Myers Cocktails

MYERS COCKTAIL

The modified Myers cocktail consists of magnesium, calcium, B vitamins, and vitamin C. John Myers, a physician from Baltimore, Maryland, pioneered this course of intravenous vitamins and minerals as part of the overall treatment for various medical problems.

Over an 11-year period, approximately 15,000 injections were administered to an estimated 800 to 1,000 patients. Conditions that frequently improved included asthma attacks, acute migraines, fatigue (including chronic fatigue syndrome), fibromyalgia, acute muscle spasms, upper-respiratory-tract infections, chronic sinusitis, and seasonal allergic rhinitis. A small number of patients with congestive heart failure, angina, chronic urticaria, hyperthyroidism, dysmenorrhea, or other conditions were also treated with the Myers, and most showed a marked improvement. Many patients chose to receive periodic injections because it enhanced their overall well-being for periods ranging from a week to several months. During the past 16 years, these clinical results have been presented at more than 20 medical conferences to several thousand physicians. Today, many doctors (including an estimated thousand-plus in the U.S.) use the Myers. Some have made slight modifications based on their own observations, but all have reported similarly impressive levels of effectiveness for patients.

However, despite the many positive anecdotal reports, there is only a small amount of published research supporting use of this treatment. In recent years, double-blind trials have shown that IV magnesium can rapidly abort acute asthma attacks. There are also several published case reports in which IV calcium provided rapid relief from asthma or anaphylactic reactions.

Intravenous administration of nutrients can achieve serum concentrations not attainable via oral or even intramuscular (IM) administration. Various nutrients have been shown to exert pharmacological effectswhich, in many cases, depend on nutrient concentrations.

Magnesium ions promote relaxation of both vascular and bronchial smooth muscle, effects that might be useful when treating acute vasospastic angina and bronchial asthma. Intravenous administration of magnesium produces a marked, if transient, increase in serum concentration that gives ailing cells an opportunity to take up magnesium against less-concentrated gradients. If cells are repeatedly flooded with nutrients, such improvements can be cumulative.

Some patients receiving a series of IV injections become progressively healthier: The frequency of their treatments can be gradually decreased and eventually tapered off completely. Other patients may require regular injections for an indefinite period of time to control their medical problems.

The Myers often produces a sensation of heat, particularly when large doses or rapid administration are involved. This effect appears to be due primarily to the magnesium and B vitamins. For most patients, such heat doesnt cause excessive discomfort; indeed, some patients enjoy it. Patients have occasionally remarked that their visual acuity and color perception become sharper immediately after an injection, as if someone had switched on bright lights. In some cases, this effect can last up to a day or two.

Although overly rapid administration can have adverse consequences, some patients appear to experience more pronounced benefits from rapid infusions than from slower ones, presumably because of peaking concentrations of serum nutrients.

The Myers has been found by hundreds of practitioners to be a safe and effective treatment for a wide range of clinical conditions. In many instances, this treatment is more effective and better tolerated than conventional medical therapies.

Offered by Dr. Robyn Benson