Recover from surgery in half the time- here's how...

By Jenny Thompson
Editor of Health Sciences Institute

What to avoid two weeks before surgery:

- For bleeding effects, steer clear of gingko biloba, garlic, ginseng, dong quai, feverfew and fish oils.
- For drug interactions: Echinacea, goldenseal, liquorice, St John’s wort, kava and valerian root
- For cardiovascular effects: Ephedra and garlic
- For anaesthetic effects: Valerian root, St John’s wort , kava and vitamin C.
- For photosensitivity: St John’s wort and dong quai
- For hypoglycaemia: Ginseng

Cut the C

A high level of Vitamin C over time awakens dormant enzyme systems in the body. This means that more anaesthetic drugs may be necessary to keep you under. It’s recommended that you taper vitamin C  over time, reaching nearly zero just before surgery. But as soon as you can tolerate oral intake after surgery, pump up your vitamin C levels to heroic levels to aid your body in the healing process.
A good multi, vitamins E, A and B-complex, selenium, milk thistle extract, zinc and essential fatty acids are also great supplements to stock up on after surgery.

Improve immune system functioning

Your body goes through a series of immune and inflammatory changes after surgery. This sends out the warning signal that special resources are urgently needed. There are 5 key herbs that have been shown to help immune system functioning, which will result in fewer infections and shorter hospital stays:

1.    Omega-3 fatty acids.This will improve functioning of the cells that line the heart and blood vessels. It will assist in circulation and regulation of the heart.

2.    L-arginine. This amino acid helps in blood vessel dilation, reduction of inflammation, thymus gland regulation and repair of skin and connective tissue.

3.    Glutamine. The brain uses glutamic acid as an easy-energy fuel for the body’s processes, making everything work better. Dietary sources of this include meats, fresh fruits and vegetables and L-glutamine supplements.

4.    Branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) which include leucine, valine and isoleucine. These are popular with body builders because it’s the easiest form of protein for the body to use for repair. These essential amino acids give the body easy access to energy with readily available components to fix whatever’s damaged. BCAAs are available in supplement form but are easily obtained from meat, whey protein, egg protein and other dairy products.

5.    Nucleotides. These are the basic units of nucleic acids and are the building blocks of DNA, making cell division possible. When the immune system is under stress, new cells are urgently needed to help fight infection. Breast milk is the richest source of nucleotides, but until they bottle it for adults, consume organ meats such as liver and kidney as well as legumes and sea food.

Quick Tip

Just make sure to not take (expensive) amino acid supplements with protein foods. Your body’s protein receptor sites will be flooded with competition. You’d be wasting money to take amino acid supplements with other proteins.