What to do before you have surgery
About 60 million Americans will have surgery this year. But complications like blood clots, infections, post-operative delirium, complications of anesthesia, bed sores, hemorrhaging, respiratory failure and transfusion reactions are far too common. Complications could be minimized with a few simple tips.
- Make sure you really need the surgery. Most operations are elective and do not need to be done immediately, if at all. So do your homework. Research less invasive options, talk to other health professionals and get a second opinion. If your surgery is for anything musculoskeletal, get an opinion from a chiropractor. Chiropractors make their living keeping people off surgeons tables.
- Eat right. No junk food for six weeks prior to the surgery. No candy, soda, trans-fat, fried foods, cookies or cake. Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit. This will give you the vitamins and anti-oxidants your body needs and will help eliminate toxins from your system.
- Drink water. Make sure you are drinking 64 oz. of water a day. Being properly hydrated will help you tolerate the anesthesia and other drugs better.
- Take a multi-vitamin and increase your vitamin C. You will need the extra vitamins, especially C in order to give your body the building blocks it needs to repair tissue.
- Start an exercise program before surgery. If you can start six weeks ahead of time, do it. You will need extra muscle strength to help you rehabilitate afterward.
A recent study showed that a pre-habilitation program like the one above can eliminate the need for in-patient rehabilitation by 73%. That means you can get out of the hospital faster and get back to living life.
For more information on pre-habilitation programs or if you want a second opinion, contact Jennifer at 262-251-8306 and she can set you up with a Free Consultation where we can go over your situation.
Physician, Heal Thyself
I often tell patients that everything I tell you to do, I do, have done, or would do if I was in your situation.
I have had all the chiropractic procedures that I do with you, done to me. I do all the home instructions for sitting, sleeping and standing. I also take a lot of nutritional supplements.
Which brings me to my next topic. Over the last couple of months I wasn’t quite feeling myself. I just didn’t have my usual spark. So, I went and had some blood work done. (One of the advantages of being a doctor is you can order the tests yourself.)
Well, everything looked good except two tests. My hemoglobin A1C was slightly elevated, which means I’ve been eating a little too much sugar the last few months.
And, get this, my vitamin D level was a 29. It should be 40 minimum and probably 60 for optimum health. Yes me, Dr. Vitamin D who tells everyone to take it and get it tested and everything else. 29, that stinks !
So, out came the vitamin D drops and I’m taking 6000 iu’s a day for three months and I’ll test again. Also, I’ve been cutting the carbs down.
In the mean time, I feel a lot better. I have been sleeping better and I have better pep. So, I am very glad I took my own advice.
For more health information log on to www.painfree-greatposture.com.
Chronic Pain and Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an important nutrient to overall health. Low vitamin D levels have been associated with persistant, nonspecific, musculoskeletal pain.(fibromyalgia) and depression.
A recent study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings tested 150 patients with chronic pain. 93% or 140 of them had low vitamin D levels. An interesting finding was that 100% of all African American, East African, Hispanic and American Indians were deficient in Vitamin D. The study concluded that “All patients with persistant, nonspecific musculoskeletal pain are at high risk for the consequences of unrecognized and untreated severe hypovitaminosis D.”
I talk about vitamin D a lot in my practice. Too little vitamin D is common, especially in the Wisconsin climate. Typically the symptoms of hypovitaminosis D are treated with drugs that don’t do anything to fix the problem and in fact can deplete the body even more.
This year, I have partnered with a professional co-op so that I can order vitamin D tests at a cost of about $40.00. Already I have found patients that have severe vitamin D issues and it has been a pleasure to help them with a simple course of supplementation.
To schedule a free consultation with me, contact Jennifer at 262-251-8306 or log on to www.stopyourfibronow.com or www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com.
What Does Vitamin-D Have To Do With Back Pain?
Vitamin D deficiencies have long been the culprit of many aches and pains. This problem is widespread, especially in the northern United States. Because, the winters are long, people don’t get enough sunshine to make there own vitamin D. Aches and pains are usually widespread, but a recently published article zeroed in on low back pain.
The article was published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine in 2009. It found that some people with chronic low back pain or failed back surgery were deficient in Vitamin D. When the Vitamin D deficiency was brought back to normal, through supplementation, their pain improved. In some cases, the pain completely went away.
The article stated that physicians should have a high suspicion for vitamin D deficiency in patients with chronic low back pain. It also recommended blood testing for patients before and after surgery.
Personally, I am recommending a vitamin D test for anyone in chronic pain. This year, I have joined up with Labcorp labs, to provide this type of testing to my patients.
I have found that vitamin supplementation, combined with chiropractic care that focuses on rebuilding posture, yields dramatic results.
For more information on how I treat back pain log on to: www.newbackpainreliefinfo.com
