Name: Private IV clinics in regulatory grey zone, could pose health risks
Uploaded: 2025-11-02T15:39:29.586Z
Duration: 2 min 11 s
Description: Private wellness IV clinics are booming in Canada with a variety of health and wellness claims, but experts are raising concerns about a lack of evidence backing their claims and the fact that the clinics are falling through regulatory cracks.

Private wellness IV clinics are booming in Canada with a variety of health and wellness claims, but experts are raising concerns about a lack of evidence backing their claims and the fact that the clinics are falling through regulatory cracks.

Toronto

Private intravenous (IV) therapy clinics are proliferating across Canada, promoted heavily on social media and offering expensive vitamin and supplement infusions. A CBC News investigation reveals that these clinics frequently operate in a regulatory grey zone, with less than a third requiring medical consultations or disclosing health risks before treatment. 

Health experts warn that the lack of consistent oversight can lead to serious health risks, including cross-contamination and infections. While some clinics claim to follow strict safety protocols, incidents such as patients passing out after improper administration have been reported. Authorities note that there is little scientific evidence supporting the health benefits of IV therapy for healthy individuals, and advise seeking medical advice for illness rather than turning to these treatments.

Private IV clinics in regulatory grey zone, could pose health risks

Social media is filled with ads for intravenous therapy, cocktails of vitamins and supplements that cost hundreds of dollars and get injected right into someone's veins. The growth that you're seeing probably is in part because there is so little regulatory oversight. This researcher studied the booming business of IV therapy south of the border. He found less than a third of clinics required consultation with a licensed medical professional before treatment or described the potential health risks. If consumers are going to go off and use these, particularly often without their doctors even knowing that they're using these, we have to make sure that the safeguards are in place that nobody gets hurt. The risks can include potential cross-contamination, adverse reactions or even serious infections. At this wellness center in Mississauga, team members told us they adhere to strict safety standards for their IV offerings, including a sterile environment, patient exams and vital checks. But this naturopath says one customer told her she passed out during a session at a different facility after being given a partially frozen IV bag. This really concerns us as providers of this treatment because it can be very dangerous for the patient. Across Canada, CBC News found private IV clinics often fall into a regulatory grey zone, similar to the U.S. Health Canada authorizes intravenous health products, while a patchwork of provincial watchdogs monitor workers such as naturopaths, physicians or registered nurses. Only some regulators actually inspect the clinics directly. Unfortunately, I think these IV clinics, they're falling through the cracks. One of Canada's top experts on health and wellness trends says the bigger issue is there's often no evidence backing up claims about health benefits. I think that these products should be viewed as a major red flag. Doctors told us if you're sick, seek medical advice. And if you're healthy, there's typically no need for any type of intravenous therapy. Lauren Pelley, CBC News, Toronto.

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