You guys may remember a post I did a while ago about IV therapy where we discussed the benefits of vitamin therapy.
Well, in this post we’re diving a little deeper with a nurse & the founder of Drip Hydration, Mercy Henderson. YES, I’m still using IV therapy & it’s been a game-changer. I don’t do it a lot but I do when I’m feeling depleted, traveling a lot, or am hungover. LOL.
Mercy & I met when I moved to Austin. She comes to our house, Michael & I lay there like slobs ( LOL ), & she hooks us all up for our IV drip. We get tons of vitamins for energy & immunity & hydration.
The reason I love the whole situation is that Mercy doesn’t hurt me when the needle goes in. I’m deathly afraid of needles, I just can’t even deal. Mercy is just SO GOOD at what she does. Not only that, her energy is on point, which is important when someone is in your home.
Before we left for France ( stalk all my outfits here ) Mercy came over & I swear it made the whole journey, & jetleg, so much easier. I felt great.
Anyway, in this post Mercy shares the benefits of an IV & walks us through the process of using Drip Hydration as your go-to IV Therapy source.
Let’s welcome Mercy to The Skinny Confidential.
IV Hydration Therapy For Health & Hangovers
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♡ Introduce yourself to The Skinny Confidential audience.
Mercy Henderson: Hi, I’m Mercy Henderson. I’m wife to my best friend & business partner, Joe, mom to 3 amazing kids, & owner of Drip Hydration in Austin, Houston, & San Antonio. Transplants from Cali in 2008 before it was cool, my husband & I fell in love with Austin’s running & cycling community!
One of my favorite pastimes is enjoying a run around town lake & having cortados & pastries after! I have always had a passion for helping others be the best version of themselves. This initially led me into the fitness space as a trainer & then I transitioned into healthcare as a nurse. Now, I can do a perfect blend of both fitness & healthcare, partnering up with Dr. Abe Malkin in California & bringing Drip Hydration to Texas!
♡ Tell us about your background with IVs.
MH: Being an athlete in Texas, my first IV experience was running outside in the heat of summer, 5 months pregnant, & ending up in the OB ER for pre-term labor. I received a liter of fluids, & immediately felt the cramps stop.
Besides getting my baby out of danger, I also noticed a pressure in my head go away. I felt great & slept solid that night! A few years later, I had another scare with an allergic reaction that landed me in the ER. As soon as the medications were pushed & vitals were stable, the nurse went to discontinue my IV. “Let’s let it finish,” I said, & thought, “I could use this every-other-day!”
My excitement died down with the coldossal hospital bill.
I thought, “Why do I have to feel bad to get this relief, & what could I do to make this more accessible?” Also around this time, I was a mother/baby nurse, & what I would hear a lot from my patients were, “I wish I could take you home with me!” The truth is, so much about healthcare is empowering people to take control of their health outside of the “bedside.”
I loved the teaching side of mother-baby nursing! What better motive to get healthy than a brand new life, right?! Then last year came the pandemic. Life shifted dramatically, but one cool trend I saw in the aftermath of chaos was a heightened awareness of health & personal accountability to it. People are scared to go to the hospital. They want to do everything they can to protect & optimize their health. With this on-site IV service, we can provide an easy, safe, & accessible way to avoid dehydration. Even better, we can boost immunity, energy, & overall wellness! Health-care not sick-care…what an idea!
♡ What are some benefitts of IVs?
MH: 100% absorption of hydration & vitamins-STAT!! IV infusions completely bypass the stomach & about 28 feet of your digestive system, going directly into your bloodstream to deliver hydration & nutrients to your body-everywhere!
For example, if you or I were to max-out on Vitamin C, the most we could digest & make available at any given time would be 260 mm/1 L of blood. Through an IV, we can easily get you to 15,000 mm/1 L of blood instantly-talk about a Super Immunity Boost ( also the name of my favorite IV )!
For my weekend warriors, & anyone from 2020 making up for lost time, no one has time for a hangover! Our Hangover IV not only provides immediate headache & nausea relief but hydration & energy to keep the fun going strong!
Right now, what’s keeping us extremely busy are doctors referring their patients to us post-positive Covid test for our Super Immunity IV. We’re finding this is not only providing relief from symptoms but energy as well! One fatigued post-Covid client reported feeling “like Superman,” after his infusion. Another client said his body was suffering from 20 days of high fever, which he finally had relief from after his vitamin infusion!
♡ Because IVs can be scary ( you know I’m a scaredy cat ), what should someone look for when they’re having one. Are there ingredients or credentials we should be asking for first?
MH: One thing that I feel sets us apart from other IV services is that every one of our clients receives an IV assessment with our Doctor or Nurse Practitioner first. Because these services are brought to you, we want to make sure that we are keeping you as safe as we are keeping you comfortable.
Our Provider will screen for your safety & help you find exactly what you need from your IV. We have our IV menu, but, based on your IV screening & specifics, we can add or exchange boosters to maximize your IV experience!
Also, all of our infusions are done by experienced registered nurses, who are IV-ninjas, giving even the needle-shy a comfortable & calm Drip experience. Of course, I want your IV drip to be with us, but, if not, you should always know the certification of who is giving your IV & if it’s being done under a medical professional’s supervision.
It should always be done in a safe & clean environment, vital signs should always be checked before & after infusion, assuring your safety above all! For example, even after you’re cleared with our Provider, if your vital signs are unstable ( i.e. blood pressure is too high ) we will not infuse as it is unsafe.
♡ Tell us about an IV.
MH: IV is short for IntraVenous or into the vein. It’s the quickest way to administer fluids, vitamins, & medications. Most of our IVs start with your basic 1 liter of NS ( Normal Saline ) which is hydration & electrolytes, but go all the way up to our Stem Cell & Exosomes infusions which offer top-of-the-line anti-aging, restorative benefits!
♡ Can you talk everyone through the process of getting an IV from start to finish?
MH: Everything starts on our website where you can check out our different IV options or create your own a-la-carte infusion & put down your preferred time. Once you receive confirmation of your booking, a member of our team will reach out to confirm appointment time & collect any other details or requests.
You will then be connected with the Provider for your IV assessment. This is a good time to go over your IV choice, your current symptoms or benefits you’re looking for with your IV Drip. Once you’re cleared, your nurse will reach out with their ETA while you find your favorite spot to relax. The nurse will take your vital signs on arrival, assuring a safe infusion. We make an effort to find the placement of your IV that best serves you whether you’re finishing up work emails or need your dominant hand for that perfect IV selfie 😉
Our nurse is nearby during the whole infusion to monitor as adjustments are sometimes needed right away. They keep you as safe & comfortable as possible. With safety being our priority, if anything comes up, we have protocols in place & our nurses are trained to prevent & handle any IV emergency. Once infusion is complete, your nurse takes one more set of vitals before leaving you happy & hydrated!
♡ What do you do if someone is terrified of needles?
MH: This is where our nurses shine! Not only are our nurses experts with IVs but in caring for our clients as well! We also make a point to use smaller gauge needles in less sensitive zones when someone is needle-shy.
♡ What are the best times to get an IV?
MH: I love this question! If you’re looking for optimal health benefits, an IV before the busiest part of your week is a game-changer! If you’re jet-lagged from travel, an IV recharges your energy & immunity battery fast. And improves the quality of sleep when the quantity is low.
So if you want to be ahead of the game, an IV pre-party helps prevent the hangover all together! But the best part of our service is, we’re there at the best time for you!
♡ What other services do you offer & what are the benefits?
MH: Where do I start? Besides the vitamin Drips, we also offer NAD IV. NAD ( Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide ) is a naturally-occuring amino acid & coenzyme of Niacin. In short, it’s the energy currency of the body! It’s super powers include anti-aging, boosting brain function & memory, aiding in detoxing & addiction recovery, & improving athletic performance! Going even next-level with regenerative treatment, I’m happy to announce we’re now offering Stem Cells & Exosomes IV treatments!
Our Stem Cell IV therapy includes a dose of 30 million cells directly into your bloodstream. Stem cells are smart, seeking areas in the body with damage, then restoring & repairing them! We also offer on-site Covid testing which includes individual to stadium-sized testing needs! We can get you results in minutes with our Rapid Antigen Test, hours with our Rapid PCR Test, & same-day with our Standard PCR tests.
One of my favorite parts of being in this business is being in the forefront of expanding services. Right now I’m working on offering a micronutrient panel that we can collect in-home. This panel will provide you with the details of which vitamins & minerals you may be deficient in so we can tailor your IV Drip, further optimizing results! I think the best benefit of using our service is that we come to you!
♡ Where can everyone find you? Pimp yourself out!
MH: You can find us online at driphydration.com. Our Texas IG handles are @driphydration_austin, @driphydration_houston, & @driphydration_sanantonio. My personal IG is @mercys_miles for my running/cycling content.
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Hope you loved this post. Are you into IV therapy? When do you feel like you need it most? Tell me below & be sure to follow Mercy & Drip on Instagram.
x, lauryn
+ how to avoid a hangover in Cabo.
++ try my favorite spa water medleys to spice up your h2o.
MY FAVORITE WAYS TO STAY HYDRATED:
