability to manage stress, cognition, fight off illnesses and infections, deliver nutrients to cells, protect our joints and organs, ensure quality sleep and much more. In other words, adequate hydration is the foundation in which every system in our body depends upon to function well.
Many habits we have adopted in our modern lives leave us inadequately hydrated. Consuming alcohol and beverages high in sugar instead of water is the most glaring example.
Hydration and athletic performance
Whether you are a serious athlete or someone who engages in regular physical exercise, maintaining proper hydration is crucial for allowing your body to perform at its optimal level. Symptoms such as muscle cramps, fatigue, and nausea after physical exercise are signs of improper hydration. Adequate hydration ensures that all nutrients needed for energy are being transported to your cells and that your joints are properly lubricated and protected. A hydration drip ensures that the body’s fluids are properly replenished after intense athletic performances.
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Detox Cleanse IV
Living a high stress lifestyle, exposure to toxins and pesticides, or adopting other behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use etc. can lead to an accumulation of toxins in the body, possibly resulting in fatigue, foggy thinking, recurring illness, depression, weight gain and more. The liver, the detoxification organ of the body, becomes overburdened and begins to perform at a suboptimal level.
The IV detox cleanse provides nutrients the liver uses to function properly. It acts as a mild detoxifier N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), alpha lipoic acid, glutathione and EDTA. This formula works like a magnet to remove the toxins and heavy metals from the body which could be slowing you down or compromising overall wellbeing.
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High Dose Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for optimal functioning of many systems in the body. It is used in the immune system, endocrine system, antioxidant enzymes, detoxification system, lipid metabolism, collagen tissue formation and absorption of iron. High Dose vitamin C has been used for many years in the oral and intravenous delivery to assist in the care of acute and chronic disease. Here at the Integrative Medical Institute, we consider vitamin C therapy to be critical part of treating toxicity and immune deficiency.
High dose intravenous vitamin C allows for greater absorption and is a preferable method of vitamin C delivery when the immune system needs enhancing.
Immune support
Vitamin C is a powerful nutrient that helps to boost the immune system and protect the body from the cold and flu.
Cancer care and prevention
Emerging evidence suggests that high dose intravenous vitamin C treatment can be beneficial in helping to support the treatment of cancerous tumors. High doses of vitamin C has a toxicity to cancer cells, making it a beneficial addition to cancer care. Vitamin C helps to limit the formation of carcinogens, making it an essential nutrient in cancer prevention (https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Vitaminc-HealthProfessional/).
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IV Glutathione Therapy
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that is present in every cell in the human body, often referred to as “the master molecule.” Glutathione is primarily synthesized in the liver where it is abundantly present. A high percentage of the blood that leaves the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The blood carries important nutrients to the liver where they are metabolized into substances vital to life. In the same way, exogenous toxic substances reach the liver where they are either activated or transformed into less toxic derivatives. Glutathione plays a crucial role in the liver’s biotransformation system.
Intravenous glutathione supports many systems in the body. It may help the body fight disease by removing free radicals, which cause DNA damage and impair cellular function. It can be an important defense against heart disease, cancer, dementia, autoimmune disease, aging, exercised induced fatigue, and more.
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IV for Stress and Anxiety
Stress can cause quite a lot of chaos within the body. High levels of cortisol and prolonged stress can lead to a slowing down the digestive system, disruption of sleep patterns, increased inflammation, and can affect how the body absorbs nutrients… resulting in fatigue, moodiness, and more. Lifestyle adjustments such as eating well, getting adequate sleep, exercising, and making sure the body is supported with the proper nutrients is critical for stress management.
Intravenous therapy may help ease sleeplessness & anxiety often associated with today’s busy life and help to reverse some of the effects of stress and aid the body back to a more balanced state. Take a breather with a relaxing drip of extra magnesium, amino acids & complex B.
Ingredients:
Magnesium, amino acids, B complex
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IV for Inflammation & Pain management
Inflammation is connected to a myriad of health concerns plaguing society today, such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Inflammation is linked to such problems as leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome & fibromyalgia. This IV uses two antioxidants that may help to reduce swelling & inflammation & removes toxic elements from the body with its added glutathione, N-Acetylcysteine (NAC), & vitamin C.
Glutathione
Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant found in every cell in the body, often referred to as the “master antioxidant” and increases utilization of other antioxidants such as vitamin C. It may help to control the body’s inflammatory response system by influencing when it increases or decreases.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient for optimal functioning of many systems in the body. It is used in the immune system, endocrine system, antioxidant enzymes, detoxification system and more. It can help to rid the body of free radicals responsible for inflammation.
N-Acetylcysteine (NAC)
NAC is valuable for the role in play in helping to produce and replenish antioxidants in the body, such as glutathione.
Interested in IV Micronutrient Therapy?
PK Protocol (IV Phospholipid Therapy)
Phospholipid Exchange Therapy (IV lipid infusion therapy/PK Protocol, named after Dr. Patricia Kane) is an intravenous technique for supplying the correct proportion of fats and oils in a bioavailable form to replenish cell membranes, as well as the membranes within cells. Lipid infusions have been practiced for decades primarily in Eastern Europe. It also acts as a form of anti-aging medicine in that it combats cellular oxidation and oxygen radicals.
Harmful chemicals that we become exposed to daily, such as preservatives in food and skin care products, prescription drugs, molds, heavy metals, and pesticides, can be stored in fatty tissue in the body for a long time where they interfere with the functioning of cells, causing dysfunction in the brain, nervous system, and immune system. Providing an abundance of clean oils helps to displace oils in the brain that are holding these polluting toxins is what the PK Protocol helps to do.
If detoxification is impaired, the toxins trigger formation of very long chain fatty acids that are rigid at body temperature and they incorporate themselves into the pliable cell membrane and alter the structure of the membrane; making the membranes rigid; and therefore, inefficient in its functioning.
Phospholipid exchange therapy can dramatically improve the outcomes of patients in a wide range of disorders such as Alzheimer’s, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis, fibromyalgia, epilepsy, Lyme disease, chronic fatigue, autism, bipolar disorder, seizures, cardiovascular disease, and many more.
The phospholipid therapy we follow is the PK Protocol and is used in a range of disorders and has developed into an effective means of detoxifying the cell membrane. This is extremely important in modern times.
Because of the major groups of toxins such as:
- Organophosphate and organo-chlorine pesticides
- Related chemical such as fire-retardants (PCBs, PBBs)
- Heavy metals such as lead, mercury, nickel, etc.
- Preservatives in cosmetics and food are all fat-soluble and end up either inside lipid rich cells or in cell membranes, where they disrupt the very processes of life.
Benefits of PK Protocol
Clinical experience has shown that phospholipid exchange therapy may be used for several conditions and issues and that the benefits include:
- Restores the appropriate balance and content of lipids in cellular membranes.
- Enhances the cellular activities of the liver, nervous system, cardiovascular system, and the immune system.
- Assists in the metabolism and replication of genetic molecules
- Rectify disturbances in methylation due to toxic exposure
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Powerful Infusion Boost Add-ons for I.V. Therapy
Offering unique vitamin formulas created by Dr. Gary Ruelas, these boosts serve as an extra add-on to your current vitamin infusion. From “Energy Blast” to “Immunity Boost” these add-on’s will aid in combating vitamin deficiencies, detoxing your body, strengthening your immune system and optimizing your overall health and wellness. Boosts will be tailored to the needs of each patient.
Why IV Micronutrient Therapy?
In higher, therapeutic doses given by injection, your intracellular levels of vitamins and minerals are increased and act beneficially, therapeutically in the body. This IV treatment can be helpful for patients that experience headaches, migraines, upper respiratory infections, asthma, chronic fatigue, chronic viral infections, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, withdrawal symptoms, and allergies, and can be beneficial for athletic performance as well as the overall health of those living stressful lifestyles.
By increasing intracellular levels of nutrients, you may recharge your body’s immune system in a way that oral supplementation cannot achieve.
The choice of what products to include in an IV infusion needs to be based on three main factors:
- A deficiency of any nutrient elicited from history, symptoms, or testing
- Necessary cofactors to ensure proper metabolism and action of a product
- The known action of a nutrient or product on a disease process
Rejuvenate with Safe & Easy IV Therapy
We believe that micronutrient therapy can be life transforming. But why do we offer an infusion of vitamins, minerals, or other beneficial substances when they could prescribe the same combination via an oral route? We do this because we know that when a person becomes ill, he or she does not have the same energy as when they were well and healthy. Absorption and transport of nutrients takes energy. As people age, the ability to absorb nutrients decreases, and this is due to a gradual decrease in the secretion of gastric hydrochloric acid and, in turn, pancreatic enzymes needed to break down food or supplements so that intestinal absorption can occur.
Parenteral micronutrient therapy, or IV micronutrient therapy, as it is commonly known, has a long safety record. The relative absence of adverse reactions is due to the fact that the infused substances are naturally occurring – that is, they are essential nutrients required for the optimal functioning of the human body.
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Functional medicine addresses the underlying causes of disease, using a systems oriented approach and engaging both patient and practitioner in a therapeutic partnership.
Intravenous Vitamin C For Cancer FAQ’s
What is the intravenous vitamin C cancer treatment?
Research shows that intravenous vitamin C at high doses, used in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation, kills cancer cells in the early stages of cancer. For those in the later stages of cancer, the intravenous vitamin C protocol may improve the quality of life. The protocol also suggests a strict diet with oral supplementation.
How do I know if the intravenous vitamin C therapy will work for my cancer?
Each individual responds differently, and we can’t predict how different tumor types will react. A PET scan usually is a guidepost. If the PET is positive, the tumor usually responds to the vitamin C. If the PET is negative but there is an active tumor present, vitamin C is less effective in most cases. Vitamin C therapy works best in the early stages of cancer when used in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation. It is not intended as a stand-alone treatment or as a last effort treatment for patients in the late stages of cancer.
Does oral vitamin C (ascorbate) provide the same results?
No. Oral vitamin C is an antioxidant with controlled absorption. Intravenous vitamin C is a pro-oxidant drug that helps produce hydrogen peroxide, which targets neoplastic cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. Because this form is delivered intravenously, plasma and tissue levels are many times above that of oral dosing.
Is intravenous vitamin C safe?
Patients must have a G6PD test before any infusions are given. We have found no contraindications to providing intravenous vitamin C with any chemotherapy when proper protocol is followed. Additions to the protocol are not recommended. The protocol should NOT be administered in conjunction with methotrexate chemotherapy because of urine pH requirements.
What is a G6PD blood test and why should I get the results from that test before I start the vitamin C infusions?
Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an inherited condition in which a person’s body doesn’t have enough of the G6PD enzyme. G6PD helps red blood cells function normally. Patients with this deficiency should not receive vitamin C infusions because it can cause hemolytic anemia.
How will additions, such as B vitamins, affect vitamin C infusions?
Additions, such as B vitamins, may reduce the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which is the chemotherapeutic agent formed by intravenous vitamin C. Medical professionals administering intravenous vitamin C should follow the protocol.
What’s the frequency and duration of the vitamin C infusions?
Patients begin with a low dosage and work their way up to the therapeutic level. Once at therapeutic level, the infusions will take between 2.5-3 hours, depending on the patient’s individual saturation point, which is detailed in the protocol provided to medical professionals. We usually provide two infusions per week, but some patients may require three infusions a week. After a patient has received therapeutic-level infusions for a year, we will re-evaluate.
Can I stop vitamin C infusions for a period of time and begin later at the same dosage?
We don’t recommend stopping the intravenous vitamin C unless the patient has been cancer-free for at least a year. If the patient stops the infusions but is not cancer free, the patient may develop tumor cells that are resistant to the intravenous vitamin C’s chemotherapeutic agent. Although a patient may stop for a week if necessary, we recommend the patient receive an extra infusion the week before and the week after.
I’ve started the intravenous vitamin C, but my tumor markers continue to go up. Are the vitamin C infusions causing the cancer to spread?
No. If the protocol is being followed correctly, the intravenous vitamin C is working as a chemotherapeutic agent. Just as some types of chemotherapy may not be successful, the same is true of vitamin C infusions.
How important are diet and oral supplementation?
Diet plays a huge role in the protocol. We use the four-point program: diet, oral supplements, intravenous vitamin C and chemotherapy or radiation. Oral supplements are recommended on a case by case basis. We highly recommend the book, Beating Cancer with Nutrition, by Patrick Quillin.
If a patient smokes or is continuously exposed to second-hand smoke, is the effectiveness of the vitamin C infusions diminished?
Yes, absolutely. The oxidants from cigarette smoking or second-hand smoke lower vitamin C levels in the blood. It is extremely important that patients stop smoking or limit their exposure to second-hand smoke.
Will my insurance cover the costs of the vitamin C infusions?
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