MEMPHIS, Tenn. — IV therapy is quickly becoming more and more popular. It is used for different kinds of treatments.
One Memphis clinic offering IV infused treatment, has a new mixture specifically for patients recovering from COVID.
It's a cocktail of sorts. No, it's not one you drink, but one you inject.
“Yes, we offer the hangover cure, but we also have IV that attack migraines or sinus infections or immunity issues. There’s a cocktail for a lot of different things,” said Estes Folk, Pro Health Clinic Owner.
At Pro Health Clinic, the latest IV treatment cocktail on the menu is COVID Recovery.
Folk breaks down what is inside.
“The IV contains B complex vitamins, vitamin C and magnesium. The secret ingredient is glutathione which is probably considered the mother of all antioxidants,” said Folk.
Folk describes it as getting an oil change for your body.
“This is like an effective one and done kind of way to flush your whole body out,” said Folk.
The COVID recovery cocktail was created three months ago.
“We were having a lot of patients calling us…asking, ‘What do you do about these symptoms I keep having? I’ve had COVID...I’m still dizzy. I still have this brain fog. I still have this unexplained fatigue,” said Folk.
When word got out about the COVID recovery IV treatment, patient traffic picked up.
“We’ve had people come in, get the IV’s, come back a week later and tell us they haven’t felt this good since they were well before COVID,” said Folk.
IV treatment is not new, so we turned to Baptist Memorial Hospital's Dr. Steve Threlkeld to see if it works.
“There really is not a lot of science out there the fluid, vitamins, and antioxidants…The NIH will probably comment and say there’s no data for this. I’ll tell you this. They’re probably relatively harmless. If you take it and you get a lot better from it, it’s fine to take it again,” said Dr. Threlkeld, Baptist Memorial Hospital Infectious Disease Specialist.
The other thing is to avoid COVID altogether and get vaccinated which Threlkeld said could help with lingering symptoms too.
“They are weak mind you and preliminary, but the only data out there helping long COVID is taking the vaccine after the fact strangely. We don’t know why that’s the case. It’s not something that I can recommend people go out and take the vaccine, but it is the only thing that’s shown in some of those small studies to possibly help some of those folks with those symptoms,” said Threlkeld.
“It’s not anything that can hold you back,” said Folk.
If IV treatment is your thing, there is little to no harm in the not shaken, not stirred cocktail.