For a long time, ending up with an IV drip in your arm during a holiday likely meant something had gone terrifically wrong. Today, travellers who have partied a little too hard on holiday or need a boost before jetting abroad are reportedly turning to the medical procedure, which is becoming a new wellness amenity in hotels, resorts and even shopping malls. From hospitals to hotels Intravenous (IV) nutrient therapy got its start in the 1960s, when a doctor from Johns Hopkins Hospital named John Myers realised injecting nutrients instead of ingesting them was much more efficient.
So, the physician mixed essential vitamins and minerals to create the “Myers Cocktail”, which was promoted and advanced by Dr Alan Gaby, an expert in nutritional medicine, in the 1980s. IV nutrient therapy hummed along as a niche treatment within the medical industry for decades. Then, in 2010, a hospital anesthesiologist called Jason Burke kitted out a bus in Las Vegas with everything needed to administer IV hydration therapy to hangover-struck visitors and named the company Hangover Heaven.
In 2013, after some rough food poisoning during a medical residency, Adam Nadelson turned to an IV drip and experienced the benefits first-hand. Inspired, he founded I.V.
Doc, which operates in 33 US cities as well as London, Spain and Ibiza and often services guests in fancy hotels such as the Four Seasons or the Ritz. Touted as a shortcut to better health and a cure for certain ailments, it’s no surprise .
