Supplements for pre- and post surgery? - Vitamins & Supplements Message Board

franjo · 02-24-2003, 12:57 AM

Hi everyone!

Can anyone here advise me as to what vitamins and minerals encourage healing from surgery? I'm due to have major spinal surgery in the near future. I haven't had a major surgery since '87, but I seem to remember that the B's, zinc, and calcium are good supplements to take. Should I exceed the RDA in this case? Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

-franjo

plymouth · 02-24-2003, 06:49 AM

Quote:

reprinted from Dr. Mercola, with permission

Supplements To Enhance Surgical Recovery

The purpose of this information is to increase the rate of healing and minimize scar formation. Individuals who follow this program routinely heal much faster than normal, with less pain and swelling and fewer complications.

Please Begin 2 Weeks Prior to Surgery and Continue for 2-4 Weeks Afterwards.

1. Vitamin C: 500-1000 mg three times a day. Reduce the dose if you get abdominal pains or loose stools.

2. Vitamin E: 400 units daily and Lipoic Acid 100 mg three times a day. The vitamin E needs to be used cautiously and if you will be involved in a surgery where bleeding complications are an issue you might want to stop it two weeks before. So it is likely best to discuss this with your surgeon.

3. Vitamin A: 50,000 units daily (beta-carotene is not a substitute)

4. Zinc: 30 mg daily. If nauseous please decrease as this is a sign of zinc excess.

5. Citrus Bioflavonoids: 1000 mg three times a day with the vitamin C.

6. Enzymes are also recommended to reduce inflammation and tissue swelling at the surgical site. Digestive enzymes or bromelain (pineapple enzyme) also works. Take 2-3 capsules 10-30 minutes before each meal starting as soon as possible after surgery. If you have a prescription card you can use products like Ultrase MT 20 or Creon.

7. Probiotics. We use Flora Source in our office but tehre are many other good brands. Should be taken twice daily.

8. Amino Acid Supplements to Enhance Healing

Glutamine 100-3,000 mg three times a day
Arginine 500-1000 mg three times a day
Taurine 500 mg three times a day (technically a sulfonic acid)
Notes On Glutamine by Robert Crayhon November 1, 2002

After reviewing the literature, I am unconvinced that high dose oral glutamine supplementation is toxic to neurons in healthy persons. When you overconsume protein, the body will make too much glutamine in a vain attempt to rid the body of nitrogen, and that is the glutamine that can be toxic to the nervous system (that is what is in the literature). But oral glutamine does not have this effect.

Carnitine supplementation (3 g/day) is an excellent nutrient way to rid the body of excess ammonia, so if you are concerned about excess ammonia leading to neuronal toxicity, I would use carnitine with glutamine. There have been liver failure patients, by the way, who have had their ammonia levels drop markedly on carnitine supplementation and one of them walked out of a hospital in Germany when she was expected to die. Such is the power of carnitine to lower ammonia!

Keep in mind that you need to consume over 250 grams of protein to get into a state of ammonia toxicity if you are an adult that weighs 70 kilos, so I don't see how 3-30 grams of glutamine a day could push one over that 250 gram mark. A very high protein diet combined with a great deal of glutamine supplementation could theoretically be a problem, then, but I have yet to see anyone do that. Also, in all my lectures, I recommend what I learned from Judy Shabert -- that if you are using a lot of glutamine, you need less dietary protein. She wrote and excellent book on Glutamine I highly recommend.

Also, the idea that supplemental glutamine is all metabolized to glutamate is simply not the case. Have you ever seen a patient with MSG sensitivity? The symptoms these patients have are the symptoms of excess glutamate: headaches, nausea, dizziness, and this is something I have never seen nor seen reported with high dose glutamine. The body is very good at controlling the Glutamine-Glutamate pathway, which requires B6. I have had many discussions with cell biologist PhDs about this idea that glutamine turns to glutamate at will, and they all say that this is a misstatement, and are particularly critical of Russell Blaylock for making this error in his book.

After all, why doesn't the glutamine all just turn to GABA? Then glutamine would not over excite your neurons, it would put you to sleep. Glutamine clearly does neither.

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franjo · 02-24-2003, 10:43 PM

Plymouth,

Thanks so much for the good information. You certainly have answered my question. Looks like I'll be heading to a health store with checkbook in hand. I appreciate the help.....franjo