Defeating dehydration with IV Therapy
What began as a joke between friends has now become the brightest spot in my career.
In jest, my medical school classmates and I used to say we needed an “oil change” after our long, 24-36 hour call shifts, after coming down with a cold or after a big night out. We needed to be refreshed, rehydrated, but we couldn’t’ afford the time.
One day during my residency, I was visibly ill and an anesthesiologist took notice. He hooked me up to an IV, pumped me full of fluids and vitamins, and I almost immediately started to feel better. He gave me an “oil change.”
I was astounded at how quickly I improved and spent many hours after that day researching IV therapy and dehydration. Did you know dehydration is a leading reason for hospital admittance and costs the United States about $5 billion annually? Did you know dehydration is linked to fatigue, allergies, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, digestive issues, kidney problems and weight gain? The list is pretty comprehensive.
Doctors are taught to stomp out disease, but not necessarily how to keep people from getting sick in the first place. My experience that day in residency inspired me to flip this school of thought on its head. I wanted to use IV therapy to keep people well and prevent them from going to hospitals and surgeons in the first place. Now, with IVme, that dream is a reality.
What is IV Therapy?
Nearly 75% of Americans don’t consume the 10 daily glasses of water recommended by the Institute of Medicine. This means that—in medical terms—most people in the U.S. are chronically dehydrated.
IV therapy—or hydration therapy—is an easy way to ensure you’re consuming enough fluids to keep you hydrated and operating at optimum health. Our therapy treatments intravenously deliver fluids, medications, vitamins and other nutritional supplements directly into your bloodstream.
By delivering fluids and vitamins directly to your bloodstream, you’re able to almost immediately absorb 100% of these nutrients and take larger quantities of them. For example, with Vitamin C, you can only take 5 grams by mouth because it needs to break down in your stomach and liver. But, through an IV, we can administer 50-75 grams of vitamin C.
All treatments are mixed with a saline solution for hydration. When you get a liter of intravenous fluids, it’s like drinking 2.5 liters of water. How comfortable is it to have 2.5 liters of water sloshing around in your stomach? Exactly.
All of our therapies are administered by experienced, board-certified physicians and registered nurses, are safe and are highly effective.
IV Therapy at IVme
Nobody likes being at a hospital, often times not even the people working there. Patients are sick and sometimes dying. Families are sad and sometimes angry.
It’s the exact opposite experience at IVme. Because we’re focused on treating people before they’re ill and keeping people operating at their best, our patients love coming here. They appreciate what we do for them, and the feeling is mutual. Being surrounded by people who are choosing to improve their health and wellness is good for my soul.
When you come to IVme, you’ll meet with our staff to discuss the reason for your visit. Maybe you’ve got a tickle in your throat and feel a cold coming on. Maybe you’re getting ready to run or have just run a marathon. Maybe you just flew home from London and are heading to Tokyo tomorrow.
Though your IV solution is ultimately tailored to your needs, we have broken down our treatments in these categories:
- Cold/Flu: includes a high dose of vitamin C, boosts your energy and knocks out a cold before it takes hold
- Athletic Performance: great for “filling up your tank” before you perform or ensuring a speedy recovery
- Jetlag/Fatigue: a combination of fluids, vitamins and oxygen that will refresh any rundown traveler
- Myers’ Cocktail: named after acclaimed MD John Myers, this treatment covers all bases and is a great option for people looking to regularly benefit from hydration therapy
- Hangover: yes, IV treatments will cure hangovers; just don’t come when you’re actively intoxicated.
Once we’ve determined your treatment, your IV is administered and you’re sent to one of our beautiful waiting rooms, equipped with TV, Wi-Fi and comfortable chaise lounge chairs. You can opt to have a private room, or if you’ve come with a few friends or a bridal party, we’ve got a “party room” that sits about 8 to 10 people.
IVme has come a long way since I first Googled “how to start a small business.” (I’m a surgeon, not an MBA.) Today, we treat anywhere from 800 to 1,000 patients a month and have administered a total of 40,000 IVs since opening our doors in 2012. We’d love for you to be 40,001.