I’ve heard of celebrities getting super vitamin drips when they’re exhausted from being famous, and some even opt to doing it on a regular basis like Simon Cowell, Suzanne Somers and Magic Johnson. Could this be the fountain of youth that absolves me from Botox and spinning classes?
A year ago I was offered a detox drip as a gift. I was nervous at first but was amazed at the response I got from it.
So what is this detox drip and who should have it?
The liver has a first and second phase of detoxification and if both are not firing the system doesn’t work. Phase 1 uses vitamins to clear toxins and phase 2 kicks in with glutathione methylation cleansing. Phase 1 is useless unless phase 2 kicks in. Our detox drip has been formulated to cover both of these phases of detoxification as well as the cellular detox process.
Practically how you experience it is this. You lie down comfortably and have just a tiny butterfly needle (not a big drip needle) put into your arm. Dr. Carmichael does a push drip, which is where he puts in one ingredient at a time using a syringe. This means that instead of having a drip bag hanging over you for 2 hours, you are all done in about 20 minutes. So what is in this magical drip?
The first ingredient is Phosphatidyl Choline (PC). This is the key building block of the cell membrane of every cell in the body. Which means it protects the cells that line the digestive tract and the liver, as well as brain and nerve cells. Of the thousands of molecules that make up a living cell, PC has been studied as one of the most fundamental and important. By enhancing cell membranes it improves:
• Memory
• Intestinal Health
• Neuropsychiatric Disorders
• Skin Health
• Fat Metabolism
• Liver Health
• Weight Loss
Phosphatidyl Choline levels in the cell decrease as we age. Found in very high concentrations when we are born, particularly in brain tissue, a normal part of aging process is these levels decline over time. By supplementing with Phosphatidyl Choline in addition to what we get from our regular diet, we can increase the levels in our cells and halt or even reverse the age-related decline.
Step 2 is Glutathione.
Glutathione is a powerful anti-oxidant one can use to counteract toxic free radicals. It acts as a major detoxifier through a process called “conjugation” that gets all this bad stuff in your liver quickly escorted out the door (through your urine and faeces). It’s especially effective at eliminating heavy metals like mercury and lead.
The good news is, our body naturally produces glutathione in the liver and the lungs. The bad news is, that as we age our supply can get naturally depleted which means more free radicals, meaning more disease, which is why there is so much interest in glutathione in the anti-aging community.
On the medical side of things, IV glutathione is used to treat diseases related to the brain (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, MS), liver (alcoholism) or help those with suppressed immunity (HIV or patients undergoing some chemotherapies like cisplatin). It’s also been said to help with male infertility and female pigmentation. Good stuff!
The anti-aging community is excited (by which I’m defining as medical doctors, osteopaths, nutritionists, naturopaths, holistic health professions) because glutathione IV might be one of the closest things we have to a fountain of youth due to its powerful antioxidant qualities. They theory is that because of its supreme ability to detox the liver, this slows the aging process, provides tons of energy and also helps athletes in their performance and recovery.
Folinic Acid: the smelly ingredient
This is an active form of folic acid that bypasses some of the steps in the conversion of folic acid to the active form 5-MTHF. Folinic acid sits in the cell membrane and accelerates the ability of Phosphatidyl Choline to push toxins out of the cell. Think of Folinic acid as the accelerator in this detoxification drip. In addition, Folinic acid supports healthy methylation pathways, homocysteine metabolism, DNA replication and foetal development.
Magnesium is one of the most important minerals. Your body needs it to perform over 300 biochemical reactions necessary to sustain life. Deficiency of magnesium in your body can cause or worsen multiple medical conditions. Given as an IV, the Magnesium Drip effectively enhances the function of your muscular and nervous systems. Many people are deficient in magnesium without even knowing it. You would be surprised at the difference patients feel after they have the Magnesium Drip; their jittery nerves are calmed and their tense muscles are relaxed instantly.
Vitamin B12 is a nutrient that helps keep the body’s nerve and blood cells healthy and helps make DNA, the genetic material in all cells. A lack of B12 leads to a form of anemia that leaves us tired and weak. Vitamin B12 can promote red blood cell formation and regeneration, improve physical strength, repair damaged nerves and maintain the health of our nervous system.
B-complex is the group of vitamin Bs responsible for the proper functioning of the most important processes in the body, such as: cell growth and division, the health of the skin, the normal development of the immune and nervous system, and the metabolic process. They play a major role in the activities of enzymes, proteins that regulate chemical reactions in the body, which are important in turning food into energy and other needed substances.
Vitamin C is a remarkable substance to use intravenously when the normal oral dose needs to be exceeded. Patients can get up to 10 times the nutrients in one IV treatment as they could get orally in one day. A good example of this is the use of Vitamin C when trying to overcome a cold-due to a virus. Oral dosages of Vitamin C typically give 1-4 mg/dl of Vitamin C in the blood. The antiviral effects of Vitamin C are seen when blood levels are around 10-15 mg/dL. Intravenous Vitamin C can give up to 50-90 mg/dL for specific conditions. In studying the physiological role of Vitamin C, one realizes that it does a lot more than merely stop humans getting scurvy or giving them expensive urine. Vitamin C is well known for immune stimulation, but also plays a part in collagen formation, hormone production, liver detoxification, wound healing and in slowing the spread of carcinomas.
How often should one have a drip? My recommendation is once a week for a series of 8 weeks to kick start the detoxification process. Thereafter once a month or every 2 months.
