Myers' cocktail

The "Myers' cocktail" is the colloquial name for a nutrient cocktail invented by John Myers, a physician from Baltimore, Maryland, and developed by Alan R. Gaby, administered intravenously and promoted as an alternative treatment for a broad range of conditions including asthma, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. As of 2002, between 800 and 1,000 different patients had received this cocktail from Dr. Gaby.^[1] and the cocktail was reportedly administered to Michael Jackson to boost his energy.^[2] However, evidence for its effectiveness is largely anecdotal; there are few clinical studies of the cocktail^[1][2] and a placebo-controlled double-blind study of the effectiveness of Myers' cocktail at treating fibromylagia found the cocktail did not perform significantly better than a placebo.^[3]

Description

The Myers' cocktail is composed of nutrients that are recognized to be deficient or involved in a variety of pathologies.^[4]

Ingredient	Dose	Nutrient
Magnesium chloride hexahydrate 20%	2-5 mL	Magnesium
Calcium gluconate 10%	1-3 mL	Calcium
Hydroxocobalamin 1,000 mcg/mL	1 mL	Vitamin B12
Pyridoxine hydrochloride 100 mg/mL	1 mL	Vitamin B6
Dexpanthenol 250 mg/mL	1 mL	Vitamin B5
B complex 100	1 mL	Vitamin B complex
Vitamin C 222 mg/mL	4-20 mL	Vitamin C

Therapeutic uses

Myers' cocktail has been used to relieve respiratory symptoms of acute asthma attacks, upper respiratory tract infections, chronic sinusitis, and seasonal allergic rhinitis, pain associated with migraines, muscle spasms and fibromyalgia, as well as chronic fatigue syndrome and cardiovascular disease.^[1]

Clinical trials

An open-label clinical trial showed improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms,^[5] however, a placebo-controlled pilot study showed no significant benefit over placebo.^[3]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Gaby A (2002). "Intravenous nutrient therapy: the "Myers' cocktail"". Altern Med Rev 7 (5): 389–403. PMID 12410623. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Dennis, Tammi (6 July 2009). "Michael Jackson reportedly got a Myers cocktail. So what is that exactly?". Los Angeles Times (Tribune). http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/07/michael-jackson-reportedly-got-a-myers-cocktail-so-what-is-that-exactly.html. Retrieved 17 October 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Ali, A; Njike, VY, et al. (17 March 2009). "Intravenous Micronutrient Therapy (Myers' Cocktail) for Fibromyalgia: A Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study". The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.) 15 (3): 247–257. doi:10.1089/acm.2008.0410. PMC 2894814. PMID 19250003. http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2008.0410. Retrieved 17 October 2009. 
4. ^ Shrader W (2004). "Short and long term treatment of asthma with intravenous nutrients". Nutr J 3 (1): 6. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-3-6. PMC 420479. PMID 15144562. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=420479. 
5. ^ Massey, Patrick B. (May/June 2007). "Reduction of fibromyalgia symptoms through intravenous nutrient therapy: Results of a pilot clinical trial". Alternative Therapies 13 (3): 32–34. 

Video on what exactly a Meyers IV Treatment consists of.

External links

• Alternative Medicine Review "Intravenous Nutrient Therapy: the Myers' Cocktail" by Alan R. Gaby, MD