The Oral IV Controversy…

Over the past week or so, the interwebs have been alive with controversy, opinion, debate, ridicule, pseudo-science, real science, examples, allegations, excitement and even some facts….. AND YET we still have no consensus on the 9mm v. .45acp issue.

Meanwhile, some guys started a real wild fire in regard to the legitimacy of a product that I have used (and recommended) for over two years: Oral IV.

In early 2011, I was invited to try a product that was supposed to assist in re-hydration. I was invited by a trusted friend and industry professional, Ken Murray. If you don’t know who Ken Murray is… click the name. In addition to being considered THE reality based training guru by many  of the leading trainers in the industry, Ken has developed and/or been involved with the growth of several innovative products that have been “revolutionary”. One you might have heard of: Simunitions. Another? TEGS. So, when Ken says “check this out…”, I listen. Of course, Ken is no Hydro-Hematologist and I’m pretty skeptical of revolutionary claims, so I am glad to find out that there is a medical person involved in the “checking out” process. I head up to a meeting space the next morning and, in an admittedly trade-show-typical state of dehydration, get my first exposure to Anthony Beck, Oral IV and what I have come to find out is called “Live Blood Analysis”. I’ve been using Oral IV since that morning as a dehydration preventative and a re-hyrdation assister.

Over the past two years, I have shared Oral IV with many, many people… including many who were skeptical.. and they’ve all been at least happy, if not incredibly impressed, with the results.. I’ve watched several people (including medical professionals) grill Anthony Beck about the processes involved in Oral IV (often with the convo going above my knowledge level) and come away satisfied. I floated the concept to a few medical doctors, all of whom agreed that the concept was sound and the principal made sense (though none were familiar with a product that would actually do what Oral IV was claiming).
I am FULLY AWARE of “placebo effect” and the fact that it is well documented and can show sometimes startling results in studies. Is it possible that when a good friend and a medical professional promise me amazing results and then show me something cool in a microscope that I will merely believe that I have ingested something that will make my head clearer and  remove other symptoms of dehydration?  Of course. I get that.

I am FULLY AWARE that “Live Blood Analysis” is a practice that has been misused, abused, maligned and corrupted by charlatans in various fields of medicine and pseudo-medicine. But, I also know that it has some legitimate uses, including examining red blood cells, which is all that Anthony Beck ever claimed to do with me and my blood.

I am FULLY AWARE that an analysis of the contents of a vial of Oral IV have been examined in great detail and it has been found to be a worse “sports drink” than mere tap water. But, Oral IV never claimed to be a sports drink so, I am not sure of the relevance… though many on the interwebs have rallied around this scientific research to say that Oral IV is snake oil. This confuses me. What is the hypothesis of that research: “Oral IV isn’t super-gatorade”…. okay, Oral IV never claimed to be. Oral IV claims to increase the body’s efficiency in regard to hydration… has anyone studying THAT ?

So, where am I?  I remain a believer in Oral IV and have actually added it to my retail store (HERE), but I have a renewed interest in figuring out exactly what is going on in the body after drinking from those little vials. I have arranged a meeting with Anthony Beck and we will be videoing an interview where he can answer my questions and respond to the questions/attacks of others. I’m expecting to become more educated about hydration, blood and the unicorn magic that Beck uses. If I come away thinking that I’ve been “duped”, I freely admit it…. I’ll find solace in the power of the human mind to control the body, at least… and go off to find another hydration solution. Maybe tap water.

Stay Tuned for More… very soon.

-RJP

8 thoughts on “The Oral IV Controversy…”

  1. Benjamin Cook

    An interview sounds great and I’m looking forward to it but it seems that an interview with (ideally) multiple third party SMEs would be a good idea too. Without calling Dr. Beck’s integrity into question, he would not be the source of impartial information. He would, and should, believe in his product.

    Actually the best would be an impartial SME interviewing Dr. Beck.

    1. Agreed… I actually have a couple of medical types that are (probably) going to participate this week… At the very least, we will allow Beck to respond to his most vocal critics on the interwebs and address the issues they have brought up.

  2. Benjamin Cook

    Another thought. I don’t know how you would set this up exactly but you could experiment on yourself. If you could get equal numbers of vials filled with water and OIV. Get someone else to indentify which is which, and then take them as you would and record your experience. See if you experience coincides with OIV.

  3. Mr. Pincus,
    I have the utmost respect for your as a leader in the tactical training community. However, as a medical professional (EMS instructor for 6 years), I find the claims of Oral IV highly suspect. In their latest press release Oral IV states that their product works because they “impart these electrolytes with increased electrostatic potential energy”. They further state that “The body takes the electrostatic charge that is “donated” by ORAL I.V. to support water metabolism and use water more efficiently at the cellular level.”

    From a chemistry, physics, and physiology standpoint this makes absolutely no sense to me or my colleagues, and does not conform with what is known about how hydration works in the body.

    There is a very simple test for this – ask Oral IV to prove chemically via lab testing – without the use of the highly controversial live blood testing (which you have noted) – that their their product indeed has properties of having a different electrostatic potential than regular water. If they say they can’t or won’t, you know that there is something terribly wrong.

    I applaud you for keeping an open mind in this.

    1. Thanks, Jim….. I am actually expecting to conduct an interview with the developer of the product, Anthony Beck, and ask him some pretty direct questions and put forth some very specific challenges this week. I am open to the idea that this is something new…. but, I want to understand it better and agree with you that there should be some viable testing that can be done.

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