Did you know that we offer IV therapy in Toronto at our functional medicine clinic? Vitamin therapies such as this may help with alleviating health conditions, including nutritional deficiencies.

IV therapy (known as intravenous drip or vitamin IV therapy) has beneficial effects for tackling nutritional shortcomings and promoting cellular energy production.

By inserting an infusion of vitamins into the blood vessels, the body can promptly absorb high doses of nutrients. During an intravenous drip, therapeutic doses of key vitamins bypass the digestive tract. So this means you don’t experience side effects (i.e. diarrhea) that can occur from ingesting oral vitamins.

Our bodies must consume certain levels of micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) for reaching optimal health and for helping boost energy. But most micronutrients are not constructed in the body, which means we need to obtain these nutrients via dietary sources. And, unfortunately, the North American way of eating may not always provide suitable nutrition due to soil depletion, pesticides, processing, and preservatives. So if you were to visit a naturopathic functional medicine doctor, they may recommend altering your diet, taking supplements, or trying IV vitamin drip therapy for nutritional deficits.

For your convenience, we’ve outlined educational facts about nutritional deficiencies and how to contact us for IV infusion therapy, or to optimize your oral or intramuscular supplementation: 

Nutrition Facts for Toronto Integrative Functional Medicine Patients

First, know that our bodies require six important micronutrients:

• Iron: necessary for cognition; iron deficiencies are known to cause anemia.
• Vitamin A: supports immune function; may help with promoting eye health.
• Vitamin D: supports bone health, muscles, brain health, immune function and calcium absorption; helps in preventing rickets.
• Iodine: necessary for supporting the health of pregnant and breastfeeding individuals; supports cognitive development in babies; needed for thyroid function.
• Folate: supports hormone metabolism, homocysteine metabolism, and nervous system function; critical for DNA synthesis and vital for fetal growth; can help reduce the chances of neural tube defects.
• Zinc: a component of various enzymes in the body related to energy, metabolism, and bone health; plays a role in male reproductive health; helps people fight infections; also contributes to immune function and tissue health.

According to the journal Nutrients, “Nutritional deficiency is linked with several infectious and inflammatory diseases as a cause or consequence,” which is something that many Toronto naturopathic doctors would agree with.

If nutritional deficiencies are untreated, they can lead to chronic diseases, such as type-2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and cardiovascular disease. And because “empty calories” are abundant in the North American diet, it’s possible to experience micronutrient-related malnutrition.

Suggested Reading: Our IV Therapy Toronto Clinic Examines Nutritional Support for Tendon Injuries

Inadequate micronutrient levels can cause premature aging, DNA damage and cellular damage, says our integrative naturopathic doctor. But consuming nutrients through food can be problematic, as the North American diet may already be lacking micronutrients. “A link may even exist between fast food, processed food, commercial baked goods, and sweets and destruction of brain cells and a lowering of intelligence,” explains The American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine.

Micronutrient deficiencies may likely occur from agricultural practices. In a food composition study from 1950 to 1999, fruits and vegetables were shown to decline in nutritional value by close to 40%; this includes drops in vitamin C, riboflavin and calcium. Pesticide use is likely one of the causes of this nutritional decline: “low dose organochlorine (OC) pesticides have been strongly linked to various chronic diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases,” explains an article from PLOSOne.

We truly need optimal nutrient absorption for adequate energy levels, cellular functioning, tissue repair, DNA repair, and for chronic disease prevention. Nutritional shortcomings should not get in the way of enjoying life – let’s start replenishing your nutrition with oral, intramuscular or intravenous therapy.

Book Your IV Therapy in Toronto

At the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre, our naturopathic doctor and nurse practitioner adhere to integrative functional medicine, with an emphasis on integrative care. 

We offer a blend of vitamin drip treatments (i.e. high-dose vitamin C, amino acids, Myers Cocktail), as well as naturopathic and allopathic treatments, such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. Functional medicine blood tests may also be conducted. Some of the health concerns we address include: adrenal function/adrenal fatigue, cellular function, brain function, skin rejuvenation, digestive health, hormonal health, body stress, oxidative stress, chronic fatigue, thyroid conditions, blood pressure issues, and athletic recovery. 

Do you think a nutritional deficiency is causing you to feel unwell? Let’s talk about it – contact our integrative functional medicine clinic at (416) 968-6961 to learn about IV therapy in Toronto.

References:

Ames BN. Low micronutrient intake may accelerate the degenerative diseases of aging through allocation of scarce micronutrients by triage. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006;103(47):17589-17594. doi:10.1073/pnas.0608757103

Donald R. Davis, Melvin D. Epp & Hugh D. Riordan (2004) Changes in USDA Food Composition Data for 43 Garden Crops, 1950 to 1999, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 23:6, 669-682, DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2004.10719409

Fuhrman J. The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;12(5):375-381. Published 2018 Apr 3. doi:10.1177/1559827618766483

“Micronutrient Facts” by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, reviewed June 28, 2021, viewed on December 3, 2021. 

Oz HS. Nutrients, Infectious and Inflammatory Diseases. Nutrients. 2017;9(10):1085. Published 2017 Sep 30. doi:10.3390/nu9101085

Yang, J. H., Lee, Y. M., Bae, S. G., Jacobs, D. R., & Lee, D. H. (2012). Associations between organochlorine pesticides and vitamin d deficiency in the U.S. population. PloS one, 7(1), [e30093]. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0030093