What is NAD Infusion Therapy & What are the Benefits?
NAD infusion therapy has been used in medical treatments since the late 1960s, and for good reason: there are many benefits to NAD therapy. This blog will outline what NAD therapy is, how it works, how IV (intravenous) treatment compares to oral supplements, its possible benefits, and your at-home treatment options.
So what is NAD Infusion Therapy? NAD stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. It’s a coenzyme that binds with elements in your body and can help regenerate cells, reversing age-related effects and enhancing cognitive processing. It can also reduce withdrawal symptoms during drug addiction recovery, among other substantial benefits.
How Does NAD Infusion Therapy Work?
Your body depends on vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in order to maintain optimum function. When your body lacks the NAD coenzyme, it impairs cellular function leading to age-related effects and decreased cognitive functioning. During your NAD IV therapy treatment, NAD molecules will bind with proteins in your body to create active enzymes that your body will use to metabolize fuels and revitalize your cells. The NAD coenzymes will combine with other elements to become niacin (vitamin B3), which is the vitamin that’s responsible for revitalizing cells from the inside out.
The possible benefits of NAD Infusion therapy
Supports energy levels
Since NAD revitalizes cells throughout your whole body, it can help nearly anyone. One of the most common reasons NAD IV therapy is used is for the energy boost it provides. This increase in energy can improve athletes’ performance. It also improves metabolic processes, which can help you reach or maintain a healthy weight when combined with a healthy diet and exercise. NAD is vital to the metabolic process, which is why low NAD levels are important to avoid. As such, NAD is being explored as a treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome.
Enhancing brain function
Brain fog is the term for those frustrating times when you have difficulty in achieving clear, focused thoughts. You might find it difficult to focus on a particular task, or you may notice your productivity declining at work or school. NAD IV therapy can help you fight off brain fog because it saturates your brain’s cells with the enzymes it needs to perform better. NAD therapy can help improve cognitive function and clear up the haze so you can focus on whatever task needs your attention.
NAD does this by managing production of the PGC-1-alpha protein, protecting brain cells from aging. Excess free radicals, which are generated by body function, can damage cells, an effect known as oxidative stress. Because the brain utilizes 20% of the body’s oxygen supply, it is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress.
This damage can impair brain plasticity- the ability to adapt to a changing environment. Neuronal stress resistance can also be negatively impacted, affecting cellular messaging. Additionally, NAD combats the inflammation associated with cognitive decline, which has been linked to neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinsons.
Reverses aging and supports whole-body wellness
NAD offers many benefits for the mind, but it can also positively affect your body. The NAD coenzyme is essential for activating antioxidants and reducing inflammation, which helps reduce pain. That’s why NAD therapy may help some individuals manage chronic pain. NAD works at a cellular level to help your cells repair themselves more efficiently. This helps reverse age-related damage, which, in turn, helps you look younger and more rejuvenated. In additionI, the increase of serotonin that comes with NAD IV therapy acts as a mood stabilizer and can alleviate depression.
Aids in addiction recovery
Addiction to drugs or alcohol changes your brain chemistry, and this leads to cravings that often result in relapse. NAD IV therapy helps to speed up healing in your brain, which makes you less likely to experience cravings and severe withdrawal symptoms.
How does NAD Infusion therapy compare to other NAD supplements?
NAD IV supplementation involves delivering NAD intravenously. This means NAD is added to IV fluids which are stored in sealed bags and suspended above the head of the patient receiving treatment. The bag is connected to a long, thin tube with a needle at the end, which is inserted into a vein. IV fluids and NAD flow through the tube directly into the bloodstream. Other ingredients, like nutrients, can also be added to treatment.
Bypassing the digestive system ensures a higher absorption rate. Taking supplements orally means they must be broken down before they can be absorbed, which can result in up to 50% of ingredients being lost. Delivery directly into the bloodstream also means ingredients are bioavailable right away, so your body can feel the effects of treatment faster. Hydrating IV fluids help flush toxins and free radicals from your system, allowing your body to function at its best.
NAD IV therapy treatments typically involve multiple 2-4 hour sessions over the course of a few weeks. Once treatment is complete, the benefits of NAD therapy can last several months. The number of sessions and duration of treatment differs on a case-by-case basis, depending on factors such as the health concern you are trying to address, your general overall health, and several other factors.
Who Should Consider NAD Infusion Therapy?
NAD therapy is a forward-looking treatment that is helping many people to enhance their health, quality of life, and vitality levels today while also potentially staving off the clock in terms of aging. People who seek out NAD therapy using IV drips can likely look forward to increased energy levels, improved athletic performance, a faster metabolism, and an overall feeling of “being on point” that has faded with the years.
In addition to reporting that they feel better than ever, many people actually find that they begin to look younger and healthier after beginning NAD therapy. However, the decision to begin NAD therapy is something that should be made in collaboration with a trained and experienced medical provider. It’s also important for anyone looking into how to get NAD supplements to know that IV therapy is currently the only recommended method for boosting the body’s NAD levels. Supplements that can be purchased simply don’t offer the bioavailability to create an effective way of absorbing NAD. As a result, these products simply waste time and money without creating results.
