While working as an intregrative lifestyle medicine specialist in Bangkok, Dr Rashmi Rai would routinely see patients walk in for intravenous (IV) shots for glowing skin or quick recovery from dehydration, allergies, and at times even hangovers. Later when she moved to Europe, she was exposed to a more advanced form of IV nutrient therapy. "There were dedicated drip lounges that offered services that became part of people's wellness routine," she says. After returning to Mumbai, she introduced the treatment at her Khar clinic. A rage in the west, intravenous infusions have emerged as a way to improve health from the inside out, after being endorsed by celebrities like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Chris Brown, Jane Fonda and Simon Cowell.

Since the Coronavirus outbreak, IV nutrient therapy is gaining favour as a quick and painless way to improve immunity. The hydrating drip typically contains a blend of IV fluids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and amino acids. Rai says the number of patients seeking IV nutrient therapy has doubled. The concept is not new, though. The first IV vitamin drips were developed and administered by a physician in Baltimore named Dr John Myers in the 1970s. His research led to the popular Myers' Cocktail, which works on the principle of increasing the blood concentration of several essential vitamins and minerals through IV infusion.