Surgical Preparation and Recov
<%@ LANGUAGE="JSCRIPT" %>Surgical Preparation and Recovery
hether it’s your first operation or your fifth, whether you’re having a cyst removed or a heart bypass, surgery is scary.
But you might be able to relieve your fears, speed your recovery and lessen your pain after surgery if you heed the old Boy Scout motto and be prepared, experts say. If you’re among the estimated 23 million Americans who undergo surgery each year, carefully follow your doctor’s directions before the operation. And the natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may help you prepare for and recover from surgery, according to some health professionals.
See Your Medical Doctor When...
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Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy
The emergency stress relief formula is very helpful in preparing fearful patients for surgery, according to Eve Campanelli, Ph.D., a holistic family practitioner in Beverly Hills, California. Begin treatment a week or two before the surgery, she suggests, taking four drops of the formula under the tongue four times a day.
The emergency stress relief formula, sold under brand names such as Calming Essence, Rescue Remedy and Five-Flower Formula, is available in most health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). For more information on preparing and administering the formula, see page 40.
Homeopathy
If possible, begin taking Arnica 30C three times a day a couple of days before your surgery to reduce swelling and soreness after the operation, says Stephen Messer, N.D., dean of the National Center for Homeopathy’s summer school and a naturopathic physician in Eugene, Oregon. To speed your healing, he suggests taking one 200C dose of Arnica as soon as possible after surgery.
Arnica is available in many health food stores. To purchase it by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.
Imagery
The night before your operation, imagine getting ready for your surgery. Picture that you are given medicine to relax you. Then imagine going into the operating room, where a skilled surgeon, anesthesiologist and nursing staff are waiting for you. As the general anesthetic is given to you, you peacefully fall asleep. Picture your surgery proceeding easily without problems. There is little bleeding, and you are sewn back up. The operation is a great success, says Dennis Gersten, M.D., a San Diego psychiatrist and publisher of Atlantis, a bi-monthly imagery newsletter. Then imagine that you are in the recovery room, slowly becoming more alert. You may feel some discomfort, but you are relaxed and able to handle it easily, Dr. Gersten says. Repeat this imagery on the day of your surgery just before you leave your room for the operation.
After surgery, says Dr. Gersten, picture your pain. Give it a size, shape, color and texture. Transform your pain into a liquid and allow it to roll out of your hand or foot, drip onto the floor and flow out of the room into space.
Relaxation and Meditation
Stretch-based relaxation techniques may help relieve muscle tension and calm your body as you prepare for surgery, says Charles Carlson, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington. See page 602 for one such technique. Dr. Carlson suggests using this sequence of stretches at least once a day before surgery or whenever you feel tense.
For recovery, consider autogenics. “Autogenics is a good technique for a person who is recovering from surgery,” says Martin Shaffer, Ph.D., executive director of the Stress Management Institute in San Francisco and author of Life after Stress. “I tell people to practice it for five minutes every hour the first day after surgery, every other hour the next day, every three hours the third day, every four hours the fourth day and then once a day until they feel well again.” To learn how to do autogenics, see page 120.