The holiday season focuses on family and friends and goes hand-in-hand with another helping of dessert and just one more glass of wine. Do you need a cleanup from the extra holiday cheer? Start your New Year’s detox with a different kind of cocktail.

IV nutrient cocktails can rev up your metabolism, pump up your immune system, and most importantly, help detoxify your body more efficiently. The “Myers Cocktail” is a well-known IV formula which includes concentrated doses of magnesium, B-vitamins, and vitamin C. This vitamin cocktail is the perfect “cellular drink” to help replenish depleted vitamins and minerals after partying hard. IV nutrients bypass the digestive system and are absorbed 100% directly into your cells. IVs are shown to improve fatigue, fibromyalgia, and respiratory infections as well. If you’re not ready to take the plunge and get a full IV, weekly B-vitamin injections are a quick and easy way to reduce stress, improve energy, and boost your immune system.

One of the best IV nutrients to restore your liver and help with detoxification is glutathione. Glutathione is one of your body’s most potent antioxidants and aids in detoxification and as a free-radical scavenger. It also plays an important role in your immune system and recycling your antioxidants (i.e., anti-aging!). As glutathione is not easily absorbed through oral routes, getting a dose via IV will assure your cells are getting what they need. Increasing your helpings of sulfur-rich foods, such as garlic, onions, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cabbage, etc.) and high-quality, bio-active whey protein, can improve glutathione production.

The New Year may also be a good time for a nutritional reboot to clean up your gut! Participating in a post-holiday 21-day detox program allows your body to rest and recover from the everyday stress and toxins we put into our bodies, especially after the holidays. Detox helps with losing weight, increasing energy, reducing inflammation, normalizing digestive function, and improving sleep. A strong immune system comes with an optimally functioning digestive system. If you want to protect yourself against the flu season, then work on your gut health first.

Round out your detox goal with a daily exercise and stress management plan. Movement every day is a significant part of stress management. Exercise can be in the form of walking, yoga, tae kwan do, hiking, cycling, going to the gym, dancing – whatever wakes your body up and makes it happy. Scheduling time to exercise your heart and the rest of your muscles reduces the risk for a multitude of health problems and helps with sleep, weight, energy, hormone balancing, bone health, and stress reduction. Remember, deep breathing and meditation during exercise helps clear your mind of the clutter in your brain. I personally like to go to the climbing gym after a busy day in the clinic. It helps me clear my mind and get rid of all the pent-up energy in my body. The main thing is to do what works for you, and to just do it. Cheers to your health!

Dr. Sonja Fung is a primary care naturopathic doctor with a focus on integrative cancer care and regenerative joint injections at Live Well Clinic in La Quinta which offers B-vitamin injections, IV nutrients, HCG weight loss programs, and specialty nutritional lab tests for a personalized health plan. For more information, call (760) 771.5970 or visit www.livewellclinic.org.

Sources: 1) Glutathione, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/glutathione#section=Top; 2) Gaby, Alan. Nutritional Medicine (first edition), 2011; 3) Gaby, Alan. Intravenous nutrient therapy- “Myers Cocktail” http://www.altmedrev.com/publications/7/5/389.pdf; 4) Blum, Susan. https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/arthritis-and-your-immune-system; 5) Hyman, Mark. Essential Glutathione- http://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/19/glutathione-the-mother-of-all-antioxidants/