At The Fascia Institute · New Orleans, Louisiana
IV therapy, designed for the patients I actually see.
By Jacques Courseault, MD, CAQSM, FAAPMR · Founder, The Fascia Institute and Treatment Center®
Most IV programs are built for general wellness. Mine is built for the patients who walk through my door — many of whom live with dysautonomia, POTS, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, or hypermobility. These are the patients for whom hydration is not optional, who get labeled “hard sticks,” and whose bodies respond differently to the fluids most clinics use without thinking about it. This is the IV therapy I built around them.
Why I offer IV therapy at all.
A meaningful portion of my practice lives with conditions where hydration is not a wellness add-on — it is a daily clinical reality. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), dysautonomia, Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, hypermobility spectrum disorders, MCAS — the patients I see most often are the patients for whom volume status, electrolyte balance, and autonomic stability are at the center of how they feel from day to day.
These patients also tend to share another reality: they are “hard sticks.” The same biology that makes ligaments lax makes veins behave unusually. Connective-tissue laxity leads to fragile, mobile, sometimes anatomically unexpected vessels. Many of these patients arrive at our clinic with stories of getting stuck three, four, five times at a previous appointment before someone found a working vein.
I did not want my patients having that experience here. So I built our IV therapy program around two clinical upgrades most IV bars and wellness clinics do not offer.
And while I built this program with those patients in mind, the same standard applies to everyone who walks through the door — athletes, post-procedure patients, patients recovering from illness, or anyone who simply wants their IV hydration done well. You do not need a qualifying diagnosis to come. The fluid is the same. The team is the same. Whoever you are, you get the version we are proud of.
Two things that make our IV therapy different.
Plasma-Lyte, not saline.
Most clinics use 0.9% normal saline because it is the cheapest crystalloid available. I use Plasma-Lyte — a balanced crystalloid that mirrors your body’s actual plasma composition, with magnesium, potassium, acetate, and gluconate built in. For patients with autonomic dysfunction and electrolyte sensitivity, the difference is meaningful.
Ultrasound-guided IV access.
EDS and hypermobile patients often have unusual venous anatomy — weird branching, fragile vessels, veins that are not where the textbook says they should be. I already have an ultrasound in the room. I use it for fascia, and I use it for veins. First-try access, virtually every time. No multiple sticks, no chasing veins blind.
Why Plasma-Lyte matters.
The most common IV fluid in the United States — 0.9% normal saline — is acidic, chloride-heavy, and contains nothing else. It is fine for many short, simple uses. It is not the right fluid for a patient with autonomic dysfunction receiving regular hydration, or for a patient whose electrolytes are already on the edge.
Lactated Ringer’s is a step up from saline — closer to physiologic chloride, includes potassium and calcium, and uses lactate as a buffer. It is what most hospitals reach for when they want a balanced fluid on the cheap. But it depends on a healthy liver to metabolize the lactate into bicarbonate, contains no magnesium, and includes calcium that is incompatible with some medications and blood products.
Plasma-Lyte is the most physiologic of the three: pH-balanced near 7.4, with sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, acetate, and gluconate in concentrations that closely match your blood. It costs more — about three to five times what saline costs — which is why most IV bars never use it. It is the fluid I would want infused into me if I needed regular hydration. So it is the fluid I use on my patients.
0.9% Normal Saline
- pH · ~5.5 (acidic)
- Sodium · 154 mEq/L
- Chloride · 154 mEq/L (supraphysiologic)
- Potassium · 0
- Calcium · 0
- Magnesium · 0
- Buffer · None
- Hyperchloremic acidosis risk with large volumes
- Cost · Lowest
Lactated Ringer's
- pH · ~6.5 (mildly acidic)
- Sodium · 130 mEq/L
- Chloride · 109 mEq/L
- Potassium · 4 mEq/L
- Calcium · 3 mEq/L
- Magnesium · 0
- Buffer · Lactate (liver-dependent)
- Neutral (with normal liver function)
- Cost · Low
Plasma-Lyte
- pH · ~7.4 (matches blood)
- Sodium · 140 mEq/L (physiologic)
- Chloride · 98 mEq/L (physiologic)
- Potassium · 5 mEq/L
- Calcium · 0
- Magnesium · 3 mEq/L
- Buffer · Acetate & gluconate
- Neutral / supports acid-base balance
- Cost · Higher (~3–5× saline)
For a patient receiving routine IV hydration as part of long-term management of POTS or dysautonomia, the cumulative effect of these differences is real. It is the difference between giving your body a fluid that approximates its own plasma and giving it a fluid that does not.
Ultrasound-guided IV access changes the visit.
If you have Ehlers-Danlos, hypermobility spectrum disorder, or chronic dehydration from POTS, you know the routine: three sticks, two missed veins, a bruise that lasts a week, and an apology from whoever was doing the sticking. The veins are not where the chart says they should be. The vessels collapse. Connective-tissue laxity leaves the venous anatomy variable in ways most clinicians have not been trained to anticipate.
I use the same ultrasound machine I use for fascia to find your vein before I touch you with a needle. The vessel is visualized in real time. The needle path is planned in advance. Access is achieved on the first attempt in the great majority of patients — including patients who have been “hard sticks” their entire adult lives.
This is a small clinical upgrade. For the patient receiving the IV, it is the difference between a quiet, comfortable visit and a frustrating one.
Who comes to FIT for IV therapy.
Patients who come for IV therapy at FIT span a wide range. Many live with chronic conditions where hydration is part of daily life. Others come for recovery, performance, post-illness rehydration, or simply because they want their IV done with clinical rigor. You do not need a qualifying diagnosis to come. Here are the most common reasons patients walk through the door.
POTS & Dysautonomia
Patients managing volume dysregulation, orthostatic intolerance, and autonomic instability. Regular IV hydration with Plasma-Lyte can be a meaningful part of long-term management.
EDS & Hypermobility
Patients with connective-tissue laxity whose veins make routine IV access difficult elsewhere. Hydration is often part of their underlying care, and ultrasound-guided access makes the experience manageable.
MCAS & Complex Sensitivities
Patients with mast-cell-related conditions where a balanced, physiologic fluid is preferable to high-chloride saline, and where electrolyte support is part of the daily picture.
Post-Procedure Recovery
Patients recovering from Hydrofascia Release™, ProloBoost Dual PRP, or prolotherapy who benefit from hydration and electrolyte support during the regenerative phase.
Acute Illness Recovery
Patients recovering from viral illness, GI illness, or prolonged dehydration who would benefit from rapid volume restoration with a physiologic fluid.
Athletes & High-Output Patients
Patients with heavy training schedules, heat exposure, or recovery demands that exceed what oral hydration alone can support.
Your IV visit at FIT.
IV therapy visits are scheduled in our New Orleans office. The session is comfortable, clinical, and built around your specific needs — not a fixed menu.
Frequently asked.
Plasma-Lyte is a balanced crystalloid that mirrors your body’s actual plasma composition — closer pH, physiologic chloride, with built-in potassium, magnesium, acetate, and gluconate. For patients receiving regular hydration, especially with autonomic dysfunction or electrolyte sensitivity, it is meaningfully better than 0.9% saline. Most clinics use saline because it is the cheapest option. I use Plasma-Lyte because it is the right option.
Probably not. We use ultrasound to locate the vein before the needle goes in. The same machine I use for fascial imaging works perfectly well for venous imaging. Most patients who have been hard sticks elsewhere get first-try access here, even those who have been stuck multiple times at previous visits.
Yes — for many patients, regular IV hydration is part of long-term management. Plasma-Lyte restores volume and supports electrolyte balance more physiologically than saline. We do not promise it cures POTS — nothing does — but it is one of the more impactful supportive tools available for patients managing autonomic dysfunction.
Most patients can self-refer. If you have a relevant diagnosis (POTS, EDS, dysautonomia, MCAS, etc.), bringing your records helps us tailor the formulation. If you are unsure whether IV therapy is right for you, schedule a brief consultation first and we will discuss it.
It depends entirely on what your body actually needs. Some patients benefit from weekly hydration; others from monthly maintenance. After your first visit, I can help you build a cadence that fits your case and your life.
Most wellness-oriented IV hydration is not billable to insurance. Some patients are able to use HSA or FSA accounts. Our team will review your specific situation when you schedule.
Anyone is welcome. While I built the program with my chronic-condition patients in mind, the two clinical upgrades — Plasma-Lyte instead of saline, and ultrasound-guided access when needed — apply to every patient. Athletes, performance patients, post-illness recovery, post-procedure hydration, or just “I want a good IV today” — all are appropriate reasons to come. The fluid is the same. The team is the same. You do not need to qualify.
Hydration that actually fits your body.
IV therapy at The Fascia Institute is scheduled in our New Orleans office. POTS, EDS, dysautonomia, hard sticks, athletes, recovery, or anyone who just wants an IV done well — all are welcome.
2520 Harvard Ave., Suite 2B · Metairie, LA 70001
The Original Fascia Institute · Founded and led by Jacques Courseault, MD