IV nutrition therapy has grown in popularity as many are looking to enhance their wellness in the wake of COVID-19. This type of therapy involves direct injection of fluid with doses of vitamins and nutrients that can assist with everything from improving athletic performance, to combatting symptoms of some chronic illnesses, to curing a hangover after a night of over-indulgence.
There’s a small business here in Buffalo offering IV nutrition therapy and hydration, and it is rapidly growing along with the trend. BFLO Hydration is owned by husband and wife duo Curt Cabotaje and Amanda Hicks. With Amanda’s history in medical administration and Curt having a background in business management with communication degree, this was the perfect area to combine their skills and experience, and provide a new wellness service to clients in Buffalo.
“IV vitamin therapy and hydration is popular across the country in bigger markets than Buffalo. We’re a bit smaller and less progressive here in Buffalo’s market, about five or six years behind with it,” Curt said. “But word of mouth is huge in Buffalo. Being a family-owned business offering something new and progressive, I think it kind of resonated with people here.”
They found a space to set up shop, partnered with a medical director, and launched BFLO Hydration in 2018.
“We decided that we were going to crawl a little bit and figure out our way, and expand as we could,” Amanda said. “We took a little bit of a risk last year and decided to expand, rebrand and leave the office that we were at inside a small medical practice in Amherst, and we got our own space on Hertel Avenue. That’s when things really took off for us. We then were able to find some office space in Orchard Park and in Williamsville. Our customers have tripled in the past year.”
While they are rapidly expanding in a field that has been growing in popularity across the country, Curt and Amanda pride themselves on being a small, local business with a mom and pop feel, and offering their customers services that are tailored to their specific needs.
“What’s really great about us is that we have something for everybody,” Amanda said. “About 85% of the population is dehydrated. You can drink water all day and still not get cellular absorption. With IV supplements, we bypass your digestive system. We’re giving them to you in larger quantities with 100% absorption. So for example, someone who has Lyme Disease and is taking a variety of supplements may not be getting the proper absorption of what they really need from a standard multi-vitamin. Some people’s digestive systems just aren’t as efficient as they should be – and they may not even know it.”
BFLO Hydration offers a variety of services, including injections, IV cocktails, and vitamin sprays. Every treatment at BFLO Hydration starts with a consultation with one of their nurses, to review a client’s health history and discuss any current ailments or wellness goals. They also collect basic health information to ensure that customers are appropriate candidates for IV fluids. From there, a treatment is selected from the menu or customized based on the client’s needs.
They offer a full menu of “IV Cocktails” designed to help with everything from kicking a hangover or migraine, to boosting energy or athletic performance and recovery. These treatments typically take about 30-45 minutes to complete, and clients can relax in a comfortable chair and listen to music while they wait. Services are rendered by trained registered nurses and overseen by a licensed, board certified Nurse Practitioner.
“Our cocktails include a full liter of fluids,” Amanda said. “We can put higher concentrations of all our supplements, too. One of the benefits we offer that a lot of IV companies don’t offer, is offering a full liter of fluids. It takes a little bit longer but you can get your supplements in higher doses, and you feel really fantastic immediately.”
For those who are looking for a quicker fix, BFLO Hydration offers intramuscular injection shots of various supplements. These are more affordable and only take about five minutes to administer, and offer a week’s worth of vitamins in one injection.
And for those looking to enhance their vitamin intake from home, BFLO Hydration offers 30 day supplies of oral vitamin sprays, which are absorbed sublingually, thus bypassing the digestive process and leading to better overall absorption.
Customers have the option to purchase packages for injections and IV treatments, which come at a discount and can enhance a wellness routine or provide consistent support for those dealing with certain illnesses. The range of individuals who can benefit from regular treatments is vast – from those who are in great shape and are looking to boost their athletic performance, to those grappling with symptoms of chronic illness who are trying to find holistic sources of relief.
“We do see a lot of athletes,” Amanda said. “We see a lot of people who are immunocompromised, people who have fibromyalgia or some sort of autoimmune disorder. For some reason, their cells aren’t absorbing nutrients the way they need to be, so they’re in every two weeks because that’s what keeps them going. We can also give elderly clients better quality of life, so they can carry on with activities that they weren’t able to previously.”
In addition to their brick and mortar locations, BFLO Hydration also offers their services on-the-go through their concierge service. You can schedule to have them come to your home, office, hotel, or event. This service has become popular with wedding parties in need of some hydration after their bachelor and bachelorette parties and wedding festivities. They’ve also taken their services on the road to pop-up at events across Western New York, including athletic events and festivals. They also host pop-up events with other small businesses at their Hertel Avenue location, too.
With illness being at the forefront of our minds and the media for the past year and a half, many have started using IV nutrient therapy to bolster their wellness from a preventive point. Now that Buffalo’s infamous cold weather season is steadily approaching, the therapies at BFLO Hydration can help you survive some of those inevitable seasonal illnesses, too.
“The COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone to start thinking about their immune systems and not just managing disease, but preventing illness,” Amanda said. “Many illnesses – both chronic and acute – stem from dehydration. So just a bag of fluids alone can help bring you to that baseline where you’re starting to feel better if you’ve come down with some type of cold or flu. We have a couple IV cocktails that we put together with the help of our medical director that really target the deficiencies that are being noticed when you have any type of coronavirus – whether it be influenza or COVID-19 or just the common cold. A lot of people lose their appetite when they’re sick, and IV therapy can help with nausea, dizziness, headache and pain from sinus inflammation. We’ve been able to give those in high doses with really great success, not only in helping to prevent disease, but also to help kick a cold or a sinus infection, or just to give you a boost of energy.”
Having established themselves as the go-to place for IV nutrition therapy in Buffalo, Curt and Amanda now look forward to expanding their range of services at BFLO Hydration to incorporate other options that are neatly aligned with what they do, and becoming a sort of “one-stop-shop” for wellness.
Those interested in trying out one of the vitamin therapy options at BFLO Hydration can call to set up a consultation and appointment, or get started by visiting their website at bfloiv.com/
1205 Hertel Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14216 | 716-245-1045
Hours – Mon: Closed, Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun: 10am-4pm, Wed, Fri: 10am-6pm
4203 North Buffalo Street, Orchard Park, NY 14127 | 716-245-1045
Hours – Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri: Closed, Tues, Thurs: 10am-6pm, Sat: 10am-4pm
4685 Transit Road, Buffalo, NY 14221 | 716-245-1045
Hours – Sun-Fri: Closed, Sat: 9am-1pm
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