An Irish GP is warning that there is ‘no evidence in favour of and no advantages to’ the new IV Drip service at Brown Thomas.
The department store is offering the service at its new outlet in Dundrum – with prices ranging from €85 for ‘basic hydration’ to €390 for an NADH drip.
The service is being run by ‘Get A Drip’ – which operates stores in the UK and around the world.
On Lunchtime Live this afternoon, GP Naomi Smith said retail IV services are “unethical” and warned that they are not necessary for anyone who follows a healthy diet.
Dr Smith noted that the ‘High Dose Vitamin C Drip’ on offer in the store would see people getting the same amount of vitamin C as if they ate 25 oranges in one sitting.
“Our bodies are literally not designed to tolerate that amount of micronutrients,” she said. “They don’t actually discuss the risks of getting this amount of Vitamin C. It cost €250 euro for you to actually pee it out.”
She said the Vitamin C goes straight to the kidneys where it gets broken down into something that is “one of the main building blocks of kidney stones”.
“You are actually putting yourself at increased risk of getting kidney stones from that particular drip,” she said. “That is just one example of what is on offer in the shop.
“I really think they are just tapping into marketing and taking advantage of people who might not realise that there is no evidence in favour of it and no advantages to it.”
The new Brown Thomas in Dundrum is providing an IV drip service with an extensive menu of options. I consider these unethical and find it completely jarring that I can pay €85 for a bag of NaCl (that costs how much, pennies?) I don’t need in a high end retailer down the road… pic.twitter.com/gIM3rY17pV
— Naomi Smith (@naomibsf) February 27, 2022
Also on the show, Get A Drip CEO Richard Chambers said the company employs a range of medical professionals - including doctors, nutritional therapists and dietitians - and all the drips are administered by registered nurses.
He said the formulas have all been made in safe doses, with no adverse effects recorded from over 40,000 drips administered around the world up to now.
He said there are studies showing that people are “no longer getting the nutrients they need” from modern foods.
“Whatever advice and recommendations that are being made are not working and we are coming in to fill in this gap so people can have the choice of having optimum nutrition available to them,” he said.
He said the public health system is often unable to carry out the level of testing needed to ensure patients are getting optimal nutrition.
“That is what should be happening but obviously, there are budgets within national health services and the budget is not there to do extensive testing to optimise people’s health,” he said.
“People are going to doctors, they are not feeling great and they are being told to eat a few bananas and go for a run. We do full diagnostic testing. Private healthcare is essentially what you are getting from us – and people can choose to have that.”
There is no evidence base for these treatments & unknown long term risks. Benefits? A very expensive gamble to potentially have a ‘feeling of energy & detoxification’ as stated on their FAQ. I’d be interested to hear what others think of this.
— Naomi Smith (@naomibsf) February 27, 2022
Also on the show, Dietitian Sarah Keogh said that anyone worried that they may have a vitamin deficiency should talk to their GP.
She said that unless you are suffering from a medical condition, you can get all the vitamins you need by following a healthy diet.
“The guidelines do work,” she said. “That stuff isn’t made up. There is good evidence behind it.
“So, I think if people are going to invest time and money into something, have a look at what you are eating.
“Have a look at your nutrition. If you’re having regular vitamin deficiencies, again it’s back to your GP. This is where you check for deficiencies, this is where you check for other issues and find out what is going on.”
She said anyone suffering from a vitamin deficiency to the point where they need a drip needs to talk to their doctor first.
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