Healthy eating, and in many cases the use of oral supplements, is an asset when it comes to maintaining great health and building an anti-aging lifestyle. However, in many cases, oral ingestion is not adequate. This can occur because the vitamins taken by mouth require cofactors for them to be properly absorbed from the gut. In addition, some of the vitamins require a healthy balance of bacteria in the colon and the intestine to facilitate best absorption. Finally, when things are taken by mouth, they first pass through the liver before being processed to other cells in the body. All these steps can represent barriers to the micronutrients getting to the targeted cells.

The use of prescription drugs and antibiotics can further compromise oral absorption. Many drugs interfere with the digestive process, making it harder for the body to break down and absorb micronutrients. A great example of this are drugs known as “proton pump inhibitors.” These are drugs such as Prilosec, Protonix, and others that alter the acid level of the stomach. This unnatural alteration of the stomach antacids not only can interfere with the digestive process but can also alter the bacterial health of the colon.

It has also been estimated that a significant percentage of people in Western cultures have developed chronic malabsorption syndromes because of highly processed, inflammatory foods. Symptoms such as bloating, heartburn, and irregular bowel movements, can all be signs of underlying malabsorption. Ironically, the malabsorption of micronutrients makes it more difficult for the stomach and the intestines to heal itself. Since the cells that line the gastrointestinal tract turn over at a very rapid rate, people can get stuck in a cycle of malabsorption or micronutrient deficiency, which is the production of unhealthy cells which then perpetuates the malabsorption. These cycles can last years, even decades. Over time they can become a trigger for other medical disorders. Everything from chronic fatigue, to fibromyalgia, even heart disease, cancer, and cognitive impairment can be a consequence of prolonged cycles of micronutrient malabsorption.

Vitamin insufficiency can lead to an array of symptoms that include depressed mood, increased anxiety, fatigue, muscle aching, neuropathy, brain fog, and other symptoms that compromise quality of life. Because the symptoms overlap a host of other diagnosed conditions, and because most doctors are not thoroughly trained in nutrition and vitamin support therapy, the cause can be overlooked.

There are 13 essential vitamins. These are vitamins that your body cannot manufacture and that you must acquire in order to survive. Among the 13 essential vitamins, there are four that are considered fat soluble: D, E, K, and A. Fat soluble means that your body has a capacity to store them.

There are also 9 water soluble vitamins, which include 8 essential B vitamins, and vitamin C.

RDA, or Recommended Daily Allowances, were established approximately 40 years ago. They represent the minimum needed to avoid disease, but do they represent the best amount? It is likely that people can benefit from greater amounts. Simply put, there is no better way to achieve high dose vitamins and deliver them directly to the cell than via direct infusion. Many people are afflicted with conditions that impair absorption of vitamins. Irritable bowel, leaky gut, and even the use of antacids, antibiotics, and PPI’s (proton pump inhibitors) may interfere with nutrient absorption.

DRIPBaR clients have chosen to use IV vitamin support to help them with conditions ranging from the common cold to headaches, to fibromyalgia, or to any of the conditions listed above. Other clients without any conditions use infusions of high-dose vitamins as part of their health maintenance routine.

Many clients who come to The DRIPBaR have compromised immune systems either by virtue of chemotherapy for cancer, coronary artery disease, chronic autoimmune disorders, or other maladies including viral infections themselves. It is for this reason that we are so focused on exquisite sterility and adherence to the USP standards for sterile compounding. These ensure a high-level of sterility regarding our infusion therapies.

Over several years and thousands of infusions, there has never been an infectious complication at The DRIPBaR. While infection is certainly a possibility, it is extremely rare, even for people who are immunocompromised. In fact, individuals who have compromised immune systems are some of the people who stand to benefit the most from regular infusion-based support.

The beauty of water-soluble vitamins is that they are in fact water-soluble. That means it is very difficult to overdose on them and cause harm. However, the fact that they’re water-soluble does not mean that the effect on the cells and on an individual’s health is transient. When high-dose vitamins are infused through the vein, the cells are washed in super high plasma levels of the vitamins. This creates an osmotic gradient that helps push the micronutrients into the cells. It is here that micronutrients do their most important work. The vitamins have a restorative impact at a cellular level that can last as long as the cells are alive.

Cells have a lifespan ranging from several days in the case of those lining the gastrointestinal tract, to several months or even years for cells in other parts of the body. It is for this reason that the intermittent infusion of high-dose water-soluble vitamins can have a durable effect.

Sometimes, especially when there are malabsorptive issues at play, the intravenous route of administration is the only way to break a negative cycle of unhealthy cell reproduction. Once healthy patterns of cell reproduction have been established, they are much easier to maintain.

Intravenous vitamin C has been used for many decades to help fight cancer. Unlike oral vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant, intravenous vitamin C is a cancer-killing pro-oxidant. It leads to the development of hydrogen peroxide in the area of the cells. This substance is toxic to cancer cells, but harmless to the natural cells of your body. In addition to attacking cancer cells by producing hydrogen peroxide, vitamin C also is felt to enhance the amount of collagen formed throughout the body, thereby creating barriers that make it harder for the cancer to metastasize.

Vitamin C is extraordinarily safe. Serious complications are rare. Once the infusion is started, it will take anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes to be completed.

The first set of enforceable sterile compounding standards issued by the United States Pharmacopeia describes the guidelines, procedures, and compliance requirements for compounding sterile preparations and sets the standards that apply to all settings in which sterile preparations are compounded. The DRIPBaR has spent over 100+ hours training and maintaining compliance with these procedures.

We use only 503B compounding pharmacies. Before any new product can be brought to market, multiple batches must be made and submitted for testing and stability studies. While this may result in a longer lead time getting new products to customers, this ensures that every batch made during normal production is consistent in quality and meets the high standards set by the FDA and CGMP.

Not only must products be validated but testing methods must also be validated to ensure accuracy and precision, in accordance with USP standards. All vendors that supply raw materials must be thoroughly vetted, and on-site inspections are performed by the Quality Assurance team for all critical suppliers.

All of our IV infusions are mixed in a Pharmacy Compounding Aseptic Isolator, creating a positive pressure clean air [ISO Class 5] controlled environment specifically for aseptic compounding of non-hazardous drugs. The HEPA filtered work area maintains a positive pressure relative to the interchange compartment, which operates at a positive air pressure relative to the surrounding room. These two levels of protection minimize the possibility of contamination migrating into the work zone.

The DRIPBaR does not accept insurance as a form of payment. However, it is possible that a Health Savings Account (HSA or FSA) can be used to pay for your drips. You should check with your insurance to determine if that is the case. The DRIPBaR can provide you with documentation of the therapy that you can use for the purpose of putting in a claim for reimbursement.