THERAPY
While it’s true that most of the time we can treat illness with supplements, nutrients, etc., there are times when people are sick enough that it takes a little bit more to bring them back to full health. At times like this, IV therapies can be tremendously helpful.
Below you will find some of the IV therapies that we give to help some of our toughest patients do extraordinarily well!
IV NUTRIENTS
What Kind of Nutrients?
Apart from water, one of the biggest supplement nutrients we put in our IV’s is vitamin C. Humans are just about the only animal that doesn’t make their own vitamin C but still need it, so it is usually gotten through diet. Most of us don’t get nearly enough.
Vitamin C can help with fighting any infection, detoxification, autoimmune processes, healing, growth and many other things. In addition to vitamin C we often give various B vitamins, and essential minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium, etc. Other IV nutrients can include things like glutathione and Alpha Lipoid Acid (ALA).
How is it Done?
Before we start any IV’s on a patient, we see them for a complete medical evaluation. Different conditions require different protocols.
Typically we tailor the IV nutrients to the needs of the patient, oftentimes starting at a lower dose and working up on the dose as tolerated.
While it is not uncommon for a patient to feel significantly improved after a single IV, it can take a while for many patients to notice a significant sustained difference. Remember, you didn’t become sick or nutrient depleted overnight, and it can take some time for things to correct.
Often times we will combine the IV nutrients with Major Auto-Hemotherapy (MAH) and/or Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (UBI), as well as various other treatment modalities depending on a patient’s condition.
MAH/UBI
What is MAH?
Major Autohemotherapy (MAH) is a form of therapy in which blood is drawn from an IV site, gets oxygenated and ozonated, then reintroduced back into the body.
The use of ozone in medicine was started in the United States, but much of the advancement in the field happened in Germany. After much experimentation, the modern form was invented.
What Does Ozone Do?
- Kills most bacteria at low concentrations
- Treats all types of fungi
- Fights viruses in a variety of ways
- Stimulates the production of white blood cells
- Increases levels of interferon, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukon 2 (IL-2)
- Is antineoplastic
- Helps with heavy metal detoxification
- Degrades petrochemicals
- Increases oxygen in blood
- Creates better ATP (energy) formation
- Improves healing
Diseases Treated:
- Infections of all types (bacterial, viral, fungal)
- Circulatory disorders – central and peripheral
- Geriatric conditions – macular degeneration, memory, and vitality
- Autoimmune diseases – Lupus, Crohn’s, arthritis, etc.
- Cancer – augments traditional therapy (is NOT an effective cancer treatment by itself).
How is it Done?
We place an IV in your vein, then remove some blood, and put it in an IV bag, often mixing it with saline. To prevent clotting, we will put in a blood thinner. We then introduce a mix of oxygen and ozone, allowing it to oxygenate the blood. Often times, blood that is very dark coming out of the body becomes a much brighter red (due to the oxygen). Next, we run the blood back into the body through the same IV site. On the way back we will regularly run it through ultraviolet light (UBI).
What is UBI?
Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (UBI) is a form of therapy in which blood is drawn out of the body, run through ultraviolet light, then run back into the body again. The therapy was discovered in the 1920’s during the pre-antibiotic era. At that time, it was found to have a remarkable effect in fighting infection, often bringing otherwise incurable patients back to health.
Conditions Treated
UBI can help with numerous conditions, including just about any form of infection (viruses, bacteria, fungal, etc). It can also help with various inflammatory, circulation, and skin conditions, as well as different respiratory and autoimmune diseases.
While the exact mechanism of action is unknown, it is presumed that the ultraviolet light kills infective organisms, breaking them down to allow the body to better make antibodies while increasing various other stimuli to boost the immune response. It can also heighten oxygen levels in the blood for up to a month after treatment. The UV light may also inactivate certain toxins, allowing them to be harmlessly cleared from the body.
How is it Done?
Most often, Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation is administered at the same time as Major Auto-Hemotherapy (MAH). After the IV is placed, we draw some blood, place it in an IV bag and ozonate it before running it back into the body. On the way back in, it is run through ultra-violet light with various specific frequencies.
We usually don’t give more than two to three of these per week because the die-off of pathogens can be significant.
HIGH DOSE OZONE
Ozone, an activated form of oxygen, has been used successfully in treating a number of illnesses. It can help kill bacteria, yeasts, fungi, molds, viruses, etc. High Dose Ozone (HDO) is a form of Major Auto-Hemotherapy (MAH) in which we withdraw blood, heavily oxygenate and ozonate it, and put it back in the body. The difference between MAH and HDO is the amount of blood treated. In MAH, somewhere between 40 and 250 milliliters of blood are removed and replaced. With HDO, we typically remove about 500 mL (1 unit) of blood, heavily oxygenate and ozone it, and return it back to the body. That is considered “one pass.” We can repeat this up to three more times in one visit to get what we call our “four pass” HDO. That means that in total about 2 liters (roughly 40% of your blood volume) is removed, oxygenated and ozonated, and put back in the body.
So what does all this additional oxygen and ozone do? We feel that it can provide additional benefit with fighting against infections, removing toxins, treating autoimmune disorders, and much more. Interestingly, in the patients we have used this therapy for that have postconcussion syndrome, after 3-5 of the four pass treatments, many of their symptoms have resolved. We are optimistic it can help with numerous other conditions as well.
IV KETAMINE
What is Ketamine?
Ketamine is a general anesthetic drug which has been used for all sorts of surgeries world-wide for over 50 years. It is remarkably safe and has even been put on the World Health Organization’s list of indispensable medicines that every country should have.
History of Ketamine
Discovered in the 1960’s, ketamine was found to provide extraordinarily safe anesthesia, and was used extensively in the Vietnam War. It has since been used frequently around the world for general anesthesia, especially in developing countries. In the 1980’s it was occasionally used as a recreational drug (related to PCP), and since then has been used less in the United States. Over the last 10-15 years, it has been recognized increasingly to have significant effects on mood. Multiple studies have shown that it benefits much faster than traditional antidepressants or other medicines.
How Does It Work?
Although the entire mechanism of action is unknown, ketamine is known to affect the NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptors in the brain, altering the levels of active glutamate. Questions remain as to whether this is the cause of benefit with mood disorders, but it is quite possible. It also has a dissociative effect causing odd sensations. During the infusion, people generally feel very relaxed, and it’s possible that the level of dissociation could possibly help people process events in their lives better.
Conditions Ketamine Might Help
- Treatment of resistant major depressive disorder
- Treatment of resistant generalized anxiety disorder
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Suicidality
- Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic pain
What Happens During an Infusion?
Before starting IV Ketamine, patients receive a full medical evaluation, with a review of symptoms, history, medicines tried, etc. Additional medical tests are ordered as needed. Typically six separate ketamine infusions are given with a two-week period, as this can lead to a more sustained benefit. For the infusion itself, an IV line is started and the ketamine is infused at a very specific dose and rate which is closely monitored. Vital signs (pulse, blood pressure, oxygenation levels, etc.) are also closely monitored. Typically the environment is reasonably darkened, and very relaxing music is played in the background. Patients are easily able to respond to questioning during the entire process, but may want to close their eyes since their vision tends to not track well during infusion. During the infusion, people generally feel very relaxed and peaceful. Sometimes other medicines are given to assist with this. Sometimes patients will fall asleep but will be easily aroused. Infusions can last from 30-90 minutes, and afterwards patients are observed until they can walk and communicate without difficulty. They are instructed to not drive for 24 hours, and must be taken home by a friend or family member (we will not infuse without this arranged in advance).
Side Effects
It is possible that with the infusions, patients can have some hallucinations or feel increased depression or anxiety. Occasionally after an individual treatment patients can have increased depression, although this is typically much improved with the next dose. Respiratory depression, while possible is much more rare than with other anesthetics. Elevated blood pressure can occur. Not infrequently patients will have nausea following the therapy, so medicine for this is frequently given.
How Do I Find Out More?
If this therapy looks like it might be helpful for you or someone you love, call our office to schedule a consult with Dr. Vance for an evaluation to see if ketamine might be an appropriate treatment option.
PEMF (PULSED ELECTRO-MAGNETIC FIELD)
What Is It
Earth is a very large magnet, and there are magnetic currents going through it at a regular basis. It has been theorized that life forms (including humans) have come to use these fields as a way to help cells function better. Unfortunately, in today’s society, we are constantly bombarded with other electromagnetic rays and fields which can often disrupt the balance we would get from nature.
In Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy, magnetic pulses are sent through the body to help regain that balance. The theory is that the cells can absorb some of that energy to assist with function.
Our PEMF is located in the center of our building, and is frequented daily by patients using it prior to receiving an IV treatment, or after they have seen Dr. Vance for his Pain Elimination Protocol.
History
Although magnets have long been used in alternative healthcare, the importance of Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Fields was first discovered with sending astronauts into space. When out of the atmosphere for any significant length of time, they began to get sick for some unknown reason. This was fixed only by setting up magnetic fields and pulses similar to those found on Earth within the spacecraft.
Much research has been done regarding the strength and types of PEMF waves to send, resulting in a wide variety of PEMF machines on the market. They range in strength from very weak (to simulate the earth’s magnetic fields) to much stronger (to allow a greater effect, quicker). The latest development is the HUGO, which uses a strong magnetic field in a “sandwich” approach, allowing for even more effectiveness of therapy.
Some Benefits of PEMF Therapy
Below is a highly abbreviated list of benefits of PEMF Therapy:
- Opening cell membranes
- Increased oxygen transport across cell membranes
- Increased ability to remove toxins
- Increased “energy” available to individual cells
- Increased wound healing
- Mood improvement
What to Expect for IV Patients
When being used before receiving an IV, the patient lays down on top of a mat that contains a set of coils from the PEMF, and has another mat placed over the top of them. By sandwiching the body from the shoulders down, it creates the electric field necessary to effectively enhance the transportation of nutrients and waste products across the cell membrane, helping cells to detoxify and absorb nutrients more effectively.
After the patient is situated based on their needs, the machine is turned on and adjusted to patient comfort. At lower power settings, the patient may not feel too much of a sensation, but at higher doses they may feel some of their muscles rhythmically contracting. We do not put our patients at a level that is uncomfortable or painful.
The session lasts only 12 minutes. Soon after using the machine, patients may notice reduced pain, increased energy, and improved digestion. They may note these either immediately or the following day.
What to Expect for Patients with Pain
We also use the PEMF as part of our Pain Elimination Protocol (which uses procedures like Neural Therapy and Prolozone, for patients with chronic pain and injured ligaments or joints). We further the efforts of the treatment received by having the patient use a set of wrapped coils to target the painful area like a bullseye. The coils boost circulation and oxygenation, effectively reducing pain and inflammation, aiding healing, recovery, and performance enhancement.
After the patient is situated based on their needs, the machine is turned on and adjusted to patient comfort. At lower power settings, the patient may not feel too much of a sensation, but at higher doses they may feel some of their muscles rhythmically contracting. We do not put our patients at a level that is uncomfortable or painful.
The session lasts only 12 minutes. Soon after using the machine, patients may notice reduced pain, increased energy, and improved digestion. They may note these either immediately or the following day.
RHP or OZONE DIFFUSION THERAPY
RHP (Recirculatory Hemoperfusion), EBOO or Ozone Dialysis, is most likely the best oxygen / ozone treatment on the planet. This therapy was invented by Peter Jovanovic, PhD, and involves drawing blood from a vein, running it through a filter while oxygenating / ozonating it, and then having the “fresh” blood reintroduced into another vein. The whole process is powered by a pump that runs the blood continuously, in a way very similar to a dialysis unit. With this therapy, we can heavily oxygenate and ozonate large amounts of blood much more quickly than with other methods. It also has the advantage of typically having much less of a “die off” or “Herxheimer” reaction than with most other ozone methods, most likely due to filtering the blood.
According to Dr Jovanovic, this therapy can help significantly with cardiac disease / arterial plaque by filtering out a lot of the excess cholesterol (the purpose he initially designed it for). In addition, it can help with kidney function by temporarily relieving the kidneys of having to work as hard during the procedure during the the dialysis-like function of the machine. Because of the large amounts of oxygen and ozone, it appears to work very well for infections, autoimmune diseases, and multiple other acute and chronic medical issues.
Ozone, as an “oxidant,” helps to greatly increase the body’s ability to handle other oxidants (including toxins and infections). The O3 (ozone) is broken down to oxygen and so in addition to getting the benefits of oxidant therapy you are also getting increased oxygen in the body. We at Vance Medical, are proud to have this world class therapy available to our patients!
IV CHELATION
We offer heavy metal testing through our office.
The concept behind chelation is that a chelating agent will grab onto a substance (in the case of IV chelation it’s a heavy metal) and surround it so that both the chelating agent and the substance is excreted from the body. Because of the chelating agent, the heavy metal (which can be very toxic) is protected from reacting with other tissues in the body.
Most of us have had some exposure to multiple toxins from the food we eat, water we drink, and air we breathe. Some of those toxins that can cause multiple problems are heavy metals including lead, mercury, cadmium, uranium and others. We can receive exposure to these from gasoline, paints, various chemical compounds, and even dental work or eating seafood. According to the CDC there is no safe limit for exposure to some of these heavy metals, so even small amounts can cause significant damage.
Lead, for instance, can lead to developmental delay, decreased IQ, hypertension, and even heart attacks. Mercury is even more toxic. Different heavy metals tend to congregate and are stored in different parts of the body. Lead, for instance, tends to be stored in the bones for many years. As people get older and begin to get osteoporosis some of the lead can leach out. One theory is that this is one of the major causes of hypertension and heart disease in the country.
With IV Chelation, we use EDTA, a substance that can grab on to several of the heavy metals and allow them to be excreted from the body. It takes multiple treatments (at least 20 and typically around 40) to receive significant benefits and treatments are typically 1-2 times per week. On the days you are not receiving chelation, it is recommended to take additional mineral supplementation since the EDTA can occasionally get rid of some of the essential minerals as well as the harmful ones.
IV Chelation therapy has also been shown to reduce the risk of a second heart attack by up to 40% and has likewise been shown to decrease the risk of heart disease in diabetics. It is believed that it may also reduce the risk of coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, and plaque within the arteries. After treatment, people generally feel much better and they can have increased ability to exercise.
In the case of heavy metals, “better out than in” is the best policy.