What is amino acid IV therapy?
Amino acids are the building blocks of the human body, used to construct the proteins that form tissues, organs, muscles, skin, and hair. Amino acids are also important precursors of the enzymes and neurotransmitters that regulate almost all metabolic processes, making them essential for human health.
The presence of nitrogen in the chemical structure of amino acids distinguishes them from the fats and carbohydrates your body uses for fuel. Without amino acids, you would not exist.
Normally we get all the amino acids we need from our diet. Â But with many conditions, our diet is insufficient to provide the many amino acids necessary for full and balanced NT production. Â This is when supplementing with specific amino acid blends becomes a valuable treatment.
The main focus of amino acid therapy is on the serotonin-catecholamine system. Â When this system is balanced, it seems to control and balance the glutamate-GABA system.
Amino acid therapy is not as simple as giving a standard dosage of amino acid supplements. Â The natural production and breakdown of NTs in the body share some of the same enzymes to promote the reactions. Â Giving too much of one amino acid can cause a depletion of competing amino acid-NT pathways.
For example, giving only 5HTP will produce more serotonin but can deplete the supply of dopamine and norepinephrine. Â For this reason, it is also important to supply L-Tyrosine. Â The key is supplying both in the right amounts.
Amino acids IV therapy pumps vital nutrients into your bloodstream, thus effectively enhancing your health and well-being. With this treatment, you can enjoy improved athletic performance, mental clarity, and better muscle growth.
The ideal amount of amino acids balance hormones, enzymes, and neurotransmitters in the body. Most importantly, it aids in muscle and tissue repair.
How Does Amino Acids IV Therapy Work?
Amino acids IV therapy offers a full supply of amino acids to keep you healthy and strong for the long run. Amino acids belong to a group of compounds that make up a majority of the body’s proteins. They are involved in growth and development, healing and repair, digestion, and supplying energy to your body. Through IV therapy, your body directly receives amino acids in the bloodstream, which can aid in multiple body functions.
Why the Body Needs Amino Acids
Amino acids are referred to as essential building blocks. These proteins are naturally found in plants and animals. They affect your body’s normal processes and play an active role in many body functions. Some of these include:
- The formation and development of muscles, ligaments, and skin
- Maintaining good skin, hair, and nails for females and males
- Strengthening of muscles and tissues
- Regulating moods affected by hormones
Amino acids can be helpful to anyone. By supplementing with protein and amino acids through IV therapy, athletes and individuals can achieve optimum performance and improved health.
Why Are Amino Acids Important?Â
Essential amino acids play many important roles in the body.
Valine, for example, is required for tissue regeneration, muscle growth, and growth hormone production. It is one of the essential AAs that aids in muscle repair and recovery lowers blood sugar, and increases energy levels.
Tryptophan is also an amino acid with many different functions. It is essential for synthesizing neurotransmitters, enzymes, and protein and infants' normal growth and development. It helps produce serotonin, a key hormone, and neurotransmitter that regulates sleep, appetite, and mood.
Threonine is another important amino acid used in the synthesis of proteins such as elastin and collagen. It is used in the treatment of a range of nervous system disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and spinal spasticity.
As an essential amino acid and a precursor for neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine, phenylalanine has been studied as a treatment for several conditions, including vitiligo, ADHD, depression, and chronic pain.
Amino proteins also serve as intermediaries in metabolism. They play an important role in cancer cell metabolism, including the antioxidant system and redox status regulation. Several therapies are currently in clinical trials or are already used for cancer treatment.
Glycine, which plays a role in many metabolic reactions, is effective in treating metabolic disorders in those with diabetes, cancer, obesity, various inflammatory diseases, and cardiovascular disease.
Symptoms of Amino Acid Deficiency
As you just learned, essential amino acids cannot be produced by our bodies and must come from the food we eat.
Although some of us simply don’t get enough amino acids from our diet, others have trouble properly breaking down and assimilating the amino acids that we do take in. Maldigestion and intestinal inflammation are two of the more common reasons that amino acids might not be absorbed in the digestive tract. Things like stress, intense exercise, infections, antibiotics, and antacids can contribute to these issues and affect your ability to absorb amino acids.
For athletic and physically active people, amino acid deficiency can negatively affect physical performance. In older adults, loss of lean muscle mass from that lack of amino acids can cause debilitating conditions and increase the risk of injury.
Other symptoms of amino acid deficiency include:
- Depression and anxiety
- Digestive issues
- Loss of muscle (sarcopenia)
- Lower immunity
- Reduced cognitive function
What Are The Benefits of Amino Acids IV Therapy?
Some people may have trouble consuming oral supplements or absorbing amino acids through food. Are you undergoing medication or suffering from a preexisting condition that interferes with your ability to absorb nutrients? IV therapy will indeed be useful for you. Through IV therapy, amino acids can be introduced to the bloodstream directly for a complete overall absorption rate.
Boost Your Athletic Performance
Amino acids are not only essential for building muscle. Amino acids can also minimize the loss of muscle that occurs with aging. Amino acid supplementation is the best way to sustain everyday exercise routines and replenish any lost muscle mass.
Improve Your Muscle Growth
Amino acids can promote the recovery of protein synthesis after exercise. With IV therapy, your muscles can acquire the much-needed amino acids needed for your next workout. This can result in improved muscle growth with the right exercise and nutrition.
Enhance Your Physical Endurance
Glycogen depletion is a severe problem for many athletes, particularly those who rely on short bursts of power. Amino acids regulate the way your body uses fats and carbohydrates for better endurance.
Boost Your Mental Clarity
Higher levels of amino acids will enhance your ability to remember and act quickly. It can be your secret to success when competing in sports.
Experience Effective, Immediate Results
IV therapy is not affected by the digestive process. With this therapy, your body can effectively use what it needs. IV formulations make amino acids instantly available to fuel the cells in your body. Compared to other forms of treatment, IV therapy can help you immediately enjoy the treatment’s benefits.
What’s in an Amino Acid Infusion?
Amino acid IV therapy involves using hypocaloric solutions administered through the peripheral veins. It can include amino acids such as L-carnosine, L-Arginine, L-Glutamine, and L-Lysine as well as B vitamins, and Vitamin C.
L-Arginine:
L-Arginine is an amino acid that aids protein synthesis and helps in building muscle and rebuilding tissue. It is used for a range of conditions such as intestinal disease in premature babies, high blood pressure, peripheral arterial disease, and chest pain.
The intravenous administration of L-Arginine has been shown to regulate blood pressure and improve endothelial function in those with coronary heart disease.
L-Carnitine:
L-Carnitine is a derivative of an amino group that the body produces naturally. It helps in breaking down fatty cells, supports the liver and kidney function in those with organ failure, and reduces weakness and fatigue in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Taking L-Carnitine via amino acid injection helps improve the red blood count and markers of inflammation and anemia.
L-Citrulline:
L-Citrulline is a nonessential amino that stimulates nitric oxide production and improves blood flow. It is used for a number of conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, sickle cell disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. When administered through intravenous infusion, L-Citrulline helps reduce inflammation and lowers oxidative stress.
L-Glutamine:
Also a nonessential amino acid, L-Glutamine is a fuel source for the immune and intestinal cells. It is used to help recovery from chemotherapy, radiation, burns, injuries, and surgery. L-Glutamine can be administered intravenously to speed recovery after surgery, boost metabolism, and improve gastrointestinal health. It is also used in cellular detox therapies and helps improve focus and memory.
L-Lysine:
L-Lysine is an amino acid that aids collagen synthesis, facilitates calcium absorption, and supports muscle turnover. People with L-Lysine deficiency experience symptoms such as loss of appetite, dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and anemia.
Studies indicate that taking L-Lysine aids muscle tissue recovery prevents bone loss, and improves the healing of cold sores. When administered through an IV drip, L-Lysine promotes collagen synthesis, facilitates calcium and zinc absorption, improves immune function, and prevents bone loss and osteoporosis.
L-Ornithine:
L-Ornithine plays a role in the excretion of excess nitrogen and is the precursor of amino acids such as arginine and citrulline. Given into a vein in an IV drip, it helps improve muscle protein synthesis and liver function.
Methionine:
Methionine is an important sulfur-containing amino acid involved in producing glutathione and cysteine. Glutathione plays a key role in tissue building and repair and is a powerful antioxidant. Cysteine helps produce collagen and is a key protein in hair, skin, and nails.
When to Consider IV Amino Acid Therapy?Â
Patients with a broad range of conditions benefit from amino acid therapy, including depression and anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction, sarcopenia or loss of muscle tissue, insomnia, and memory loss.
IV therapy effectively alleviates the symptoms of all these conditions because amino acids support the brain’s neurotransmitters. Amino acid IV therapy is also beneficial for anyone whose consumption of animal protein is limited.
Major benefits of amino IV therapy are improved metabolism of body fats, improved oxygen transfer, and muscle and nervous system regulation.
Amino acid therapy also helps reduce oxidative damage, regulates blood pressure, reduces allergic response, and improves the utilization of iron and oxygen transfer in the blood circulation.
