Johannesburg - It was dubbed the “party girl” drip after Rihanna tweeted a picture of her arm hooked up to an intravenous (IV) drip containing a cocktail of vitamins and nutrients. After that, a flurry of Hollywood stars booked into private clinics for IV treatments, to the consternation of some medical experts who pointed out it wasn’t meant as a hangover cure.
Celebrities said to have used the drips include Cindy Crawford, Geri Halliwell and Simon Cowell, who commented at the time: “It gives you energy for a good few days afterwards.”
Since then, the IV drip has made its way into the beauty industry, where it is used for a range of applications such as detoxification, immunity stimulation, skin health and a feeling of general well-being.
At the Skin, Body and Health Clinic in Fourways, nearly 100 patients have embarked on an IV treatment programme since it was introduced last June. It is administered by integrative and aesthetic medical practitioner Dr Burt Jooste, who says he has successfully used IV therapy on patients with everything from stress and anxiety to digestive disorders and even fibromyalgia.
“An infusion of high-quality vitamins means they are 100 percent available to the bloodstream, as opposed to taking vitamins orally, which allows only a percentage through after being metabolised.
“It eases transport of these vitamins to cells all over the body, revitalising all the organs, from liver to skin.
“Results differ from patient to patient, but there is always an improvement in the patient’s complaint and often in other areas of concern, like insomnia or depression.”
Mention of IV infusions for reasons other than treating medical patients draws sharp criticism from most medical doctors, however.
Endocrinologist Dr David Segal dismisses it, saying: “You get all the nutrients you need from the food that you eat, if you eat healthily.”
Professor Tessa van der Merwe, an endocrinologist at Tshwane’s Waterfall City Hospital, states: “We do not support this notion at all. In a healthy patient the benefit will be minuscule, if at all.
“Intravenous infusions should be strictly reserved for deficiencies that may occur in post-bariatric (weight loss surgery) patients and is specifically prescribed to address a life-threatening shortage identified in blood testing, such as an iron or vitamin A deficiency.”
Given that there is no research proving the efficiency of IV treatments, there is only anecdotal evidence of its efficacy. And it does seem to have its followers.
Vanessa Welke, 42, is a project manager who suffered “burn-out” after she managed the new extension to a casino. “I was taking Glucophage (diabetes medication) because I was heading towards Type II diabetes. Dr Jooste sent me for blood tests, and formulated a cocktail of vitamins and supplements.
“I did a course of IV treatments, twice a week, and in April and May, I had only three IV treatments. I no longer have to take insulin and everything has improved. My hormones are stable, my skin texture is great and I sleep very well for a change.”
Jooste says the IV treatment programme typically runs once a week over four weeks, then once every two weeks for eight weeks. An IV drip with selected vitamins and minerals is inserted in your arm for about 30 to 60 minutes each session.
Each IV treatment costs R950.
“I make up a cocktail of vitamins based on the specific needs of the patient. The vitamins and minerals are gradually introduced to optimal levels. By the third or fourth treatment, there is normally a marked difference in energy levels, alertness, productivity and sleep patterns,” he says.
The drip contains magnesium, calcium, B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12), selenium, vitamin C, manganese and zinc.
“The IV infusions also include phosphorylcholine, a phospholipid that helps to repair cell membranes, so liver and memory function, for instance, is improved. Another nutrient we normally include is glutathione, an extremely effective antioxidant that our bodies only make small quantities of and which you can’t ingest orally,” says Jooste.
Vitamin C is particularly effective when administered with an IV drip.
“The antiviral effects of vitamin C are seen when blood levels are around 10-15 milligrams a decilitre. This level is achievable with IV therapy, but not orally.”
Jooste says that most people have some form of a gastrointestinal tract problem, leading to poor absorption of nutrients.
“We have done numerous advanced stool analyses on many patients, and haven’t found any normal gut so far.”
Also, the poor level of nutritients in our food (due to mass production, pollution, etc) and high levels of toxins and free radicals (due to pesticides, GM foods, etc) mean “we need to supplement our bodies to correct the deficiencies we have, to fight against chronic diseases, degenerative diseases and cancers”.
Before designing a cocktail of nutrients, Jooste may send the patient for a blood test to gauge deficiencies and hormonal levels.
The IV drip is inserted in the crease of the inner forearm using a small “butterfly” needle.
“Most people tolerate it very well,” he says.
Oral supplements are also prescribed to maintain the desired results.
“People these days want to look good on the outside, but also feel good on the inside. It’s about health renewal,” Jooste says.
However, according to Segal, the risks of optional IV treatments outweigh the benefits, which in any event probably amount to “a placebo effect” (meaning the improvement is a patient’s perception rather than real).
“There is always a slight risk of an air bubble or the needle being accidentally injected into tissue rather than the vein. Why risk it? IV treatments should be prescribed only if there’s a medical need,” he says.
Jooste counters that “to say that IV infusion has only a placebo effect is uninformed opinion”.
“With any procedure there are risks. We use sterile techniques at all times when setting up our infusions. Each patient’s ingredients are carefully mixed in our sterile bio-identical lab in Cape Town, so each patient receives their own vial every time they come for their infusions. We know exactly what is in each IV bag before it is administered to the patient.”
Intravenous treatments have proved highly beneficial to patients with iron deficiencies.
Johannesburg copywriting trainer Tiffany Markman says her iron levels were low due to donating blood, so her doctor her sent for IV infusions at the Rosebank Clinic. “She said it would take two years to get my iron levels to normal by taking oral supplements, as opposed to just four IV treatments once a month. I literally felt better as the needle went in,” she says.
Tshwane writer Eleanor Momberg, who is also iron deficient, was required to receive drips containing iron twice a week for almost six months at Unitas Hospital in Centurion. “The injection worked well, given that I have a problem with absorption of medicines and vitamins. I still take strong iron tablets,” she says. - The Star
CONTACTS
* Visit www.healthrenewal.co.za to find a Health Renewal branch near you.
* The Skin, Body & Health Renewal Fourways is at the Pineslopes Shopping Centre, across from Montecasino. Call 011 467 8742.