Month: April 2021

Weight Loss Goals

The Truth About NAD Supplements for Weight Loss

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The question we often get asked is, how can NAD supplements help me with weight loss? Are these weight loss benefits real or a myth? What are the other benefits of NAD? And of course, what are the side effects that come with taking NAD supplements for weight loss? If you’ve ever wondered about any of these questions, then you’re in the right place. To start, it helps to really understand NAD’s role in the body.

What is NAD?

NAD is a coenzyme that is in every living cell in the body. It’s used in our cell’s mitochondria to help produce energy, and there’s no wonder why this particular nutrient is still holding attention in the anti-aging community. NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, is a molecule that supports our bodies’ metabolism rates, energy production, and cellular repair. It’s absolutely necessary to keep the cell alive. 

Studies show that NAD levels are heavily influenced by lifestyle. In particular, they are influenced by things that cause energy stress. Many people struggle with the pace of daily life, and this causes a lot of stress. In addition to that, as we age, our NAD levels slowly decline which may contribute to chronic diseases or other conditions associated with the aging process.

Think of NAD as a type of nutrient your body needs to send signals. If you had a plant you wanted to grow, you would make sure it had nutrient-rich soil. The same goes for our own growth as well. Maintaining higher levels of NAD could help metabolic functions and issues directly related to weight loss and weight gain.

How do people use NAD supplements for weight loss?

While NAD is no new discovery (we receive it through niacin and through the foods we eat), the use of NAD/NAD+ IV injections has rapidly increased in the past few years in helping with weight loss.

It’s important to remember that fat loss is not as simple as your caloric input and output. If we can supply our cells and DNA with the right nutrients to repair itself and impact our body’s chemistry to work along with us, we can experience all the benefits of NAD infusions.

Research has shown that NAD creation and consumption in cells are linked to glucose metabolism and their conversion into fat cells. What this means is that, through studies, lower levels of NAD in the body are associated with increased amounts of fat cells and weight gain.

The simple way to say it is that NAD allows sugars, fats, and proteins to be converted into energy. If we have lower NAD levels, through lifestyle or age, then we will have large stores of fat cells.

One of the greatest benefits of receiving NAD through injections is that it completely bypasses the gut and goes right into your bloodstream. The eating process itself breaks down foods or oral treatments of NAD too quickly, reducing the number of nutrients your body receives.

NAD supplements also improve metabolic functions

So, people are boosting their systems with NAD injections. Along with weight loss, studies have shown NAD to support many other metabolic functions such as:

  • Obesity
  • Cardiac issues
  • Insulin resistance
  • Improved athletic ability
  • Lean muscle mass

NAD injections help to maintain healthy metabolic rates because they assist in the mitochondria’s conversion of carbohydrates and fats from foods into energy-rich ATP molecules for your cells to use. Essentially, NAD is enhancing cellular energy. It is helping your cells make energy better and more efficiently.

You are using NAD for every single process throughout your day. Whether this is to keep your energy up, give you good sleep, help your body absorb vitamins, or even to be able to recover more easily from exercising, NAD is the fundamental molecule in all of it.

The thing is that our bodies cannot create NAD faster than we are consuming it. When we are younger, our bodies have greater ability to ramp up production, but as we get older (50 or 60), we are actually at about 50% of our total reserves of NAD.

This is most of the reason why there is such a profound effect from receiving NAD infusions. In most cases, we are just deficient without even knowing it simply because of the aging process.

When you give your body a cofactor of this much power, you are going to have many effects and benefits because it isn’t just one area of your body that you are helping. You are supporting all of the cells in your body.

Not only will you have the benefits of energy and weight loss, but your cells will be working better, no matter what they may do (brain cells, nerve cells, digestive tract cells).

Are there any side effects of NAD?

NAD is typically administered through an IV and it does tend to be a longer infusion. If you decide that NAD therapy might be something that you want to explore, the process would be to schedule a consultation and come in to talk with your doctor so that they can learn more about your individual goals with NAD therapy.

You would then be connected to an IV line and the NAD would be administered through this IV. Since it is a longer infusion, your nurse or doctor can control the IV to be as fast or slow as your body will accept it.

The only side effects that are associated with the infusion come from the infusion going too quickly. In those situations, some patients will report having a slightly elevated heart rate, some tightness in their chest, shortness of breath, or nausea. With that being said, all of these effects can be controlled by simply turning down the rate at which the NAD enters your body.

Most people report positive effects with NAD IV treatments, almost immediately or the day of receiving their infusion. If you do receive NAD infusions, you can expect to feel the benefits within the frame of that next day or next few days of receiving treatment.

Are there other benefits of NAD supplements?

Besides helping with weight loss, NAD supplements have several other noteworthy benefits. NAD can boost our immune system and reduce the effect of aging. It increases our brain functioning and reduces fatigue in addition to helping fight illnesses more effectively.

Research on NAD has shown that it can help with general health and wellness, and more specifically with the following symptoms:

  • Withdrawal symptoms
  • Heart issues
  • Diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Mood disorders
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Sleep issues
  • Mental clarity
  • Focus and attention span

Not only has NAD been shown to help with these symptoms, but it has also been seen to curb pain and improve energy for people suffering from:

  • Muscle recovery and pain
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Viral issues
  • Epstein-Barr Virus
  • Lyme Disease

Clearly, NAD has become the ‘miracle molecule’ for a good reason. If you’re interested in increasing your NAD levels, you may want to consider a couple of methods:

(1)  the most efficient way is through an infusion where the NAD goes directly into your bloodstream and into your cells, or

(2)  through other supplements that may not be as efficient, like orally or with a patch.

If you want to receive the benefits from NAD, then IVMeNow offers a variety of IV infusions and supplements. If you would like to book an IV infusion, you can visit ivmenownyc.com.

IVMeNow offers mobile hydration therapy, so you will gain access to our mobile hydration therapy service where you can select your infusion at any place and any time and a specialist nurse will come to you.

Actual Health Benefits of the Well-Known Vitamin C

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Even though it may not always seem like it, we are very lucky these days. We are living longer than we ever have before! Ever since the 1850’s, we have had a much greater life expectancy than any of our predecessors ever had. One of the biggest reasons for this is better nutrition. Our infant survival rates are a lot better, and that of course directly contributes to overall survival rates. Another huge reason for our longer lives is our ability to fight off infectious diseases. That means that vaccinations and antibiotics have contributed enormously to our increased lifespan.

With that being said, we know that this increased lifespan comes at a cost. The fact is that as we age, we’re going to lose functionality and have an increased risk of exposure to non-communicable diseases. As a result, our society now has a heightened fear for the onset of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, cognitive decline, and frailty.

So when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and being the best you can be, it’s not so much about increasing your lifespan as it is increasing your health span (how much of life you are going to be healthy).

Why are diet and lifestyle choices so important?

If we look at some of these non-communicable diseases, and the causes and risk factors for them, we see that some of us just have certain genes that may place us at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease or reveal predispositions for types of cancer.

There seems to be a lot of emphasis placed on genetic dispositions causing disease. The truth is that the contribution of genetics towards chronic diseases is quite small when compared to the bigger contributions of diet and lifestyle.

Chronic diseases are modifiable by diet and lifestyle. Research has shown that starting from 2002 in the US, 70 to 80 percent of colon cancer, stroke, and coronary heart disease cases were preventable.  It even showed that 90 percent of type 2 diabetes cases were preventable by diet and lifestyle changes.

What should I include in my healthy diet?

Studies have shown that higher fruit and vegetable intake is associated with decreased risk of chronic diseases as well as an increased lifespan with improved physical and mental health.

The reason why fruits and vegetables are so highly recommended is because of the essential micronutrients they provide. While they may not provide macronutrients (proteins, carbs, fats), what we do get from fruits and vegetables’ micronutrients are 13 vitamins and 14 minerals.

Why are vitamins necessary for our bodies?

Vitamins are things that we cannot make, so we must receive them through other means, like our diet. Some of these vitamins are water-soluble while some are fat-soluble, and they’re not all the same. Vitamin intake is complex because they each have entirely different functions.

Vitamins, in addition to other micronutrients, support so many functions in the body. They support hundreds of enzymes that enable all kinds of biological functions that we need for good health. They support heart health, bone health, energy production, and normal cell metabolism.

We need all of these micronutrients to keep our engine running, and we are able to receive them from fruits and vegetables.

What makes Vitamin C so important?

Most people know that Vitamin C is an essential nutrient and that we need it; however, most people’s understanding of it starts and stops there. So what even is it?

It was discovered a long time ago in response to a long search for the cause of scurvy. In 1753, James Lind discovered that if you gave sailors fruit while out at sea, then they did not die of scurvy. It wasn’t until hundreds of years later that we discovered the molecule responsible: Vitamin C. This discovery was huge because we were beginning to understand how such a small molecule could actually alleviate or prevent such a devastating disease.

What are some of the benefits of Vitamin C?

We’ve learned that Vitamin C is made in most plants and animals and that most animals have livers that make all the Vitamin C that they need. This is not the same for humans, as we are dependent on our intake.

We know that it is a strong reducing agent, which simply means that it is a great antioxidant. It helps our bodies fight against diseases and strengthens our body’s natural defenses.

We’ve learned a lot from measuring the Vitamin C levels of plasma samples from the body. There are strong indicators that the vitamin plays an essential function in our brain cells, adrenal glands, liver, muscles, and tissues.

These are more of the well-known benefits of Vitamin C, but what about the lesser known ones? Why did our parents make sure we got that cup of orange juice every morning growing up?

Besides reducing the risk of chronic diseases and having a role in our essential functions, here are some other health benefits of Vitamin C:

  • It can help you manage high blood pressure. Vitamin C can help to relax your blood vessels that carry blood from the heart, and therefore can help you lower your blood pressure.
  • It can lower your risk of the global leading cause of death, heart disease.
  • It can help prevent iron deficiencies in your body by aiding in the absorption of iron and other minerals that you consume. Indirectly, then, Vitamin C intake can also help reduce the risk of anemia.
  • It can boost immunity. You may have seen “immunity shots” at your local hipster acai bowl place or healthy restaurant. These are jam packed with vitamins, including Vitamin C. White blood cells help to protect your body against infections and are your last line of defense. Vitamin C is important in the efficient production and function of these white blood cells.
  • It can help to lower the risk of gout and reduce blood uric acid levels.
  • It can protect your brain functionality as you age. Oxidative stress near the central nervous system can affect your memory and ability to think, and Vitamin C is a great antioxidant. Because of that, it can protect your ability to retain memories and have a healthy brain.

The list goes on, but these are some of the lesser known benefits of Vitamin C intake to the general population.

What are some common signs of Vitamin C deficiency?

The problem with intaking Vitamin C through our diet comes from its destruction during food preparation. While the vitamin is water-soluble, it does react very quickly to oxygen and heat, which can be a problem in the kitchen. When we cook food, we start to destroy Vitamin C and when we leave it exposed to the air we are also lowering Vitamin C’s activity levels.

Knowing how important and essential Vitamin C is to our body, being deficient in it can cause some issues. Having lower levels of Vitamin C can also be a sign of being deficient in other kinds of vitamins and minerals, which can all contribute to some of these symptoms and should not be ignored or treated lightly.

Some of the most common symptoms you may be experiencing from a Vitamin C deficiency are:

  • Bruising easily
  • Bleeding/swollen gums
  • Frailty/weakness
  • Dry/split hair
  • Poor wound healing
  • Wrinkled skin
  • Chronic infections
  • Weight gain
  • Aching joints

Vitamin C is important to your immune system for healing. Most of these symptoms are caused by slow healing to bleeding areas or a lack of nutrients to weak tissues and muscles. Fortunately, many of these symptoms can be easily treated through the right attention to diet and lifestyle, and with the support of treatments similar to IV Vitamin Therapy.

What does this mean for us?

What all this means is that Vitamin C is important in so many ways. It’s important for tissue formation and wound healing, mood/energy, cancer prevention and treatment, immune system function, appetite control, gene function, and our stress responses.

There’s no wonder why it has become the most commonly used supplement in the world. Even though the most advisable way to intake these vitamins is from foods, many people turn to supplements or treatments to meet their needs.

If you are worried about your Vitamin C intake, feel free to talk to your doctor to see if you are a candidate for vitamin therapy treatments or other forms of vitamin supplementation. There are many different reasons for needing vitamin supplementation, whether you are a high-performing athlete needing to replace vitamins at a rapid rate, a young person interested in preserving your youth, or someone who wants to maintain a healthy lifestyle through every stage of life.

You can also schedule a consultation with a hydration therapy service to learn more about what vitamin supplementation options may be best for you.

IV Drip Mobile

What are IV Drips and How Can They Help?

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Vitamin IV drip therapies have been around for nearly 25 years. Dr. John Myers had a big part in inventing these IV drips, and used them in a treatment he formulated that would eventually be named the Myers Cocktail.

These days, IV drip therapy is used in anti-aging medicine as well as for general support of energy. It is also used as a preventive measure for anything that may cause stress, like lack of sleep or dehydration. Vitamin therapies can help to rejuvenate and rehydrate the body. Oftentimes, they encourage a healthy libido, strengthen brain functions, aid in diet and detox, and support your general mood and energy.

A lot of high-performing athletes will also use drip therapy as a supplement. The treatments can really help these types of patients because their vitamins are depleting so quickly during high-intensity workouts.

These therapies have also been growing in popularity with younger people who are interested in preserving their youth and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in every stage of life.

What are IV vitamin drips?

In most cases, vitamins are added to the IV drip bag which simply contains saline, electrolytes, some sodium, and dextrose. The vitamins that will be added just depend on what is being offered, but most services will inform you on what options are available and which ones may be best for your individual situation. In addition to the saline solution, IV vitamin drips will contain a powerful antioxidant that is typically not absorbed as well if taken orally. This makes IV drips an ideal choice because of its effectiveness.

You will also receive a large dose of Vitamin C in most IV drips. While the dosage is higher than what you would need on a daily basis, the reason it’s so helpful is that when the drip therapy floods your system with the nutrient, antioxidant, and vitamin, it alters the electrons in your cell membranes allowing your immune system to gain easier access to and penetrate each and every cell in your body.

How do IV drips compare to oral supplements?

The biggest benefit of the vitamin drip is that you will receive all of the vitamins and the fluids straight into your bloodstream. In some cases, you may feel the effects immediately, compared to a multi-vitamin pill that might take a few hours to be absorbed.

An IV vitamin drip will also give you more than an oral supplement would. Whenever you take any supplement by mouth, about 50% of it is digested from the acids in your stomach. The drip therapy bypasses the stomach, ensuring that your body receives 100% of what is going into your system. Not only that, but your body wouldn’t even be able to handle the same number of vitamins if they were to go through your gastrointestinal tract. You would begin to experience diarrhea as your body rejected some of it. With the IV drip, the vitamins are going straight into your veins, circulating throughout your system, being filtered by your kidney, and being urinated.

What are the health benefits of IV vitamin drips?

A lot of the benefits of IV drip therapy come from it being a preventative measure in a patient’s lifestyle. It strengthens your body on a cellular level, allowing DNA to repair itself more efficiently and your telomeres to function properly. This is actually how vitamin drip therapy is related to anti-aging medicine. It can help slow the negative effects we experience with the aging process.

The traditional way to treat illness is to wait until there is something wrong before beginning to treat. Anti-aging practices, like IV drip therapy, work to prevent these things from happening. Why wait until something is wrong? Maybe the better questions to ask are: do I have a constant upset stomach? Do I have numbness or a hard time focusing? Do I have fatigue or abdominal pain?

In most cases, our bodies are not functioning fully because of imbalances of nutrients and vitamins in unhealthy diets. Most people don’t even drink enough water every day to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

It’s very important to understand that when you eat food, by the time your gastrointestinal system breaks it down and converts it into energy, it is no longer food. It is simply a nutrient. The same type of nutrients are being supplemented with treatments like IV vitamin drip therapy.

These nutrients are essential in maintaining healthy electric signals in your body. This allows your body’s processes to function properly so that your metabolism is running at a good rate, or so that your brain chemistry is optimal. And that is what is different from traditional medicine. These newer therapies do not wait for your sugar to go high or for your blood pressure to rise.

Doctors are now able to pay attention to the signals in your body to see what is coming, in addition to having the technology to alter those signals. Providing an IV vitamin drip is just one natural way to alter/boost these signals.

How often do people receive drip therapy?

According to some clinics, most patients will receive drip therapy about once a month or once every other month. In some situations, extremely active patients or professional athletes may visit once a week for treatment.

Is drip therapy good to get if you’re sick or under the weather?

Depending on what treatments you receive, a high dose of Vitamin C will help boost your immune system to fight off the infection that you have.

What are some of the other benefits of drip therapy?

In addition to boosting your immune system, IV drip therapy will also help improve your skin. The number one cause of wrinkles in young people is dehydration. Fluids in an IV drip will rehydrate you and also help with bags under your eyes. The IV fluid in addition to the essential vitamins will help your skin and your hair feel younger and healthier.

On average, a young and healthy person should be drinking about 8-10 glasses of water a day; however, if you are experiencing some dehydration over prolonged periods of time, IV drip therapy may be helpful in maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

Are there any downsides to receiving IV drip therapy?

The truth is that an IV is not the ideal way to maintain your vitamin levels. Your food is your primary way to intake nutrients. After eating food, some people need to supplement with a vitamin. The IV is not compensation for the oral intake, it is simply a different action or mechanism for a supplement.

Another way of looking at it is that if someone has a problem, then you have to super dose the vitamins. You can take them orally; however, there are certain limitations you will run into, which makes the IV supplement a way better option.

It can be a boost in order to compensate for lack of nutrients during recovery from an injury or depletion. It is not intended necessarily for daily consumption or use unless you are depleting your vitamin levels rapidly, as a professional athlete would. It may also be necessary if you are eating improperly or are experiencing sleep deprivation.

So, if you are doing well in areas like maintaining a proper diet, regular exercise, and low-stress levels then there isn’t really a need for a supplemented boost; however, in today’s world, it’s very difficult to avoid some of these situations.

Receiving IV drip therapy

In most cases, you will have a trained nurse practitioner or doctor administering the IV, so there is no need to worry about complications during the treatment. The only negative side effects patients have reported have been shortness of breath or dizziness, which can easily be fixed by adjusting the drip speed.

You shouldn’t have to take a blood test beforehand because of the way most of these vitamin therapies are formulated; however, still be sure to set up a consultation with your specialists to learn what is best for you.