When we simplify things down to their core, many of our bodily functions come down to nutrients.
How we detox, produce hormones, heal our wounds, and regulate our stress – all these processes depend on nutrients – vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients.
NUTRITION CAN BE HARD.
We all know nutrition is essential, but it’s one of the hardest things to implement. The research is constantly changing. Food is more than just fuel, there is a social and emotional aspect to it. Life can get hectic, throwing another challenge into the mix. Consistency with good nutrition can be challenging.
I truly believe that nutrition is one of the core fundamental pieces to health and well-being, and if we understand the core principles and throw some strategy into the mix, it can become something that’s easy and sustainable for you too.
However, it can be a process. And sometimes we don’t have that time (I.e you’re about to start an IVF cycle).
Or, there are other factors that prevent us from getting all the great nutrients from the food we’re eating (i.e. your gut health isn’t optimal).
Or, there is stress, burnout, or dampened immune system playing a role in your healing, which have been shown to significantly lower several nutrients in the body.
This is where I love IV nutrient therapy as a tool.
3 BENEFITS OF IV NUTRIENT THERAPY
- 100% absorption: Some say “We are what we eat”, but in reality, we are what we absorb…through our gut lining. Here’s what we need to absorb our nutrients properly:
- A healthy gut function – regular, easy, fully formed bowl movements that sink and don’t cause us discomfort, heartburn indigestion.
- Good food hygiene practices – the mindfulness of eating, allowing to brain to send signals to the digestive tract to break down our food optimally. You can read more about this here.
- A balanced microbiome, free from certain infectious bugs that can impact our digestive power (i.e. H.pylori, a parasite, etc.)
It’s estimated that 1 in 5 Canadians experience IBS. If this is you, you may not be absorbing all the nutrients from the food you’re eating
IV nutrient therapy delivers nutrients directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the gut lining and allowing nutrients to be available for use by your cells, immediately.
- Dose: We can only absorb so many nutrients at a time.
Think of it like doors in your gut – only so many people can get through before it closes. So if you’re trying to get high doses of a nutrient, for a specific purpose, simply taking more of that supplement is not going to work. You have to strategically divide the dosage up throughout the day.
But wait – there are also some nutrients that try to go through the same door, competing with each other, and blocking one another’s absorption. So the timing of supplements throughout the day needs to be specific. This is a lot to consider.
Another reason I love IV nutrient therapy as a tool: we bypass this problem but infusing directly into the bloodstream. We can also deliver much higher doses (if appropriate).
This is something I love to add as support during an IVF cycle – when often we’re taking many supplements for egg quality, and we’re navigating the side effects of hormones.
- Fast – As I said, nutrition can take time.
Research shows that stress and infection can deplete nutrients like Vitamin C significantly. IV nutrient therapy is a great way to replenish those reserves faster. It’s also something I’m considering in cases fertility cases where time is limited and we’re wanting to support antioxidant pathways quickly, such as when we support egg and sperm quality during an IVF cycle. You can read more about this here.
If you’re interested in learning more about IV nutrient therapy schedule a discovery call with me or Dr. Kali MacIssac to see if it’s appropriate for you!
In Health,
Dr. Ashley Damm, ND