Can Ivy Cocktail cure hangover or boost immunity?

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Intravenous drips have long been used in hospitals to deliver life-saving medications directly into patients’ veins. They’re also a booming business at wellness spas, where clients are told expensive IV cocktails can boost their immunity, fight hangovers or even stave off the gruesome side effects of chemotherapy.

However, medical experts warn that there is no evidence to support the bold promises of many clinics – and there are a range of potential health risks.

IV Hydration Clinics is one of the fastest growing clinics medical spa industryThat grew from about 5,000 across the US in 2018 to about 9,000 just four years later. There’s no shortage of them, even in major Canadian cities, with med spas typically charging more than $200 for customized supplement cocktails, which may include electrolytes, magnesium and various vitamins. In advertisements, providers claim they can help treat many conditions.

So who is controlling this emerging industry? According to recent research and reporting by CBC News, there is no single regulatory body acting as a watchdog in the US and Canada.

First research paper of its kind, Published earlier this month The peer-reviewed JAMA Internal Medicine found that in the US, state-level policies – and clinic practices and claims – vary widely, with potentially dangerous outcomes.

“They fall into somewhat of a gray zone in terms of regulatory oversight,” said study author Dr. Joseph Ross, a professor of medicine and public health at Yale University.

“If consumers are going to go out and use these (IV spas), often without their doctors even knowing they’re using them, we have to make sure there are safety measures in place so no one gets hurt.”

complex regulatory landscape

The research team looked at provider websites as well as state policies and guidance, and conducted mystery shopper studies involving dozens of randomly selected features.

Those studies found that while 86 percent of businesses recommended treatments targeting specific headache or cold symptoms, less than a third described potential health risks or required consultation with a licensed medical professional before providing IV sessions.

CBC News found a similar scenario in Canada.

There are layers of complex regulations, and different licensing bodies, which deal with different pieces of the pie: the ingredients of the IV drip, the range of medical professionals involved, and the security of the actual clinics, like making sure the equipment is sterile. Given the patchwork approach across the country, there is growing concern that these sites are lacking oversight even on this side of the border.

“The situation here in regulation of these health spas, and especially these new IV spas, is really the same as or worse than in the US,” said Bernie Garrett, a researcher and associate professor at the University of British Columbia.

A spokesperson for the federal department said that IV healthcare products are regulated as medicines, they must be authorized by Health Canada before they can be legally sold and require supervision by a health-care professional.

But while individual products are regulated, consumers are often getting customized blends. The Yale team’s Ross said medical spas often function like compounding pharmacies, which can lead to contamination.

There are also separate provincial regulatory bodies for various medical professions involved in oversight across Canada – such as registered nurses, physicians or naturopaths – which hold their members to certain standards of care.

While that means more eyes on the situation, Garrett said bad actors “exist in all health care professions.” He said regulators also have difficulty dealing with cases of potential loss or misrepresentation because they are often difficult to prove.

Complaints are increasing

College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan Gave a statement in 2023 Noted an “increasing trend of complaints” about unsafe practices in IV clinics and stressed that nurses providing private services need to ensure that clients have the medical conditions to receive treatment.

The College of Naturopaths of Ontario also operates an inspection program specifically dedicated to “intravenous infusion therapy” or IVIT, which tracks and investigates complaints involving clinics operated by registered naturopaths.

A naturopath offering IV therapy was cautioned earlier this year after unspecified complaints about its advertising practices and administration of “unauthorized substances,” public records show. Another was asked to write a 2,000-word essay explaining what he learned from the “IV Emergency Course” and what changes he would make to ensure public safety.

College CEO Andrew Parr told CBC News that health law prevents the college from sharing details of complaints and investigations. He stressed that its program works to ensure safety through strict standards “set due to the additional risk associated with this procedure.”

Of concern to the college are situations where IV therapy is being performed by individuals who are not regulated health professionals, Parr said, “because they could be putting their clients at risk.”

‘Not something you want to take lightly’

So do these amenities really pose a threat to customers’ health?

Any intravenous treatment involves the possibility of cross-contamination, skin or vein inflammation, and tissue or nerve damage. But UBC’s Garrett said the benefits of regulated medical treatments — such as intravenous hydration given in the emergency department — generally outweigh those downsides.

“This is not something you want to do lightly as recreational therapy,” he said.

Texas lawmakers take action on IV clinics in 2025 death of a woman Who became unresponsive after an injection at a medical spa two years ago. (The autopsy report indicated no definite cause of death, noting that IV therapy “cannot be definitively ruled out or ruled out” as a contributing factor.)

Meanwhile in B.C. In, A naturopath comes under fire For giving IV injections to a mentally ill person while he was unknowingly hospitalized, without the knowledge of his doctors. The patient’s mother filed the complaint after her son died of pulmonary embolism in December 2019, five months after his last infusion, alleging that the treatment contributed to his death.

Dr. Jessica Kent-Rice, a Toronto-based emergency physician, said in her experience, patients often don’t come to the hospital because of concerns after a Wellness Infusion.

However, he added, “More serious complications such as bloodstream infections, vitamin toxicity and drug interactions would not be unexpected.”

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Provider says risks can be minimized

Some providers insist that those risks can be reduced when facilities are properly regulated.

CBC News visited Timeless Health Clinic, a private wellness facility in Mississauga, Ontario, that offers customized IV vitamin drips for $150 to $300.

Naturopath and clinic founder Yelena Deshko said the facility has been inspected twice by the College of Naturopaths of Ontario and adheres to strict safety standards.

But he said as the procedure grows in popularity, he worries that some facilities are being negligent or operating without proper licensing. Recently a client said she fainted during a session at a different clinic after being given an IV drip from a frozen, premixed bag that wasn’t completely thawed, Deschko recalled.

“This is really a concern for us as providers of this treatment, because it can be very dangerous for the patient.”

‘Health Scam’

Potential health risks aside, Garrett stressed that many of these spas’ sweeping claims are simply marketing tactics where potential benefits may exist, but there is no reliable scientific evidence to support it.

“Basically, it’s a health scam,” he said.

Under normal circumstances, Ross said, no one really needs basic IV hydration.

“When you need it for medical reasons, it’s usually because of very severe vomiting or diarrhea … and in those cases, there may be other problems, like electrolyte imbalances and kidney problems, so you want to get care from a licensed professional.”

A safe alternative to deal with frequent hangovers or headaches? Ross suggested simply drink hydrating, healthy beverages — no need for out-of-pocket injections.