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How to Start an IV Centre: Science, Safety and Practice

What it takes to offer IV nutrient therapy well: the science, the formulas, safe technique, Indian law and the running of a centre.

Written by Dr Mitra Basu Chhillar, M.D.
Last updated October 2026 · English

What you'll be able to do

How IV nutrients work in the body: fluid balance, osmolarity (how concentrated a drip is) and how cells make energy
What each nutrient does, its dose range, and who should not receive it
Assessment before treatment: history, blood tests and risk
The working formulas: the modified Myers' cocktail, high-dose vitamin C, glutathione, chelation (drawing heavy metals out of the body) with EDTA, DMSA and DMPS, NAD+ and more
Technique: placing a cannula (the small tube that sits in a vein), mixing and running an infusion, and managing a reaction
Consent, records and ethics
The rules for IV therapy in India, and setting up a centre that meets them
Running the centre: costs, staff training and safety habits

What's inside

MODULE 1: FOUNDATIONS — WHY INTRAVENOUS NUTRIENT THERAPY? Establishing the concept and science

Class 1.1 — The Gap Between Oral Supplementation and Cellular Need
22:43
Class 1.2 — The Functional Medicine Framework
22:55
Class 1.3 — Evidence Base and Scientific Limitations
21:19
References 1.1
References 1.2
References 1.3
quiz 1

MODULE 2: CORE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY The science that underpins every decision you make

MODULE 3: THE PHARMACOLOGY OF IV NUTRIENTS Understanding at the molecular level

MODULE 4: PRE-TREATMENT ASSESSMENT AND PATIENT SELECTION Getting it right before the needle goes in

MODULE 5: CLINICAL PROTOCOLS — THE PRACTICAL FORMULAS

MODULE 6: PRACTICAL SKILLS — CLINICAL TECHNIQUE The hands and eyes of IV therapy

MODULE 7: HEAVY METAL TOXICITY — DIAGNOSIS AND CLINICAL APPROACH

MODULE 8: REGULATORY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK Practising safely within the law

MODULE 9: INFORMED CONSENT, DOCUMENTATION, AND ETHICS Protecting patients and practitioners

MODULE 10: ORAL SUPPORT, LIFESTYLE INTEGRATION, AND FOLLOW-UP

MODULE 11: SPECIAL TOPICS Advanced and emerging areas

MODULE 12: BUILDING AND RUNNING YOUR IVNT PRACTICE The business and professional reality

APPENDICES (Downloadable Reference Materials)

COURSE ASSESSMENT

Is this for you?

Who it's for

Open to everyone: clinicians who plan to offer IV therapy, and anyone who wants to understand how it works.

What you need

No prior training required.
Time: the programme is designed to be completed within 60 days.

About this Certified Programme

Nutrients taken by mouth have to get through the gut first, and the gut sets a ceiling on how much reaches the blood. Given into a vein, the same nutrients pass that ceiling and reach the cells at levels tablets do not. That is the idea behind IV nutrient therapy. Doing it well takes far more than a recipe for a drip.

This programme teaches all of it, in order. It starts with how fluids and nutrients behave in the body, and what each vitamin, mineral, amino acid and antioxidant does once it is in the blood. Then come assessment before treatment, the formulas themselves and the hands-on technique. It ends with the law in India and how to set up and run a centre.

What you will learn

How IV nutrients work in the body: fluid balance, osmolarity (how concentrated a drip is) and how cells make energy
What each nutrient does, its dose range, and who should not receive it
Assessment before treatment: history, blood tests and risk
The working formulas: the modified Myers' cocktail, high-dose vitamin C, glutathione, chelation (drawing heavy metals out of the body) with EDTA, DMSA and DMPS, NAD+ and more
Technique: placing a cannula (the small tube that sits in a vein), mixing and running an infusion, and managing a reaction
Consent, records and ethics
The rules for IV therapy in India, and setting up a centre that meets them
Running the centre: costs, staff training and safety habits

How it is taught

Twelve modules and fifty video classes with Dr Mitra Basu Chhillar, with a short quiz after each module. There are reference sheets to keep, among them an osmolarity table, a pre-infusion checklist and an emergency trolley list. Pass every module quiz and the final test at 80% to receive the SOMA Academy Certificate of Achievement.

Who it is for

Open to everyone: clinicians who plan to offer IV therapy, and anyone who wants to understand how it works. The certificate records that you completed the programme. It is not a licence to practise; who may give IV therapy is set by the law where you work.

Who wrote it

Dr Mitra Basu Chhillar, M.D.

Do I need to be a doctor to take this?

No. Certified Programmes are open to clinicians and to anyone who wants the reasoning. The clinical material is taught in full rather than simplified, so a careful reader without a medical background can follow it, replay it, and pass the checks.

How does the access window work?

Access opens as soon as payment clears and runs for 2 months, which is comfortable for finishing the material in order. The certificate, once earned, is permanent.

What does “verifiable certificate” mean?

Every certificate carries a QR code and a certificate ID. Anyone you show it to can enter the ID on the Academy’s verification page and see what it certifies and who holds it. Verify a certificate.

How is this different from the free Foundations course?

Foundations teaches the concepts of a field, free, in about forty minutes. A Certified Programme takes the whole subject through: mechanism, testing, interpretation and application, ending in examined quizzes and a verifiable certificate.

What if I start and it is not for me?

Enrolment opens the material in full the moment payment clears, so a purchase is not refundable. Every field carries a free Foundations course and every programme page lists its full curriculum, so you can judge the material before you buy. Refunds and cancellations.

Can I enrol from outside India?

Yes. The Academy is open worldwide. The listed price is what an international buyer pays; applicable taxes are added for Indian billing addresses only.

How to Start an IV Centre: Science, Safety and Practice

What you'll be able to do

What's inside

MODULE 1: FOUNDATIONS — WHY INTRAVENOUS NUTRIENT THERAPY? Establishing the concept and science

Class 1.1 — The Gap Between Oral Supplementation and Cellular Need

Class 1.2 — The Functional Medicine Framework

Class 1.3 — Evidence Base and Scientific Limitations

References 1.1

References 1.2

References 1.3

quiz 1

MODULE 2: CORE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY The science that underpins every decision you make

Class 2.1 — Fluid Physiology and Compartment Dynamics

Class 2.2 — Osmolarity Calculations and Solution Compatibility

Class 2.3 — Cellular Energetics and the Mitochondrial Connection

Class 2.4 — Nutrient-Drug and Nutrient-Nutrient Interactions

quiz 2

MODULE 3: THE PHARMACOLOGY OF IV NUTRIENTS Understanding at the molecular level

Class 3.1 — Vitamins: Fat-Soluble (A, D, E, K)

Class 3.2 — Vitamins: Water-Soluble B Complex

Class 3.3 — Vitamin C: The Workhorse of IVNT

Class 3.4 — Minerals and Trace Elements

Class 3.5 — Amino Acids and Mitochondrial Substrates

Class 3.6 — Antioxidants, Phospholipids, and Specialty Compounds

quiz 3

MODULE 4: PRE-TREATMENT ASSESSMENT AND PATIENT SELECTION Getting it right before the needle goes in

Class 4.1 — Patient History and Clinical Assessment

Class 4.2 — Pre-Treatment Laboratory Workup

Class 4.3 — Contraindications, Relative Contraindications, and Risk Stratification

quiz 4

MODULE 5: CLINICAL PROTOCOLS — THE PRACTICAL FORMULAS

Class 5.1 — The Modified Myers’ Cocktail: Foundations of Clinical IVNT

Class 5.2 — High-Dose Vitamin C Infusion

Class 5.3 — Glutathione and Lipid Exchange Protocols

Class 5.4 — Chelation Therapy: Foundations (EDTA, DMSA, DMPS)

Class 5.5 — Chelation Therapy: EDTA Protocols in Practice

Class 5.6 — Chelation Therapy: DMSA and DMPS Protocols in Practice

Class 5.7 — Specialised Protocols: Named Formulas for Specific Presentations

Class 5.8 — Lipid-Based and Phosphatidylcholine Formulas (Supplementary)

Class 5.9 — Condition-Specific Protocol Selection (Supplementary)

quiz 5

MODULE 6: PRACTICAL SKILLS — CLINICAL TECHNIQUE The hands and eyes of IV therapy

Class 6.1 — Venous Access: Assessment, Cannulation, and Site Care

Class 6.2 — Infusion Setup, Mixing, and Administration

Class 6.3 — Recognising and Managing Adverse Reactions

Class 6.4 – informed consent and documentation

quiz 6

MODULE 7: HEAVY METAL TOXICITY — DIAGNOSIS AND CLINICAL APPROACH

Class 7.1 — Sources, Pathophysiology, and Clinical Presentations

Class 7.2 – Testing Methodology: How to Accurately Assess Heavy Metal Burden

Class 7.3 — Testing: Clinical Management of Confirmed Heavy Metal Toxicity (supplementary)

quiz 7

MODULE 8: REGULATORY AND LEGAL FRAMEWORK Practising safely within the law

Class 8.1 — The Indian Regulatory Landscape for IVNT

Class 8.2 — International Regulatory Context and Cross-Border Practice

Class 8.3 — Setting Up an IVNT Clinic: Infrastructure and Compliance

quiz 8

MODULE 9: INFORMED CONSENT, DOCUMENTATION, AND ETHICS Protecting patients and practitioners

Class 9.1 – Informed Consent in IVNT Practice — Full Depth

Class 9.2 – Clinical Documentation and Patient Records — Full Depth

Class 9.3 — Conflicts of Interest in Fee-for-Service IVNT Practice

Class 9.4 — Vulnerable Patients in Cash-Pay Wellness Medicine

quiz 9

MODULE 10: ORAL SUPPORT, LIFESTYLE INTEGRATION, AND FOLLOW-UP

Class 10.1 — Oral Nutritional Support to Complement IV Protocols

Class 10.2 — Diet, Lifestyle, and the Age Control Pyramid

Class 10.3 — Patient Follow-Up, Outcome Measurement, and When to Stop

Class 10.4 (Supplementary) — Sleep, Diet, and Exercise: The Foundation IVNT Cannot Replace

Class 10.5 (Supplementary) — Stress Physiology, the HPA Axis, and “Adrenal Fatigue”

quiz 10

MODULE 11: SPECIAL TOPICS Advanced and emerging areas

Class 11.1 — NAD+ Infusion in Clinical Practice

Class 11.2 — IVNT in Oncology: Principles and Boundaries

Class 11.3 — Peptide Therapy: Overlap and Integration with IVNT

Quiz

MODULE 12: BUILDING AND RUNNING YOUR IVNT PRACTICE The business and professional reality

Class 12.1 — Practice Business and Financial Model

Class 12.2 — Staff Training, Protocols, and Safety Culture

Class 12.3 — Case Studies and Clinical Reasoning in Practice

quiz 12