In the past few years, IV therapy has begun to pop up just about everywhere in the UK. What was once something you’d only see in hospitals, has now become a service you can find at wellness clinics and even at your local salons. With such an insane rise in popularity, the question on many people’s minds is whether IV therapy is genuinely a beneficial treatment or just one of those wellness trends that lack all substance.
If you find yourself in the same place with the same questions, don’t worry – this guide has you covered. Let’s dive straight into what IV therapy is all about, and figure out why so many people are choosing it even if they’re already healthy.
Who really needs an IV drip?
The reality is that IV drips serve two populations that cannot be more different from one another, and understanding the distinction here is the first step to making sense of the entire trend. Let’s start with those for whom IV therapy is a must – something that keeps them healthy, and in some cases, even alive.
Take individuals with autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis as an example. Conditions like these can severely damage the digestive system’s ability to absorb nutrients properly. Similarly, people who struggle with malabsorption syndrome cannot process nutrients due to problems with their intestines. Their digestive system quite literally cannot do its supposed job. In such cases, IV therapy can provide for all their essential vitamins and minerals needs with ease, delivering the goodness straight into their bloodstream.
There’s also a case for people undergoing certain cancer treatments requiring IV therapy as well. You see, chemotherapy can wreak havoc on their digestive system and deplete their nutrient reserves at an alarming rate. The same applies to people recovering from major surgeries, for whom IV drips are an absolute necessity.
Why do healthy people use IV drips?
On the other side, we have perfectly healthy individuals who are also choosing to go for a variety of IV therapy programs. For them, choosing an IV drip serves as a preventative approach to their health. They view the therapy as a way to protect themselves from getting ill, optimise their performance, and to manage the demands of modern life.
This preventative approach has become increasingly common in recent years. These days, you’ll find folks booking IV drips before stressful work periods, during cold and flu season, or after some physically demanding activity. It’s a supplementary tool for their healthy lifestyle plan, used for self-care instead of treating any medical issue.
The logic behind opting for this will vary from person to person. Some will tell you that modern life depletes their nutrients faster than diet alone can replenish them. Others will explain their need for an extra layer of protection during particularly demanding periods. Some will simply claim that they feel better and more like themselves after these treatments. So the answer to whether you need an IV drip depends entirely on you and your lifestyle goals.
Why have IV drips exploded in popularity?
The lifestyle proponents of IV therapy advocate for its one big advantage: better nutrient delivery. This refers to how much of a nutrient your body actually absorbs and uses. When we take vitamins orally, they must pass through our digestive system, where various factors can affect absorption. Your stomach acid breaks them down, your liver metabolises them, and in the end, only a portion of what you swallow makes it into your bloodstream. An IV drip bypasses this entire process, delivering nutrients directly into your bloodstream, thereby achieving maximum bioavailability as a result.
Another major appeal of IV therapy is speed. When you take oral supplements, you may have to wait hours or even days to feel any effects as your body gradually absorbs and distributes the nutrients. With IV drips, the delivery is almost immediate. This can make the treatment quite attractive in a few situations. For instance, if you’re severely dehydrated after a stomach bug or dealing with an intense hangover, an IV drip can help you feel better in a short span of time, making the recovery feel somewhat miraculous. Similarly, athletes who’ve pushed themselves to extreme limits often love how quickly IV therapy can support their recovery process.
The wellness industry, on the whole, has seen some tremendous growth in the UK over recent years. When IV therapies first arrived on the scene, they were seen as a perfect fit for most people’s lifestyle narrative. Clinics offering these therapies have now evolved into comprehensive wellness centres that blend their clinical expertise with patient-centred care, featuring comfortable environments, personalised consultations, and dedicated post-treatment support.
That is also why you’ll see many people nowadays combining these therapies with their self-care routine, placing them with fitness plans, stress management practices, and a healthy diet. They see it as an investment in their wellbeing – a way to give their body extra fuel to manage the demands of modern life. But in the end, it’s probably due to celebrity influence that IV therapy has seen such mainstream success in the first place. When all these beloved and famous personalities share photos of themselves undergoing this treatment on social media and talk about how it fixed their jet lag or helped them recover for an upcoming event, it drives up public interest exponentially. If someone so successful and super health-conscious is doing it, clearly there has to be something worth checking out.
Is IV therapy for you?
For some people, IV drips are a need, and for others, it’s a want driven by a desire to live a healthy life. Whichever population you may be a part of, remember that approaching IV therapy thoughtfully is what matters the most.
Look – if you are a healthy individual and want to try it as a preventative measure, please consult a GP familiar with your medical history and health goals. Then, when you’re actually starting out, keep in mind that IV therapy is only one tool in what is usually a more comprehensive wellness plan. Its value depends entirely on your lifestyle, health status, and expectations. As long as you don’t forget that, whatever choice you make will only be for the best.
