New Hartford practice offers combination of traditional and holistic medicine, including IV vitamin infusion therapy
By David L. Podos
New Hartford Wellness located in New Hartford has been in business for more than five years. It is the brainchild of founder Barbara Drake, a nurse practitioner with decades of experience in healthcare.
The practice offers both traditional medicine with holistic, functional and integrative therapies.
“Before opening New Hartford Wellness I worked in cardiac and thoracic surgery, primarily in critical care for about 25 years. First as a nurse in the ICU, then when I became a nurse practitioner. I assisted with those surgeries in the operating room, as well as managing those patients in the ICU setting. I furthered my education in getting a doctorate degree as a nurse practitioner.”
Drake said why she started leaning more toward holistic medicine but still adhering to traditional medical protocols.
“Even though I was working in a surgical–ICU setting, I always had an interest in holistic medicine and not just pigeon-holding my patients to a single issue but rather seeing the patient as a whole person,” she said. “When we look at a patient we are looking at how all the systems of the body interact and work together.”
As an integrative clinic, the wellness center offers a wide array of therapeutic modalities.
“We do a lot of IV vitamin infusion therapy. Whenever someone comes here as a new client, we sit down and do a full in-depth medical intake so we get to know what their medical history is, and what their current health goals are. The IV infusions help with many issues. For example, we have IV infusions that help support your immune system, your energy level, to help treat auto-immune disease and chronic inflammatory issues. So, no matter what your issue is, we can put together an IV cocktail that will help,” she said.
The National Institute of Health mentions that IV vitamin infusions bypass the digestive tract allowing nutrients to enter the bloodstream directly, allowing for immediate absorption. Users report feeling immediate boosts of energy.
“Some of the newer therapies that we are now offering are aesthetic procedures, [primary for women], though men can do the procedures as well. One example is skin enhancement. We use a device called Everesse. This device delivers radio frequency heat to the dermal layer of the skin without the use of needles. There is no risk in developing any texture imperfections of the skin, no burning, no scaring of the skin,” Drake said. “This is the closest non invasive treatment to a face lift that you can get. It provides a vertical lifting of the skin as well as volumizing of the skin and tightening of the skin.”
Sports injuries or any kind of injury can be very painful and can limit a person’s ability to carry out routine functions, often taking weeks if not months to heal. New Hartford Wellness is the only local clinic that has a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. It is a pressurized oxygen chamber that forces oxygen and nutrients into every cell of the body. This helps to reduce inflammation, improves blood flow, reduces pain, excellent for wound healing and works well in helping to heal soft tissue injuries.
Many athletes from local colleges such as Utica University, Hamilton College, and Colgate University to name a few utilize the hyperbaric chamber, she added.
To find out more about New Hartford Wellness, call 315-444-3355 or visit www.newhartfordwellness.com