Do you have an operation pending ? Prepare yourself to recover quickly and heal succesfully.

If you are due to undergo a surgical operation soon, apart from the mental anguish you need to make sure your body and the immune system is in the best shape it can be to sustain the forthcoming shock and tissue damage.

This is an occasion where natural medicines, herbs and vitamins, taken in advance, can pay dividends.

I’m sure you know that you are about to enter the place where you are most likely to catch a disease such as MRSA or become infected with one of the many bacteria which can be airborne or caught by touch. It is a sad fact that consultants, doctors and students tend to wander from patient to patient without washing their hands unless barrier nursing is in place.

Not only are you going to feel extreme mental stress and vulnerability, your immune system, liver and digestion will be affected by the anaesthetic and painkilling drugs you will be given.

As a precautionary measure, I would recommend, seeing a qualified homoeopath who can recommend the correct supplements to take, according to the operation you are about to undergo. Homeopathic preparations are known to be safe and will not interfere with any other medication you will receive.

This preparation work is necessary for both medical and cosmetic surgery as both have the same stress on the body. As I stated previously you need to get your entire system as healthy as possible, as once the surgery is underway and recovery is in progress you will not be in a position to influence treatment yourself and your body will be in a weakened state.

There are three steps to take prior to the operation:

1) Protect yourself from infection.

2) Minimise the shock of the surgery

3) Reduce the lividity of the scarring.

Boost your immune system – Using the herb Echinacea is recommended. Take either as capsules (600mg daily) or using a tincture take 20 drops in water or fruit juice three to four times each day starting 14 days prior to the surgery (if possible). It is important to ensure you take a good quality supplement as there are some poor low dosage ones around. The best ones I know come from Gaia Herbs in N Carolina and can be contacted on www.gaiaherbs.com

Seven days prior to surgery take 15,000iu of Vitamin A daily. The powerful antioxidant will help your immune system fight infection and will speed wound healing. If possible increase this to 50,000iu for two days prior, unless you are pregnant in which case do not exceed 15,000iu as excessive doses can be harmful.

Vitamin B – Natures stress buster but for surgery, vitamin B5 is the most important. It helps wound healing, makes infection-fighting antibodies and helps post-operative and post-trauma shock. It will also help reduce the toxic effects of prescription drugs.

Vitamin C – One of the best ACE antioxidants. It has been shown in clinical trials to help the body recover from the stress of life-threatening trauma when life-saving surgery is involved. As an illustration, 595 patients admitted to intensive care 91% suffered trauma. Doctors gave antioxidant treatment starting 24 hours after surgery. It was 1000iu vitamin E every 8 hours and 1000mg of vitamin C in 100ml dextrose 5% also each 8 hours. After 28 days multiple organ failures was 57% lower, mortality rate 44% lower and stay in ITU much shorter. Obviously, this regime is hospital controlled but before entering hospital take a course of vitamin C. The dosage is 1000mg daily split into three or four equal doses. If possible use a vitamin C supplement with a bioflavonoid such as rosehip or Quercetin which will improve its immune boosting action. A word of warning – don’t take vitamin C if you have kidney stones and don’t exceed 2000mg per day otherwise you will suffer stomach upsets.

Schisandra (also spelt Schizandra) – This adaptogenic herb is the one to take if you are facing any form of surgery that could be traumatic. The supplement should be made from the seeds of the fruit which is the most potent type. It supports the adrenal gland and improves the detoxifying action of the liver. It will also help concentration, coordination and stamina. As an aside, an extract from the plant stem has proved very useful in the treatment of HIV. Dosage 500mg to 1000mg daily. You must not take at the same time as prescription drugs (without medical supervision) and don’t take if you suffer from epilepsy or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Zinc – Well known to enhance wound healing. Ensure you take a supplement in advance 30mg daily – preferably zinc gluconate rather than zinc sulphate although both will work.

Two days prior to entering hospital take 4 tablets of the homoeopathic remedy Arnica 30c which will reduce bruising, swelling and soreness.

Modern anaesthetics have improved enormously but many people still react badly after surgery or feel nauseous. The trick here is to use another homoeopathic remedy Nux vomica 30c.

Various prescription drugs will hit the liver hard and it is worth supporting it by taking 7 days prior to surgery Milk thistle which contains silymarin and will help regenerate the liver cells. It would also be a good idea to take for a couple of weeks once you are home.

The operation scar can be a problem and it will help healing enormously by rubbing Vitamin E (just break open a capsule) but even better would be to use Rosehip oil which works fantastically well. To promote rapid healing look at my article on the use of lemon zest and juice. http://hub.me/akBce

You should use your diet to prepare for surgery and eat foods that are high in an amino acid called L-arginine. This will stimulate the thymus gland which stores the T-cells needed to fight off infection. Include poultry and cold water oily fish and take supplements. A word of warning – stop taking fish oil capsules as like aspirin they will allow bleeding that is difficult to stop.

With regard to hospital-acquired infections, you could take a look at my hub http://petergeekie.hubpages.com/hub/MRSA-methicillin-resistant-staphylococcus

The incidences of MRSA are falling but a few years ago I picked it up while in a hospital for a serious op. Luckily my immune system was in good shape and it didn't cause me a problem but it could have been serious or even fatal.

When I faced a heart by-pass operation some 16 years ago I used the services of a bonafide hypnotherapist. Three visits with a CD disc recording to play as reinforcement and I have to say I sailed through it with little mental trauma. I know people are sceptical about hypnotism but through experience, I can thoroughly recommend it using the right person.

During the recovery period, I can also recommend a course of sessions with a Reiki practitioner which will work wonders. I have watched these people work on animals (who have no expectation) and the results have been nothing short of phenomenal.