Is it any wonder everyone wants to get out of the hospital as soon as they’ve arrived? Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are dangerously common; new viruses surface with frightening regularity. Horror stories of Staph infections and amputations can make the hospital stay after surgery scarier than the procedure itself.
Post-surgery recovery can be another time of great concern. Did the staff sterilize the medical equipment carefully? Did they follow guidelines to prepare properly for the surgery? Even when medical staff follow procedures by the book, something as simple as your doctor's necktie - which an Israeli study found to be an unknown source of contamination in
hospitals - can derail your
recovery.
Even if you decide to undergo
surgery (and there are many
surgical procedures that have been proven to be largely unjustified, such as coronary bypass surgery, so make your decision carefully), you can take steps to speed your recovery even before you go under the knife. Good
nutrition and supplementation helps ensure that small wounds heal quickly. Healthy immune systems also protect you from
infection. In addition, the following herbs and
supplements are well known for helping the
body heal more quickly following surgery or
trauma.
•
Zinc: Best taken prior to surgery, zinc reduces
wound healing time, rapidly reduces wound size, and bolsters
immune function to help ward off infection. Topical
zinc, such as calamine lotion, also inhibits
bacteria growth on the surface of
skin, helping to prevent infection. As zinc deficiency is common in the United States, most
doctors recommend 30 mg/day, taken orally for four to six weeks, to bring your levels up to par before surgery. If you undergo surgery in a zinc deficient state, your recovery time will be lengthened, so be sure to test and
supplement your zinc levels, if necessary, well before any planned surgical procedures.
A good resource for getting a comprehensive
blood test that may help highlight nutritional deficiencies is the Life Extension Foundation (
www.LEF.org)
•
Vitamin C: Another important component for full post-operative recovery is
vitamin C. According to the Australasian College of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, levels of this vital compound actually drop in burn victims, post-op
patients, and other victims of physical trauma. The minimum required intake of vitamin C to maintain
healthy bodily function is about 300mg to 1g per day following surgery or other procedures.
Vitamin C is required to make collagen, the connective tissue in the skin that helps
healing and prevents blistering. Vitamin C strengthens scar tissue and also helps reduce tissue death after
burns. It also helps to strengthen the
immune system and fight off infection.
But don't take processed, synthetic forms of the vitamin. Ascorbic acid is not the same thing as full-spectrum vitamin C. Get your vitamin C from nutritional supplements or superfoods made from plants. Good sources are rose hips and
Pure Camu -- a product from the
Amazon Herb Company that's made from camu camu berries (the highest
natural source of vitamin C in the world). (See
http://amazondreams.amazonherb.net/Pure_Camu_Solo.aspx )
The Amazon Herb Company also makes a high-grade
Camu C Serum product that's excellent for wound care. It's positioned as a high-end skin care product, but many people use it directly on wounds to speed healing. See:
http://amazondreams.amazonherb.net/Lluvia_CamuSerum.aspx•
Bromelain: An enzyme found in the stems of pineapples, bromelain is useful for reducing post-op swelling. It acts as an
anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system to reduce pain, bruising, tenderness, frostbite, and burns. It is a natural supplement that works the same way as Ibuprofen, the well-known over-the-counter
drug. The only difference: bromelain will not harm your liver.
If you decide to take anti-inflammatory supplements following surgery, however, remember that
inflammation is not always a bad thing. In fact, inflammation is your body's way of bringing blood and
nutrients to the area that needs healing. Conventional doctors tend to take the view that all inflammation is bad, but that's an outmoded, limited view of the body's adaptive response to trauma. Inflammation actually serves an important healing purpose, so don't go crazy trying to eliminate it with drugs or supplements unless there is a strong medical reason for doing so (check with your
doctor to determine what's right for you).
A great rainforest herbal product that eases inflammation is
Recovazon offered by the Amazon Herb Company. It eases inflammation and speeds injury recovery. I've personally used it to heal from sprains and bruises earned during gymnastics and martial arts.
•
Chlorella: Japanese
studies have found Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF) to be especially effective in speeding up cell growth, a major factor in the natural
repair of wounds. Various other studies reveal CGF helps heal ulcers and promote
bone and muscle growth. When taken internally, it also acts as an immune-booster. Topically, it functions as a protective cleansing compound for skin.
Chlorella is found in numerous
superfood products, including
Rejuvenate! from Health Products Distributors, Inc. at
http://www.IntegratedHealth.comYou can also find
chlorella in a variety of
superfood products at any
health food store. Chlorella varies widely in quality. One of the best brands of chlorella is Yaeyama (from Japan).
•
Gotu kola: This
herb has been used for centuries in Asia as natural
medicine. Gotu kola - also called marsh penny, Indian pennywort, and British pennywort - helps in the treatment of scars and wounds with
infections that have not yet reached the bone. The herb can be used both internally and externally while components of
gotu kola have been shown to increase levels of antioxidants and help repair connective tissues.
For more
information on herbs and supplements that help heal wounds, visit
SupplementReference.com and its sister sites. You'll find information on supplements and
herbs that can help with wound healing, immune function, inflammation and much more.
Always ask your naturopath or physician about which herbs or supplements may work best with your particular health circumstances.
Avoid processed hospital junk food and eat fresh, healthy foods that are rich in natural plant
fats, full-spectrum nutrients and trace minerals. (Buy organic.) Olive
oil is excellent for easing inflammation following surgery.
Stay positive and relaxed, and let nature run its course. Remember: Your body is a self-healing system. It knows how to repair itself. All you have to do is give it the proper nutrition, relaxation and good
circulation.
Also worth noting
Silica helps heal skin, ligaments, tendons and other tissues. Get a high-grade liquid form of silica from
www.Eidon.comSunlight accelerates wound healing quite dramatically, probably by producing vitamin D in the skin. Patients who are exposed to
sunlight heal far faster than those who are not.
Phototherapy can also help wounds heal quickly. Various phototherapy devices use infrared LED lights to bathe the wound in healing light. The cellular DNA responds by speeding up the repair process.
Avoid junk food during the healing process, especially processed fats such as hydrogenated oils and homogenized milk fats. They interfere with healthy cell wall construction.
Colloidal silver can be used topically to prevent infections. It works better than
antibiotics and offers no opportunity for bacteria to build up resistance. Some people take
colloidal silver internally as a replacement for antibiotics (that topic is a whole article).
Acupuncture can help speed wound recovery. Needling the tissues near the wound can boost local circulation and help eliminate scar tissue.
About the author: Mike Adams is an award-winning journalist and holistic nutritionist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored more than 1,800 articles and dozens of reports, guides and interviews on natural health topics, reaching millions of readers with information that is saving lives and improving personal health around the world. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams created NaturalNews.TV, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and practices nature photography, Capoeira, martial arts and organic gardening. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body.
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