For most of us, the sense that healing can happen doesn’t happen as dramatically as it did for Carey Mencarini.
In a wheelchair, on oxygen, and diagnosed with several life-threatening disorders—including advanced Lyme disease and a form of ALS—Mencarini had been told she was dying. Unable to swallow, she was grateful when she discovered IV nutrient therapy, which kept her going as she searched, undaunted, for better answers. Finally, a doctor reviewing a previous MRI discovered a significant culprit: a brain malformation that needed surgical repair. “When I woke up from brain surgery breathing on my own and able to walk unassisted,” she says, “I knew healing was possible.”
Mencarini credits intravenous vitamin therapy with saving her life. In addition to using it while she was deathly ill, following surgery in 2012, she continued taking IV nutrients while she underwent treatment for Lyme and regained her strength. She knew she wanted to spread the word, and the treatment, to others. Fast forward, and in 2021, Mencarini opened IV Lounge—a drip bar and wellness space—in Cameron Park, and recently moved it to EDH’s Town Center. She provides services to others who are on their own paths to wellness—whether that path involves healing from serious illness or simply a boost in vitality. She also has recently published a book, The Vitality Solution, which details the benefits of IV vitamin therapy, fasting, and mindfulness practices.
We caught up with Mencarini to learn more.
What is the mission behind IV Lounge?
To bring affordable, convenient, and pharmaceutical-grade IV vitamin therapy to our community in a setting that is relaxing and spa-like.
In your view, why is IV therapy such an effective wellness tool?
Vitamins are the building blocks our cells need to function properly. The absence of nutrients leads to numerous ailments and diseases. There is a direct correlation between adequate vitamin levels and our quality of life.
How do mindfulness, fasting, and other practices complement IV therapy?
Vitamins are the building blocks or the foundation; other healing alternatives build on that foundation, making us more resilient and, in some instances, more receptive to receiving nutrients.
Can you share a client success story?
A cancer patient came in and had several IV drips to build up her system prior to undergoing treatment. She was able to not only endure the harsh treatment but get through it with much more ease and fewer symptoms. Her doctor could not believe the results and how she handled it all. She is still a client today and comes in regularly so she can feel her best and keep her immune system functioning as well as possible.
What is the most common misconception about IV therapy?
Myth: IV vitamin therapy costs too much. Reality: Being sick costs far more money—and time. When we are not proactive with our health, we become reactive. The end result: missing work, school, important life events, not feeling like ourselves, pain and suffering.
Which wellness practice is most essential in your daily life?
Bar none, vitamin therapy via IV or injections. It enables me to run multiple businesses and avoid being sick repeatedly from every little bug.
What led you to write The Vitality Solution?
After going through my own health journey, experiencing and learning about so many different healing modalities, it was painfully clear to me how little others knew about these “hidden healers.” Everyone has a healing super-hero-power they rarely access. Our bodies were designed to heal themselves, but we need tools sometimes to access that healing.
Any future plans for IV Lounge?
To help others open clinics like IV Lounge in communities that don’t have them. Also, to have a wellness center that would create affordable, convenient, and reliable access to wellness alternatives that work synergistically, all in one location.
What advice would you give to someone just beginning their wellness journey?
Be open to alternatives, explore various modalities, and find what works for your body and enables you to live life to its fullest. Never give up.
IV Lounge offers IV drips, vitamin injections, ionic detox foot spas, and red/infrared light therapy. All therapies are administered by licensed medical professionals. Guests enjoy spa-like comforts such as snacks and drinks, warm aromatherapy wraps, and private suites. It’s a beautiful space designed for relaxation, renewal, and whole-body wellness.
4359 Town Center Blvd., Suite 212
Vitamins are the building blocks our cells need to function properly.
Everyone has a healing super-hero-power they rarely access.