Low NAD levels can contribute to depressive and anxious feelings. But NAD IV therapy from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre offers an integrative approach to mental health support.

Depression and anxiety can take a toll on daily energy levels, cognitive function, and weight gain/weight loss, and can exacerbate chronic stress. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to treating mental health concerns due to differences in biology, traumatic experiences, lifestyles and even genetics. But some patients opt for adjunct functional medicine treatments to: 

• • Tackle what exactly is going on in their bodies that may be potentially causing mood issues.
  • Obtain a treatment plan that uniquely targets inadequacies, such as hormone imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. 

NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is an essential coenzyme that the human body needs for optimal function. Unfortunately, NAD levels gradually decline as people age, or when DNA damage, alcohol overindulgence, toxin exposures, obesity, and excessive insulin and blood sugar levels occur in the body. This decline leaves you susceptible to forming chronic, age-related diseases, and could potentially be a source for depression or anxiety. 

This article from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre (TFMC) discusses the link between NAD and mental health, and how we address these concerns with complementary NAD+ IV therapy treatments alongside traditional approaches. Our previous post on the top 6 NAD boosting foods is a good place to start if you want to know more about NAD IV therapy in Toronto.

NAD’s role in depression and anxiety

So, what’s the relationship between NAD and your mood? NAD plays a role in cellular metabolism, converting nutrients into energy to help regulate chemical reactions. These beneficial effects are necessary for managing cell vitality and resilience, as cells are provided with the ability to acclimate your body to stressful situations. 

If enough NAD is present in the body and you’re stressed, your cells can adapt to nerve-wracking changes that may trigger depression and anxiety. But with depleted NAD levels, you can experience negative effects on metabolic functions, which can downgrade both physical and mental health. 

Low amounts of serotonin are thought to be linked to depression and anxiety. However, NAD can help produce additional serotonin by regulating cellular health and mitochondrial function. Known as the ‘feel-good’ hormone, serotonin is celebrated for controlling hunger and social conduct. Optimal amounts of it can lead to improved sleep conditions, a reduction in memory loss, and may support mood. 

NAD supplementation can help boost serotonin levels to help uplift mood. It’s also worth mentioning that if you have goals related to athletic performance, you may notice other health advantages while upping NAD, such as an improvement in energy levels and muscle function. Meanwhile, if you’re attempting to improve aging skin, NAD can increase collagen production for promoting a plumping effect. 

Is NAD IV therapy safe? How it works in our IV Lounge

NAD can be supplemented with oral supplements (regular tablets/capsules, sublingual treatments) or intravenous therapy. As a safe treatment modality that is supervised by our health team, IV NAD+ drips may be suitable for patients who need assurance of receiving a full absorption of nutrients. IV therapy drips don’t require the digestive tract for filtration; rather, an NAD formulation is directly inserted into your vein and bloodstream for immediate use without the digestive process. 

The intravenous route may be suitable for patients who suffer from malabsorption, which is when there are difficulties absorbing nutrients due to a chronic issue, such as lactose intolerance, Crohn’s or celiac disease. 

Our integrative care practitioners take a collaborative approach to health care. We believe that patients should be given ample time to learn about their health treatments, which can inspire them to make and commit to health changes. In our clinic, NAD+ IV can be administered in our IV Lounge as a stand-alone drip treatment or combined in a series of IV therapy treatments. We may suggest functional medicine lab testing for concerns regarding other nutrient levels. We prescribe other intravenous drips aside from NAD, too, such as amino acids (i.e. glutamic acid), high-dose vitamin C, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin A, glutathione, and other key ingredients.

NAD IV therapy benefits may range for patients. When a regular NAD IV drip is taken with lifestyle modifications and other functional medicine treatments (i.e. traditional medications, “talk therapy”/psychotherapy), it can help manage brain health concerns, including brain fog, depression and anxiety. Request your session now to meet our health team. 

Book your initial consultation at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre

Our integrative care practitioners are accepting new patients. Getting a tailored treatment plan with us is simple:

• • Attend your initial consultation with our health team. (This is mandatory to understand how we can customize your IV NAD+ therapies.) 
  • One of our health practitioners will take a detailed report of your symptoms, medical history, environmental/lifestyle factors, and health goals. If necessary, functional medicine testing will be recommended to rule out underlying concerns. 
  • We take these key components (including lab results) to customize your functional medicine treatments.

We recognize that each patient is unlike one another, which is why we’re adept at altering therapies for various health issues, including cardiovascular health concerns, cellular damage, metabolic disease, poor hair and nail growth, degenerative diseases, alcohol overindulgence, neuropathic conditions, infertility, and more. 

When NAD IV therapy is administered with a healthy lifestyle (diet, exercise) and other wellness interventions (naturopathic and/or medical advice), it can support optimal health. Our IV therapy drips are freshly compounded on-site and never pre-mixed! IV drip dosages are also customized using functional medicine principles. 

Optimizing nutrition for mental health could become a game-changer in your health journey. Get your treatment plan customized now – request your initial consultation for NAD IV therapy at the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre. 

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. You should always consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of information you have read from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website or other affiliate media. 

 

References

Blum K, Han D, Baron D, Kazmi S, Elman I, Gomez LL, Gondre-Lewis MC, Thanos PK, Braverman ER, Badgaiyan RD. Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD+) and Enkephalinase Inhibition (IV1114589NAD) Infusions Significantly Attenuate Psychiatric Burden Sequalae in Substance Use Disorder (SUD) in Fifty Cases. Curr Psychiatry Res Rev. 2022 Jul;18(2):125-143. doi: 10.2174/2666082218666220527114427. Epub 2022 Jun 21. PMID: 36118157; PMCID: PMC9474872.

Braidy, N., Villalva, M. D., & Eeden, S. V. (2020). Sobriety and Satiety: Is NAD+ the Answer? Antioxidants, 9(5), 425. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox9050425

Goetzl EJ, Wolkowitz OM, Srihari VH, Reus VI, Goetzl L, Kapogiannis D, Heninger GR, Mellon SH. Abnormal levels of mitochondrial proteins in plasma neuronal extracellular vesicles in major depressive disorder. Mol Psychiatry. 2021 Dec;26(12):7355-7362. doi: 10.1038/s41380-021-01268-x. Epub 2021 Sep 1. PMID: 34471251; PMCID: PMC8872999.

Schultz MB, Sinclair DA. Why NAD(+) Declines during Aging: It’s Destroyed. Cell Metab. 2016 Jun 14;23(6):965-966. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2016.05.022. PMID: 27304496; PMCID: PMC5088772.