2020 Technical Info on IVMT or Meyer's Cocktail
For Beyond 2020 - The Myers’ Cocktail as a health alternative for the following acute & chronic conditions - Please note that it is Strongly Recommended that this treatment option should only be administered by a fully-licensed qualified & experienced Physician (DO or MD). It should further be noted that a New Specialty in Integrated Medicine has been created, as a result of the US Noble Prize scientist, Linus Pauling, based on his extensive scientific peer-reviewed research studies and findings on Vitamin C (ascorbic acid).
Of course, over the years, the German's and the Swiss scientists and doctor's have developed some very interesting treatment 'integration' protocols in the use of combining specific Pharmaceuticals, with "Pharmaceutical-grade" Phyto-medicinals, & Nutritional Support, for a variety of Pain, Immune, Neurological, Cancer and Chronic disease(s) applications.
This New shift in paradigm is now referred to as: Ortho-Molecular Medicine ... an umbrella term.
Ortho-Molecular Medicine - consists of utilizing 'an integrated approach' to treatments, therapies and modalities, that include: Bio-Dynamic OMT (NeuroMusculo Skeletal Integration Therapy), and/or Osteopathic Cranial Therapy, and/or Customized Meyer's Cocktail Treatments, and/or, Prolo-therapy, LomiLomi Massage, RomiRomi Bodywork, Acupuncture, Nutritional Medicine consultations.
May also be integrated with traditional Western medicine and use of Compounding Pharmacies.
An integrated use of Ortho-Molecular Medicine for the therapeutic treatment of the following acute and chronic conditions (not all-inclusive):
* Fibromyalgia Syndrome
* Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
* Depression
* Acute-Chronic Neck, Back, Extremities Pain & Muscle Spasms
* Headaches
* Pain Syndrome
* Insomnia
* New Body Scar healing
* Acne
* Sport injuries (acute/chronic)
* ADHD or Memory dysfunction
* Hormone regulation
* Post-surgical pain and wound healing
Intravenous micro-nutrient therapy (IVMT) - specifically, the protocol use of the “Myers’ Cocktail”, is a popular approach among a growing number of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) physicians.
Interest in and use of IVMT is growing as evidenced by the number of clinics across the US offering IVMT as a principal treatment. While no exact figures currently exist, members from a wide range of national medical associations including The American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM), The American Holistic Medical Association (AHMA), the American Academy of Pain Management (AAPM), the Great Lakes College of Clinical Medicine (GLCCM) and the International Society of Ortho-molecular Medicine (ISOM) report using IVMT. Data obtained by an on-line survey of members of these organizations in support of this application suggest that IVMT is widely used for a variety of conditions, most often fibromyalgia (FMS), with consistently positive results; survey data pertain to some 12,000 patient experiences. Despite its popularity, no controlled trials of IVMT efficacy, and only one trial investigating the mechanism of action of the Myers’ Cocktail have been conducted.
The exact mechanism of action of IVMT is unknown apart from the effects of the individual constituents. Lonsdale, et al. examined the hypothesis that Myers’ Cocktail improves cellular energy and attempted to support this by measuring erythrocyte ADP/ATP ratios before and after treatment. The results, however, did not support this hypothesis.
Much of the benefit of Myers Cocktail in the treatment of FMS is believed to be derived from the magnesium content.
Magnesium administered intravenously has been shown to ameliorate pain in a number of conditions. Magnesium is important for over 300 different enzyme reactions, and in healthy states, magnesium levels are second only to potassium intracellularly. Magnesium has been found to be low in the serum and erythrocytes and high in the hair of FMS patients, suggesting some imbalance of magnesium regulation in this population.
Gaby hypothesizes that the reduced levels of intracellular magnesium found in FMS patients plays a role in the etiology, and in order to adequately replenish the cells with magnesium, it is necessary to attain extremely high levels in serum, possible only with IV administration. Reed found parenteral magnesium therapy to have a beneficial effect in treating two groups of patients; those with acute sprains, contusions, or soft tissue injuries, and those with chronic muscular complaints including myofascial pain, relapsing soft tissue injuries and fibromyalgia.
Migraine headache's appear to share some features with FMS such as irregularities of serotonin, the extensive dysregulation in pain modulation and generalized hyperalgesia.
Like FMS patients, migraine patients have been found to have reduced red and mononuclear blood cell magnesium levels.
Two double-blind studies have shown that chronic oral magnesium supplementation may reduce the frequency of migraine headaches and one pilot study demonstrated that IV magnesium can resolve an acute migraine. Magnesium concentration plays a role on the modulation of serotonin receptors, nitric oxide synthesis and release,
and a variety of other neurotransmitters.
Although FMS is associated with serotonin irregularities, studies investigating the use of SSRIs have demonstrated limited effect.
Based on research to date, some conjecture can be made regarding the role of magnesium, however the possible role of the other constituents of the IVMT solution have not been investigated extensively. Nonetheless, vitamin B-12 injected intramuscularly has been used experimentally to treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), a syndrome closely associated with FMS. In one un-blinded trial, 2,500–5,000 mg of vitamin B-12, given by injection every two to three days, led to improvement in 50–80% in a group of people with CFS, with most improvement appearing after several weeks. It is felt that oral or sublingual administration would not achieve the effects seen with injectable B-12.
IVMT Safety
IVMT is a safe treatment, as it is very simply the administration of vitamins and minerals using either standard IV infusion or bolus technique (syringe injection).
The potential for adverse reactions from IVMT lies mainly in the method of administration rather than the substance administered, i.e. any type of IV therapy holds some risk of local (hematoma, thrombosis, phlebitis, thrombophlebitis, infiltration, extravastion, local infection, venous spasm) and/or systemic complications (septicemia, circulatory overload, pulmonary edema, air embolism, speed shock, catheter embolism).
These complications are rare, and are avoided by using proper technique and by screening patients for whom IV therapy is contraindicated.
There exist reports of allergic reaction to the thiamine (B-1) used in the solution, most often manifested as a hypersensitivity reaction.
Complications are best avoided by the pre-administration and observation of an intradermal injection of a small amount of thiamine. Otherwise, there are no known serious side effects of IVMT.
Providers of IVMT have not observed other known toxic effects of vitamin and mineral excess.
Legend: D.O. (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine & Surgery) - May Specialize in OMT (Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy) or Bio-Dynamic OMT (NeuroMusculo Skeletal Integration Therapy)
and/or Osteopathic Cranial Therapy and/or Ortho-Molecular Medicine or Meyer's Cocktail Treatments, and/or Mind-Body Medicine and/or ReHab/Sports Medicine and/or may be a Nutritional Medicine Specialist.
M.D. (Allopathic - Doctor of Medicine) - May specialize in Meyer's Cocktail Treatments, or Complimentary/Alternative Medicine (CAM), or Nutritional Medicine Specialist.
MD's are not formally trained in OMT, NMS Integration Therapy,
or Osteopathic Cranial Therapy and must have completed basic and advanced formal classes, lectures, instruction and workshops by a certifying AOA (American Osteopathic Association) organization.
Updated - January 2018
