Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy
BY SARAH SIDDONS
Intravenous Hydrogen Peroxide Therapy
There are several ways to receive hydrogen peroxide therapy. Some people suggest drinking a diluted form of it, while others might recommend inserting it rectally, vaginally, or through the nose or the ears [source: American Cancer Society]. Though these are all possibilities, the most common method of receiving hydrogen peroxide is through intravenous injection.
Intravenous hydrogen peroxide therapy was first brought en masse to the medical field at the First International Conference of Bio-oxidative Medicine in 1989 [source: Farr and Josephs]. Since then, many people stand behind the supposed power of hydrogen peroxide IV infusions. Treatments typically last an hour and a half. They can vary in frequency, as some people might request only one treatment and others might want an infusion five days a week [source: Kennedy].
Regardless of treatment frequency, intravenous hydrogen peroxide injections can have several dangers and serious side effects, the most severe being death. In South Carolina, a doctor of alternative medicine administered hydrogen peroxide to a patient who then died within five days of that injection [source: Liptak]. Other side effects of IV therapy are vein inflammation, red streaks up and down the arm, shortness of breath, chills, nausea and general aches [source: Farr and Josephs]. Despite these known side effects, some people claim that there are very few dangers when administered IV therapy by a professional [source: IV Therapy].
So while treating that childhood bicycle scrape may have not been a bad idea, you should consult your physician before you begin any sort of hydrogen peroxide therapy. |
