What’s an Injection?
An injection refers to the administration of medication using a needle and syringe.
There are several types of injections:
Subcutaneously (SQ) – This is when an injection is administered into the fatty tissue.
Intramuscular (IM) – IM shots are injections of substances that are injected directly into the muscle. Your muscles have a greater number of blood vessels that are larger than the subcutaneous tissue. It is one of a variety of alternative methods to deliver substances into the body without the involvement of the digestive system. For example, if you’ve been given a flu shot or a vaccine, it was an IM injection. Most of our shots have about ~3ml of nutrients in each syringe. Depending on the protocol, you may be given 1-3 IM injections at a time. These appointments are very quick and usually only takes around 5-15 min.
Intradermally (ID) – This is when injections are given in the top layer of the skin. You may be given an intradermal injection during one of our facials.
Intravenous (IV) – IV injections deliver fluids, medications, or blood through a catheter directly into a vein. A medical professional does this by inserting a needle to guide a catheter into a vein. The needle is then removed leaving the plastic catheter behind in the vein. A lot of patients think that there’s a needle in their arm throughout the whole infusion but just the plastic catheter remains. Hygeia uses a special catheter to prevent infection and a special valve to prevent blood spills.
IV Push – In this treatment electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants are injected directly into your vein using a large syringe, but there is no fluid infusion. This takes less time to infuse than an IV drip. This is a good choice for those on a lunch break or who are in a hurry. Push appointments may take 15-20 minutes.
IV Drip – In this treatment electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, or antioxidants are given in a bag of fluid such as normal saline, lactated ringers or sterile water depending on the protocol. Bags of fluid come in 250ml, 500ml, or 1,000ml. Drips are set to gravity, low pressure and may take between 1-4 hours depending on the protocol. Most of our drips can be completed within an hour, but things like NAD+ may take 2-4 hours.
Why would an injection benefit me?
Many of the substances that would be injected could also be taken orally. However, when you do it has to go through the digestive system. During that process, those substances are metabolized and diminished. The result is a lower amount available for the rest of your body to do what it needs to do with what was provided. Many Americans also have poor gut health or leaky gut issues and cannot absorb the nutrients they take in from food.