The Sarasota IV Lounge plugs you into a new level of preventive medicine.
Doctors often use IV-administered vitamins and nutrients to treat existing illnesses and other conditions. But what if IV treatments were available for people before they needed more serious medical intervention?
The one-year-old Sarasota IV Lounge in midtown Sarasota offers a full menu of nutrient-rich, medically sound “cocktails” to alleviate common chronic conditions, combat illnesses and boost everyday wellness. The “Spa Treatment” bag, for instance, combines vitamins and antioxidants with a big dose of hydrating fluids to revive skin cells.
The “Myer’s +” consists of taurine, B12, magnesium and that all-important hydration to boost energy. There are IV cocktails for detoxification, immune system, fertility, mood-lifting and even hangovers (walk-in spots available).
The founder of the lounge, the late Dr. Guy DaSilva of Lakewood Ranch’s DaSilva Institute, was a pioneer in intravenous techniques and frequently traveled across the country to lead seminars about IV treatments. Similar medical lounges exist in places like Miami and Las Vegas, though DaSilva designed his cocktails to serve the broader spectrum of health conditions within Sarasota’s medically savvy population.
The treatments are administered by a registered nurse in a medically supervised but relaxing, spa-like lounge setting. Treatments last between 30 minutes to an hour.
You might think of the IV concoctions much in the way you envision juice bars and over-the-counter vitamins—a proactive way to help the body run a little more smoothly. But unlike juices and pills, which are subject to imperfect absorption through the digestive system, the primary argument here is that IV treatments go directly into the bloodstream. And, in addition to nutrients and minerals, that 100 percent absorption includes simple hydration, which many of us neglect and can make a huge difference in health and wellness. (Athletes are often given hydrating IVs, especially in the case of illness or warm-weather games, because drinking Gatorade just won’t cut it.)
Some question whether nutrients like B12 and magnesium actually improve health, or the logic of rehydrating by IV when a person is still capable of drinking. And some doctors worry that this might be used as another do-it-yourself treatment in lieu of more traditional intervention.
But the IV approach has its supporters, and Sarasotans now have a chance to experience it for themselves.
The treatments are administered by a registered nurse in a medically supervised but relaxing, spa-like lounge setting.
Written by:
Hannah Wallace