by Linda Mackenzie, C.H.T, Ph.D. (c)
Having surgery, whether elective or unexpected, can be a traumatic experience but there are some natural things that you can do on a body, mind and spirit level that may aid your healing process and boost a positive outcome. Remember every body is different and that positive emotions have been proven to boost the immune system – so stay positive! To help your body always select the ways and methods that feel right for you. Also remember herbs are natural medicine and have to be treated with knowledge and respect – so learn about the herbs you are going to take, before you take them.
FOR THE BODY
BEFORE SURGERY:
At least 2 weeks before surgery:
- DO NOT TAKE these herbs/supplements which thin the blood:
Garlic, Feverfew, Kava Kava, Gingko Biloba, Essential Fatty Acids and Vitamin E.
- DO start a basic “before surgery” vitamin/supplement regimen that includes:
| Vitamin/Supplement Name | Activity that aid, help or restore… |
| Multi vitamin/mineral complex | general body support |
| Acidolphilus (high potency) | intestinal flora especially
when taking antibiotics |
| CoEnzyme Q10 | fight free radicals and oxygenates
tissue for healing |
| Amino Acid Complex that includes L-Cystine, L-Lysine, L-Glutamine | speeds wound healing. breaks down mucus, aids muscles. tissue repair, collagen formation. muscle wasting, tissue damage, |
| Grape Seed Extract or Pau D’Arco | powerful antioxidant to fight free
radicals in the body |
| Vitamin C (6,000-10,000 mgs. daily) w/ bioflavinoids (like rose hips) | the immune system, tissue repair
and wound healing |
| Vitamin K | blood clotting |
| Calcium | tissue repair |
| Magnesium | tissue repair |
| Zinc | tissue repair |
| Silica | tissue repair |
| Vitamin D | tissue repair |
| Herb Name | Activity that aid, help or restore… |
| Bromelain or Tumeric | high potency anti-inflammatory |
| Green Tea | powerful antioxidant to fight free radicals in the body |
| Red Clover or Burdock Root | cleanses the liver and blood |
| Echinacea/Goldenseal | the immune system, natural antibiotic. Do not take goldenseal for more than 1 week at a time or if you are pregnant or allergic to rag weed. |
| Reishi Mushroom or Kelp | adverse effects of x-ray radiation |
| Milk Thistle | cleanses the liver |
| Chamomile Tea | insomnia, nervousness |
- Do enhance healing by adopting an immune system “boosting” diet:
Foods to Avoid: wheat, dairy and milk products, yeast, sugar, processed foods, fermented products, alcohol, smoking, carbonated soda and drinks, caffeine, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, iceberg lettuce.
Good Foods: rye, corn (non-GMO), oat bran, brown rice, wild rice, goat cheese, eggs, butter, yogurt, fish, lamb, venison, chicken, turkey, duck, olive oil, safflower oil, borage oil, evening primrose oil, sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, kiwi, guava, papaya, pineapple, kiwi, avocados, strawberries, blueberries, beets, artichokes, cabbage, walnuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, vegetables, kale and herbal teas.
- Nice To Use: Other Options for the Body
Massage, Acupressure, Reflexology: Relaxation, minimize stress, flush out toxins
AFTER SURGERY:
- Keep up your basic “before surgery” vitamin/supplement regimen but add these:
| Vitamin/Supplement Name | Activity that aid, help or restore… |
| Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) | proper cell growth |
| Garlic | the immune system as a natural antibiotic |
| MSM | helps tissue healing and pain |
| Vitamin E (day after surgery) | tissue repair and circulation. Remember to use real Vitamin E: d-alphatocopherol, not the synthetic dl-alphatocopherol |
| Vitamin E Oil (after stitches have been removed) | reduce scar tissue and promotes healing. Apply topically several times a day. |
| Herb Name | Activity that aid, help or restore… |
| Nettle | intestinal bleeding |
| Dandelion | blood purification, kidneys |
| Homeopathic Remedy | Activity that aid, help or restore… |
| Arnica Montana | reduces swelling and aids healing |
FOR THE MIND:
- Do remember that YOU are responsible for your body
No one knows your body better than you do. Your doctor is going by generalities butevery body is different so don’t give away your power to anyone. Take the responsibility of yourself. Here are some tips on how you can work WITH your doctor:
- Before having surgery ask your doctor the right questions: Why, How, What, When, Where; what happens if I don’t have surgery; are there other alternatives other than surgery; what are the risks and benefits; what % of these types of surgeries are successful; how long is the recovery period?
- Get at least one or two other medical opinions prior to having surgery.
- Tell your doctor about the medications, herbs and supplements you are taking. Most Western MDs are not familiar with alternative therapies, including herbs, but that does not mean they do not work.
- Consult with your doctor to see if you can have less invasive laparoscopic surgery for your procedure.
- Ask about the risks and effects of anesthesia.
- Ask questions and do not apologize for asking questions. Remember you’re paying the Doctor. He is working with you as a partner, not as a Medical Deity or your boss. Make a list of your questions prior, during and after each meeting with your doctor so you don’t forget them and ask them!
- Be persistent and use caring assertiveness
- Participate as much as you can in your healing process.
- Do Deal with Your Emotions
Learning that you are going to have or getting surgery comes with its very own pack of emotions: denial, anger, bargaining, sadness and acceptance. Learning to cope and deal with this in positive ways can help your healing process. You are what you think – so for a positive outcome – THINK POSITIVE! Here are some of the emotions you may have to deal with and some suggestions on how to handle them:
- Denial or “Numbness”: Look to balance your mind and work on looking at the real picture until you work your way into acceptance.
- Anger: acknowledge it, take an appropriate action (e.g., Punch a pillow, go into a room by yourself and scream, walk around the block, draw a picture) then let it go.
- Sadness- Let it out and cry, get support from friends, loved ones or a support group, start and write a your own healing journal, do artwork therapy, write a letter to yourself.
- Worry – is a useless emotion which accomplishes nothing and eats up your time. Time in which you can be doing something positive to help your healing process. When you get a “worry” thought acknowledge that you have it and let it go immediately.
- Change your emotions to positive ones like hope, joy and happiness
- Make your Environment Happy. Bring your favorite personal pictures, paintings, music, flowers and plants, aromatherapy fragrances with you to the hospital or even spruce up your room at home.
- Avoid negative people and situations.
- Make a list of supportive people and groups in your life and use the list!
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- Nice To Use: Aromatherapy
| Aromatherapy Oil | Activity that aid, help or restore… |
| Rose, Lavender, Neroli, Bergamot, Chamomile, | Anxiety |
| Frankincense, Sandalwood | Fear & Insecurity |
| Jasmine, Grapefruit, Neroli, Sage, Ylang, Ylang | Depression |
| Jasmine | Lack of Confidence |
Once you get a clear picture from your doctor on what is going to happen to you before, during and after your surgical procedure you will have eliminated some of the fears. If other fears persist as to outcome, possible death, etc. remember a couple of things:
- The only thing to fear is fear itself. You are in God’s hands and will be all right – no matter what. Even if death occurs remember that it is not the end, but a transition. There is life on the other side, so you really never die you pass over to a better place. So reconcile with your fear of death.
- You create your reality with your thoughts. So if you feel, know and trust that the outcome will be positive and that you will heal – YOU WILL.
- Positive Energy resonates to a higher energetic frequency than negative. Positive energy that can make you feel good and help you face your fears can be activated by thought. The higher frequencies correlate with the upper chakras (esoteric electrical energy centers in the body) starting with the heart chakra and up to the crown chakra. To activate these centers -BUZZ. That’s right just buzz like a bee. You will be surprised as to how this works.
- Another helpful hint for fear is to BREATHE. Breathe in through the nose slowly and deeply and then breathe out with the mouth in a rhythmic pattern. This will immediately lower your pulse and heart rate and get you centered. Physically it activates the Vegas nerve which is the major quieting nerve in the body. The Vegas nerve starts at the base of the brain and branches out to the heart, lungs and intestinal track. By just breathing deeply it automatically quiets your body and centers you.
- Remember fear is your friend, not an enemy. Society teaches us that fear should be avoided but you can reprogram your mind to make fear a friend. You can always learn something you fear and once you learn it the fear usually doesn’t come back.
- Remember there are 4 steps to managing fear and turning it into a positive emotion: 1) Acknowledge your fear; 2) Feel how the fear is affecting your body; 3) Think about and determine what the best action is and 4) Do the action. Putting off the action delays releasing the fear.
- Let go of your fear, ego, rigid goals, expectations, negative attitudes and negative feelings and replace them with to Living in the Moment, trust, hope, positive intention and attitudes and positive feelings.
- Nice To Use: Bach Flower Remedies
| Bach Flower Remedy | Activity that aid, help or restore… |
| Rock Rose, Aspen, Cherry Plum | Fear |
| Gentian, Cerato, HornBeam | Uncertainty |
| Crab Apple, Willow, Elm | Despair |
| Rescue Remedy | Stress |
To help your healing process here are some helpful hints you can use to deal with stress before, during and after surgery:
- Use the POWER of Positive thought and positive intention
- Meditate
- Practice Relaxation for Rejuvenation
- Use Visualization. You can visualize a time when you were in perfect health and everything was going 100% right in your life. Then anytime you are having a stressful time go back to that place, visualize it and feel the joy and happiness.
- Self Hypnosis
- Use aromatherapy oils or bach flower remedies
- Listen to calming music
- Pamper yourself with a candlelit bath, etc.
- Use color therapy like soothing blues and greens.
- Take a 1 minute stress break. Close your eyes. Tell yourself you are going to be stressed for 1 minute and at the end of 1 minute you will be stress free. It works!
- Look in the mirror and use Positive Self-Talk to describe the outcome as you want it to be.
- Avoid using negative words like I can’t, I won’t, I shouldn’t, I couldn’t. Replace them with I can, I will, etc.
- Live in the Now, not the past or the future
- Don’t try to control things
- Feel, trust and know things will be all right and they will
I believe that anything can be accomplished, for your greatest good, if you have absolute and total faith. So it is important to believe and have faith that things will turn out exactly right for you. There has never been a negative time in your life that hasn’t turned into a positive for you. This is because negative experiences are growth lessons. Once you learn the lesson you never have to go through that experience in the exact same way again. This surgery may be a major change in your life, so welcome change as a friend. Look at this time as an opportunity to grow spiritually in a positive way. Here are some hints:
FOR THE SPIRIT:
- DO Remember to Develop your Spiritual Side
- Develop a deep, abiding unshakeable faith
- Feel, Trust and Know that things are all right in every moment
- Remember that there are no mistakes only opportunities for growth
- Balance your mind, body and spirit
- Use gratitude for what you already have
- Discover the wonder of all things in every moment
- Forgive yourself and others every day
- Replace negative emotions like doubt, fear, etc. with hope
- Call on God’s Divine Love to fill your soul and give you peace
- DO Remember to Use Spiritual Action
- Start a daily spiritual practice of prayer or meditation
- Draw some sacred artwork giving away your fears/concerns to God
- Write all your negative emotions on white paper, then burn the paper releasing everything to God
- Create a sacred meditation/prayer place. Put crystals, photographs and sacred objects in this place and then pray or meditate daily
- Ask your relatives and friends on the other side to support you
- Listen to spiritual or healing sound music
- Call on your angels to help you
- DO Remember to Use Spiritual Protection
- Protect & cleanse your aura (the electromagnetic field around your body)
1. do a visualization of white light surrounding your entire body
2. use an aromatherapy oil: cedar, carnation, eucalyptus, gardenia
3. carry or wear a crystal: amethyst, aquamarine, jasper, lapis lazuli, quarts, pyrite
4. Meditate saying the Mantra OHM
5. Walk in nature
6. Hug a tree (trees strengthen auras)
7. Ask your Guardian Angel for assistance
- Protect, cleanse & balance your chakras (the esoteric electrical energy centers within the body)
1. balance the chakras by meditating
2. anoint your chakras with rose, lemon, sage, bergamot aromatherapy oils
3. place a specific crystal on a specific chakra area:
Chakra Crystals*
1st Root hematite, red jasper, black onyx, ruby
2nd Navel citrine, carnelian, chrysocolla, lapis lazuli
3rd Solar Plexus amethyst, citrine, tigers eye
4th Heart rose quartz, aventurine, malachite
5th Throat sodalite, blue topaz, sapphire, lapis lazuli
6th 3rd Eye iolite, tigers eye, quartz
7th Crown amethyst, rose quartz, clear quartz
*Please note that this is only a partial list of possible crystals.
- Use shape and symbol protection:
Symbol/Shape Meaning
Square Renewal
Circle Wholeness
Cross Protection, Balance
Octagon Renewal
- Use crystals for protection like: amber, angelite, aventurine, moonstone, white quartz, lapis lazuli, pyrite, obsidian
- Use color energy by wearing, viewing or visualizing specific colors:
Color Meaning
White Protection
Gold Spiritual Strength
Silver Spiritual Vitality
Blue Spiritual Tranquility
Green Body Healing
Yellow Clarity
Red Love
- Use vowel protection sounds:
Think Color Say Action
Violet A State of Calm, Peace
Yellow E Self-Confidence
Orange I Laughter, Humor, Gaiety
Red O Perfection
Blue U Completeness
Grey OO Healing
- Use a protection prayer, for example:
“I am completely protected only God and my Higher Self can influence me. The Light and the Positive Consciousness of the Universe protects me.”
