Category: Intravenous Therapy

Hydration is a key element in performance and recovery for athletes. The total percent of water in the human body is affected by how much body fat you have, as well as your age, gender, and health. However, on average the human body is about 45-70% water, which amounts to 40-45 liters of water in the body (165 x 8-ounce glasses of water!). There are two compartments that house this water, one is intracellular, inside cells where 62-65% of the water is found, and the other is extracellular, outside cells such as the blood and GI tract where 35-38% is found. Whether it is hot or cold out, when you exercise you lose water through breathing, muscle contraction, blood circulating, and sweating. Most people know that lack of fluids and lots of physical training can cause dehydration, but did you know that traveling also causes dehydration? Why traveling causes dehydration: People drink less water with the limitations around fluids and flying Anxiety and stress cause sweating and there is more body water loss The recirculated air on airplanes has 20-30% less moisture in it Air conditioning and sitting actually cause body temperature to rise, and people sweat more but the cool...

Mistletoe (Viscum Album) is a plant that lives on trees, such as apple, oak, maple, elm, pine, and birch. It is native to Europe and Western Asia. Viscum album has been used for centuries. Brand names for this plant include Helixor®, Iscador®, Iscador Qu®, Lektinol™, Cefalektin®, Eurixor®, ABNOBAviscum® and Abnoba-viscum Quercust. Mistletoe is given either through subcutaneous injection or intravenously. The extracts of this plant, specifically the one that grows on pine trees, are currently being studied in cancer patients. In clinical studies, mistletoe has been demonstrated  to be safe and effective along with conventional treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation. Mistletoe therapy has been studied and used at top level cancer research centers such as Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute in John Hopkins, among just a few. In addition to stimulating the bone marrow it may be used to decrease side effects of chemo and radiation. In our complimentary and integrative oncology center, attention is devoted principally to the aspects of quality of life, prolonging survival, and preventing relapse. Mistletoe at Work in the Body The body’s own defenses are strengthened by mistletoe therapy in such a way that beneficial granulocytes, lymphocytes, and natural killer cells increase. Any degenerated cells still...

EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid) is an amino acid that is FDA approved for lead poisoning and used as an alternative treatment for heart disease caused by atherosclerosis. It is not yet approved by the FDA for the use in cardiovascular conditions, but this may occur soon. Safety concerns in the past included low hypocalcemia (low calcium).  Patients with severe kidney disease cannot tolerate normal doses. The side effect of hypocalcemia is only seen with a specific type of EDTA called disodium EDTA which is not used anymore in doctors’ offices. Calcium EDTA is the type of EDTA now used. It can be infused extremely rapidly with no effect on blood calcium levels. Disodium EDTA has to be infused slowly because of its effect on calcium. Hypocalcemia can cause cramping and heart arrhythmias so it was a legitimate concern in the past. Is There Evidence that Chelation is Effective? A 2012 clinical trial called the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) attempted to answer this question. This clinical trial was done with people who have had heart attacks, as well as those with diabetes. It’s the first large-scale, multi-center clinical trial of its kind. In this trial 1,700 patients were...

The Epstein-Barr virus causes a very common infection known as mononucleosis. Symptoms of mono include extreme fatigue, sore throat, fever, swollen lymph nodes, swollen tonsils, headache, rash, and sometimes a swollen spleen. However, some individuals develop a chronic reactivated Epstein-Barr (EBV) problem. [1],[2]  I have noticed this is common in people with chronic fatigue and have seen it quite a bit in competitive athletes. Detecting Reactivated Epstein-Barr In a study [3] on elite athletes with persistent fatigue, 27% were found to have chronic viral infections. Viral illness as a cause of long-term fatigue often goes undetected unless specific blood work is requested. In this study, eight of 37 athletes tested (22%) were actively secreting EBV into their saliva at the time of testing. The detection of EBV shedding suggests immune dysregulation and may contribute to the symptoms experienced by these athletes. EBV reactivation has recently been established in swimmers engaged in intensive training and is thought to result from exercise induced alterations in the immune mechanisms responsible for controlling viral reactivation. Evidence of infection was also found for cytomegalovirus (five cases), EBV (three cases), Ross River virus (one case), toxoplasmosis (one case), and mycoplasma (one case). Eight of the 37...

Coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death among both men and women in the United States. Many cardiac patients are choosing to use chelation therapy for heart disease as a form of complementary medicine. But is it safe and effective? Claims of safety concerns caused by low calcium are no longer an issue because disodium EDTA was taken off the market. Disodium EDTA had to be infused slowly because of its effect on blood levels of calcium. We now use calcium EDTA which can be infused very quickly and is very safe. Let’s look at studies examining the effectiveness of chelation with EDTA. EDTA and Chelation Studies Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT): A clinical trial called the Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) attempted to answer the question of safety and effectiveness. This clinical trial, an NIH-sponsored multicenter, double-blind safety and efficacy study, took place from 2002-2012 and was conducted in 134 sites across the United States and Canada. During TACT, 1,708 people, 50+ years old, with previous heart attacks were randomly assigned to receive 40 infusions of a chelation solution or a placebo (inactive) infusion. Research participants also received an oral vitamin and mineral...