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INTRAVENOUS NUTRIENT THERAPY: the “Myers’ Cocktail”
by Robert A. Erickson, M.D. 2003©

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Introduction

John Myers, M.D., a physician from Baltimore, Maryland, pioneered the use of intravenous (IV) vitamins and minerals as part of the overall treatment of various medical problems. Although Dr. Myers died in 1984, his therapies are used by alternative physicians throughout the world. Dr. Myers found after decades of experience that chronic problems such as fatigue, depression, chest pain, palpitations, asthma, fibromyalgia, acute migraines and other conditions would often be well controlled by these treatments. In spite of these anecdotal reports, there is relatively only a small amount of published research available for review.

The Basis for IV Nutrient Therapy

Most research on vitamins and nutrients has to do with minimum amounts of a specific nutrient to prevent an illness or disease such as scurvy or beriberi from occurring. More and more interest and research is pointed toward the effects of higher dose of vitamins in treating disease and illness. Various nutrients have been shown to exert pharmacological effects, especially at higher than nutritional doses. For example, the antiviral effect of vitamin C has been demonstrated at a concentration of 10-15 mg/dL, a level achievable with IV but not oral therapy. When the daily intake of vitamin C is increased 12-fold, from 200mg/day to 2,500mg/day, the plasma concentration increases from 1.2 to 1.5mg/dL. In contrast, IV administration of 50g/day of vitamin C resulted in a mean peak plasma level of 80 mg/dL. At a concentration of 88 mg/dL in vitro, vitamin C destroyed 72% of the histamine present in a medium. This may be why IV Vitamin C is often effective in treating allergies and asthma.

Similarly, oral supplementation with magnesium results in little or no change in serum magnesium levels, whereas IV administration can double or triple the serum levels for a short period of time. Magnesium exerts a muscle relaxant effect on both vascular muscle, lowering blood pressure and also helping with angina pain, and on bronchial smooth muscle, relieving asthma symptoms.

In addition to having direct pharmacological effects, IV nutrient therapy may be more effective than oral treatment for correcting intracellular deficits. Some nutrients are present at much higher concentrations in the cells than in the serum of the blood. For example, the average magnesium concentration in heart cells is 10 times higher than in outside the cells. This ratio is maintained in healthy cells by an active-transport system that continually pumps magnesium ions into the cells against the concentration gradient. If these cells are diseased, the capacity of membrane pumps to maintain concentration gradients may be compromised. In one study, there was a 65% lower magnesium concentration in patients with cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle) than in healthy controls. We know magnesium plays an important role in mitochondrial energy production, and intracellular magnesium deficiency may exacerbate heart failure, leading to a lower intracellular magnesium level and a worsening of heart failure. This same model may apply to other nutrients as well.

And finally, if a person has impaired digestion and/or absorption from the intestinal tract, IV therapy provides a direct route into the circulation for the nutrients. It has been our observation at the Center that chronically ill and also elderly patients often times feel dramatic increases in energy and a sense of well being after receiving an IV Myers’ Cocktail.

The Modified Myers’ Cocktail

The ingredients for this therapy are listed below. The original Myers’ Cocktail had iodine in it which we have left out. Although the amounts are not listed below, at the Center we have increased the amounts of Vitamin C and Magnesium from the original formula to reflect therapeutic doses to treat cardiovascular disease, infection and allergy per current medical literature.

The ingredients are as follows:
• Magnesium chloride
• Calcium gluconate
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride)
• Vitamin B5 (dexpanthenol)
• B complex 100
• Vitamin C

Dr. Myers would mix his formula into a syringe with sterile water and slowly inject IV over a period of 5 - 15 minutes. At the Center, we mix these ingredients into an IV of sterile water at isotonic concentration. Doses are adjusted based on age and condition of the patient.

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References:

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3. Iseri LT, French JH. Magnesium: nature’s physiologic calcium blocker. Am Heart J 1984; 108:188-193.
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5. Lapp CW, Cheney PR. The rationale for using high-dose cobalamine (vitamin B12). CFIDS Chronicle Physician’s Forum 1993 (Fall):19-20.
   
6. Cohen L, Kitzes R. Magnesium sulfate in the treatment of variant angina. Magnesium 1984;3:397-402
   
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9. Herbert V. Vitamin B12. Am J Clin Nutr 1981;34:971-972.
   
10. Gaby, Alan R MD Intravenous Nutrient Therapy: the “Myers’ Cocktail.” Altern Med Rev 2002;7(5):389-403
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