Several, I would say more like A LOT, new “clinics” and “bars”opened in the last couple of years with the sole purpose of administering IV treatments. Some are doing business in vans and circulate around town outside bars for “hang-over cures”. I have clients who say they were attracted by the advertising, visibility at the top of the first engine search page (suggesting this is a great place to go, right?) and allure of “plans” or “memberships”. They had to eventually come to our clinic after using the “deals”
So, do you really know who’s doing your treatment? Or what’s in the nicely yellow colored bag? Do you know where it come from? Did anybody take a medical history, allergy history and explain the possible adverse-reactions, some serious or even deadly before they put the IV in?
Here are the questions I recommend you ask before you allow anybody to put an IV in your arm.
Who is in charge of the whole operation??? Is it an MD, Naturopath, Chiropractor, just nurse or nurse practitioner? (by the way, the right answer is MD). Is the provider on site during the IV? Is he/she EVER on site? Are they a “ghost” medical director? What is their involvement? What if there is an emergency during the treatment?
Who’s making the choice of formula for your specific concerns?
What is in the bag? What components and what concentrations and quantities? If you do not know, you cannot compare apples to apples. A diluted “cheap” IV is not the same with a “real” IV that has a good mixture of strong components. Just because the bag looks yellow it does not mean it has a good formula. Sometimes I hear people “felt better” after it-the very very likely explanation is that the hydration itself made them feel better on its own even if the formula was watered down (providing you have no cardiac issue)
Where are they buying the supplies from? Do they use accredited US pharmacies and suppliers?
What are they putting in your vein? Is this a metal “butterfly” or an actual catheter. The butterflies are likely to cause more vein damage and inflammation and can render your vein unusable in the future. The only quality they have is that they are inexpensive.
IV therapy can be a powerful way of improving your health when done the right way. Or a waste of money and time or even dangerous when not.