Between work, family, and other obligations, you’re likely in need of ‘me’ time. IV therapy from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre is available to help you unwind with nourishing nutrients. So, why not add detoxifying key ingredients to your next IV drip? 

Detoxification is how the human body eliminates unwanted pollutants, heavy metals, additives, and other excessive wastes. This is imperative for optimal health, as a buildup of toxins can impact daily functioning, skin health, cell functions, and immune health. And when you think about it, we frequently come in contact with toxins by inhaling air pollution or touching chemical-ladened soaps!

There are ways, though, to support detoxification processes, which we explain in this blog post. We also emphasize: 

• • The way your body eliminates toxins;
  • Vitamin IV ingredients that promote detoxification; 
  • Details about our clinic’s personalized approach to wellness. 

How does detoxification work in the body? 

Detoxification is a key component of the body that protects your cellular health and organs. When you optimize the detoxication pathways – which are the organs and body systems responsible for removing impurities – you help support your overall functioning, immune function, ant-inflammatory effects, hormonal imbalances, and more.  

The body naturally detoxifies via the digestive tract ,  liver, kidneys, skin and lungs; in other words, pollutants are eliminated through sweat, urination, breathing, and defecation. But there’s a chance of forming oxidative stress, which is when toxic overloads become extreme enough that your body cannot properly reduce them. Oxidative stress is unfortunately linked to numerous chronic conditions, such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and more. 

Symptoms of poor detoxification may include: 

• • Brain fog
  • Sleep issues 
  • Chronic fatigue
  • Digestive issues (i.e. constipation)
  • Poor skin health (i.e. acne)
  • Mental health declines (i.e. depression, mood swings)
  • Weak immune health

As explained earlier, we’re regularly exposed to air pollutants and chemicals from personal care products. Toxins can also be accumulated from smoking and being exposed to second-hand smoke; eating primarily processed or fried foods from the Western diet; alcohol overindulgences; and frequent contact with heavy metals and household cleaners. Therefore, lifestyle factors and food choices can impact our detoxification processes. 

Suggested Reading: An IV Therapy Toronto Tip Sheet on When (and How) to Test for SIBO

Detoxifying ingredients to add to your next IV drip therapy

A balanced diet of essential nutrients, plus hydration, exercise, and other therapies can have positive effects on detoxification. Adding IV therapy to your list of wellness tools can further help remove substances, while supporting your current levels of vitamins. Many of our patients request IV drip prescriptions to accommodate health goals, such as improving liver detoxification or stimulating healthier energy levels. 

In our IV Lounge, we create freshly-blended vitamin drips for your needs. To improve your detoxification, we might recommend these natural ingredients for a vitamin infusion: 

IV Nutrient	Detoxifying Actions
NAC (N-acetylcysteine)	NAC is a powerful antioxidant used in the medical industry to treat acetaminophen overdoses. It neutralizes free radicals that cause oxidative stress and supports healthy inflammation; it’s a precursor to glutathione, which is essential for supporting liver detoxification.
Glutathione	This has been heavily researched as a detoxifying agent; scientists are aware that glutathione is capable of “…mitigating body toxin load through its ability to enhance hepatic conversion and excretion of compounds such as mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POPs),” says a Nutrients article. It may also help prevent cellular damage that can arise from toxic exposures.
Vitamin C	As a potent antioxidant, this vitamin contains anti-inflammatory components that can scavenge free radicals to prevent oxidative stress. Studies have shown that when vitamin C intake increases, it can boost serum antioxidant levels by 30%. It also supports white blood cell production for shielding the body from infections.
Alpha lipoic acid (ALA)	When supplemented, alpha lipoic acid can bind to excessive heavy metals in the body for efficient removal. ALA may also reduce eye inflammation from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress can affect the functioning of nerves in the eyes, especially in older adults with eye conditions.
Selenium	This mineral may prevent or delay damage to cells caused by toxins. It may also be effective for heavy metal poisoning (i.e. mercury); one study from China showed that supplementing with organic selenium for three months was constructive for boosting detoxification in people struggling with mercury exposures.

The nutrients above may or may not apply to you, as we only prescribe intravenous drips for biological needs; we also take allergies and medication interactions into account. Please book your initial visit with our naturopathic doctor/IV therapy provider to discuss your health goals and potential ingredients for a custom-made drip. Read further details about us below.   

Rejuvenating your body with nutrients in our IV Lounge

Our IV Lounge premiered in Toronto over 20 years ago and since then, we’ve expanded our practice with additional health providers and a wide range of functional medicine therapies, including Western and Chinese medicine, holistic nutrition, and psychotherapy. We adhere to the principles of integrative functional medicine, a paradigm that recognizes individual health needs. These principles are applied to our intravenous therapy drips, which are uniquely dosed for each patient’s health concerns. 

Intravenous therapy from our IV Lounge is designed to act as adjuvant treatments for general wellness concerns (i.e. mineral deficiencies, muscle health, mental clarity, collagen production, etc.). These treatments should not replace daily oral supplementation, a balanced diet and exercise. When combined with formal health interventions and a nourishing lifestyle, IV therapy may facilitate health improvements. As we use the functional medicine model, we prescribe IV drip dosages for biological needs only; thus, we carry an array of IV nutrients, including vitamin A, glutathione, vitamin E, several amino acids (i.e. glutamic acid), B vitamins, and other optimal nutrients. 

When you get your IV drip, we’re aware that this is your time to relax. Our health team supervises each and every IV session to make sure you’re comfortable at all times – this is part of our personalized service of health care. 

Nutritional solutions from our IV Lounge can contribute to optimal function when added to a healthy quality of life and other therapies. Improve detoxification now – send us a message now to request your initial visit for IV therapy from our Toronto practice. 

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

Bjørklund G, Aaseth J, Crisponi G, Rahman MM, Chirumbolo S. Insights on alpha lipoic and dihydrolipoic acids as promising scavengers of oxidative stress and possible chelators in mercury toxicology. J Inorg Biochem. 2019 Jun;195:111-119. doi: 10.1016/j.jinorgbio.2019.03.019. Epub 2019 Mar 23. PMID: 30939378.

Hassoun BS, Palmer IS, Dwivedi C. Selenium detoxification by methylation. Res Commun Mol Pathol Pharmacol. 1995 Oct;90(1):133-42. PMID: 8581338.

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Kowluru RA, Odenbach S. Effect of long-term administration of alpha-lipoic acid on retinal capillary cell death and the development of retinopathy in diabetic rats. Diabetes. 2004 Dec;53(12):3233-8. doi: 10.2337/diabetes.53.12.3233. PMID: 15561955.

Li YF, Dong Z, Chen C, Li B, Gao Y, Qu L, Wang T, Fu X, Zhao Y, Chai Z. Organic selenium supplementation increases mercury excretion and decreases oxidative damage in long-term mercury-exposed residents from Wanshan, China. Environ Sci Technol. 2012 Oct 16;46(20):11313-8. doi: 10.1021/es302241v. Epub 2012 Oct 3. PMID: 23033886.

Minich, D. M., & Brown, B. I. (2019). A Review of Dietary (Phyto)Nutrients for Glutathione Support. Nutrients, 11(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092073

Nguyen H, Pellegrini MV, Gupta V. Alpha-Lipoic Acid. [Updated 2024 Jan 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564301/

Nuttall, K. L., & Allen, F. S. (1984). Selenium detoxification of heavy metals: A possible mechanism for the blood plasma. Inorganica Chimica Acta, 92(3), 187-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0020-1693(00)87757-9

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Uttara B, Singh AV, Zamboni P, Mahajan RT. Oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases: a review of upstream and downstream antioxidant therapeutic options. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2009 Mar;7(1):65-74. doi: 10.2174/157015909787602823. PMID: 19721819; PMCID: PMC2724665.