Things I know to be true.

1. The placebo effect is strong as a motherfucker, and the effect is strengthened by the 'intensity' of the placebo procedure. A big pill will have a stronger placebo effect than a small pill, as an over-simplification. A course of pills will have a stronger placebo effect than just one pill. In this case, voluntarily getting stuck with a needle and being 'infused' is pretty extreme for the 'illnesses' that the clients in question are complaining of.

2. A bag of intravenous gatorade (Water, vitamins, minerals, probably little sugar) will destroy most hangovers, that's been anecdotally proven for decades now. Considering we still can't agree on what causes a hangover, if it works for you, call it a cure.

3. The idea of a quick-fix for hangovers, cold/flu prevention etc is right in lockstep with the American zeitgeist. That a high powered attorney with children and a busy travel schedule has to book an IV appointment just to get a half hour of downtime doesn't surprise me. It would shock me more if she did this regularly and DIDN'T espouse it as a miracle cure for the ills of modern living.

4. The doctors I know and work with aren't in the practice of giving patients any kind of treatment without a specific diagnosis and predicted outcome. I don't know who is signing the prescriptions for these treatments, but I guarantee their cut from that $179 is substantial.

Hartman says any intravenous infusion comes with a small risk of infection — or pain, bruising or bleeding if the needle misses the vein. More serious complications of an IV treatment can include a blood clot, or inflammation of the vein.

And people with certain medical conditions — some metabolic diseases, for example, or congestive heart failure — shouldn't get these treatments, Hartman cautions. That's why, he says, his clinic questions every client about their medical history before a treatment begins.

At RestoreIV, the treatments cost from $150 to $200, and there's an initial $35 fee to consult with the doctor. The business doesn't accept health insurance; patients pay Hartman's office directly.

That's a lot of contraindications. From the cost to the risk of life-threatening complications, for the people who think it's worth it, I hope they're weighing the risks carefully and with full knowledge.