Prepping the System

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

 

HSI e-Alert - Prepping the System

Thu, 14 Apr 2005 06:59:00 -0400

HSI e-Alert - Prepping the System

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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April 14, 2005

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

" Surgery is one of the biggest stresses the body can endure. "

 

The mental stress that goes hand in hand with surgery is a given. The

stress that HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., refers to in the above

quote concerns the demands that surgery puts on the immune system.

 

In last week's e-Alert " Answering the Call " (4/7/05), Dr. Spreen

shared his insights on five immunonutrients that have been shown to

improve immune system function after surgery. But if you regularly

take a host of dietary supplements, there are some important

adjustments you'll need to make prior to any surgical procedure that

requires anesthesia.

 

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Going under

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As Dr. Spreen told us in the e-Alert " C Saw, " (5/28/03), high levels

of vitamin C can complicate the anesthesia process. Here's how Dr.

Spreen explains the interaction:

 

" The specifics of vitamin C apply to the mega-vitamin takers. Very

high doses of C over time cause the body to 'awaken' dormant enzyme

systems that more fully utilize high doses of the nutrient. If you

take low doses, the body shuts these pathways down for your benefit.

If it didn't it would too rapidly empty the body's 'C pipeline' and

you'd be constantly deficient.

 

" For those people I tell them to TAPER the C over time, reaching

nearly zero just before surgery (not weeks before). This is because

such high doses are good enough detoxifiers that more anesthetic drugs

may be necessary for the anesthesiologist to keep you under. BUT, the

absolute INSTANT you tolerate oral intake, you jack the C back up to

heroic levels. "

 

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The herbal question

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In one of the commentaries I found on the immunonutrients report that

appeared in the British Medical Journal, osteopathic physician Dr.

Joseph Mercola stated his opinion that herbal supplements should be

discontinued prior to surgery, noting that some of these supplements

are powerful enough to function like drugs.

 

I asked Dr. Spreen about the herbal issue, and he agreed with Dr.

Mercola...to a point.

 

" Yes, herbs are like drugs. The simple reason is that no drug

companies design their drugs using mere brilliance. Pharmaceutical

developers get their ideas from herbal effects, then try to alter the

molecule enough to patent the thing (and cause all sorts of toxic side

effects), hoping it'll still do what the herb did, without killing you

first.

 

" The developers are good, however, at picking good herbs. Proscar is

an excellent example. It is a derivative of the herb Serenoa repens

(saw palmetto), which does work against benign enlargement of the

prostate (better than Proscar), and with no side effects. Of course,

the drug company will admit neither detail.

 

" As to when, and whether, to quit an herb, the situation is much the

same as with prescription drugs. You should seek advice from someone

educated in the agent's effects to know whether to stop it and when

(or whether to increase it and how much!). I'd certainly never stop my

saw palmetto weeks before surgery (or the day before, or ever). "

 

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Beyond vitamin C

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Returning to the subject of non-herbal supplements, Dr. Spreen had

this final note:

 

" Surgery is a major stress, and for that you want the maximum dose of

nutrients for the body to choose from for the repair function. Vitamin

C, and probably NAC should be discontinued (my sister-in-law required

half-again as much medication to put her under as she was pumping the

vitamin C heavily as 'insurance'...the anesthesiologist even commented

on it).

 

" However, the instant I could hold something down I'd be right back at

them (and tons of other supplements) full force - C, A, E, B-complex,

NAC, alpha lipoic acid, milk thistle extract, zinc, essential fatty

acids, and others. "

 

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Wonder drug hazards

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In addition to dietary supplements, any over-the-counter medications

need to be scrutinized before surgery as well - especially aspirin.

 

 

 

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....and another thing

 

Here's a tricky question that almost no one gets right the first time

they hear it:

 

Q: What is the body's largest organ?

A: The skin.

 

It weighs roughly six pounds, and if taken off your body and laid flat

it would cover more than 20 square feet. More importantly, skin is

instrumental in stabilizing the body's internal environment. And just

as the interior of the body benefits from detox, so does the skin.

 

In a previous Members Alert, HSI Panelist Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D.,

C.N.S., shared information about special cleansing baths developed by

Dr. Hazel Parcells, who Dr. Gittleman calls a pioneer of inner and

outer cleansing. According to Dr. Parcells, radiation (from cosmic

rays and naturally occurring radioactive materials in our environment)

is a hidden killer that assaults our immune systems, via the skin, on

a daily basis.

 

For skin detox, Dr. Parcells recommends this salt and soda soak, which

is highly alkaline and helps neutralize the effects of radiation:

Place 2 pounds of salt with 2 pounds of baking soda in a hot bath and

soak for 20 minutes, until the water cools. That's all there is to it.

 

In addition to the typical radiation we're exposed to daily, each

airline flight increases our exposure to gamma-ray radiation, which

may put some frequent fliers at greater risk of cancer. Dr. Parcells

suggests that a salt and soda soak following every flight, as well as

every dental or medical x-ray, will go a long way toward providing

your skin the detoxification it needs in order to help keep the rest

of your body healthy.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

Health Sciences Institute

 

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Sources:

 

" Immune-Boosting Nutrients Beneficial After Surgery " Dr. Joseph

Mercola, 8/9/03, mercola.com

" Aspirin and Mortality from Coronary Bypass Surgery " New England

Journal of Medicine, V. 347, No. 17, Pgs. 1039-1317, 10/24/02,

content.nejm.org

 

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