Q: I will be undergoing surgery in about a month. Are there certain nutrients that I should take before surgery?
A: A month is really a short time for nutrients to have beneficial effects, but “better late than never.” One note of caution: Discontinue all supplements on the day before surgery, especially vitamin C. There seems to be a tendency for high vitamin C supplements on the day of surgery to increase the amount of anesthesia needed, resulting in a longer recovery period.
With that caution in mind, do start taking zinc, vitamin C, vitamin E, and a good multivitamin/mineral immediately. Other supplements that may help include:
° 50 mg of zinc per day, always with food to avoid possible nausea.
° 3,000 mg/day of vitamin C, assuming you have no diarrhea. If more can be tolerated, increase to 6,000 mg/day in a few days.
° 400 IU of vitamin E labeled “mixed tocopherols,” rather than a vitamin E labeled “dl-alpha tocopherol.” Mixed tocopherols are preferable to even the d-alpha tocopherol, since the “non-alpha tocopherols” may well have benefits we do not yet comprehend.
° A good multivitamin/mineral would supply some vitamin A and B-complex vitamins, and also insure the extra zinc, vitamin C and vitamin E induce no imbalances.
When you are taking solid foods again after the surgery, restart these supplements and add a pantothenic acid supplement of about 1,000 mg/day (this helps restart bowel activity after the anesthesia). Once there is no scab on the surgical incision, you can apply vitamin E topically (either by opening a vitamin E capsule or using a lotion with vitamin E). If you have a history of poor wound healing, also use Glucosamine, 1,000-2,000 mg/day. Glucosamine is needed to make scar tissue (collagen).
Although it may be too late to “dodge the knife” this time, there may be nutritional interventions that would prevent future surgeries. For instance, surgery for chronic gall bladder pain may be relieved by changes in your diet and perhaps supplementation with taurine, an amino acid that makes the bile acid that does the best job of keeping cholesterol in solution. It is almost always much, much easier to prevent a health problem than to resolve it with more invasive remedies such as surgery.
Q: I’ve heard that honey helps heal wounds. Is that true, and if so, how does it work?
A: Honey has been used for over 4,000 years to help with wound healing. For centuries, it was believed that honey simply “dried out” infectious organisms and killed them. That much is true, but bees have other tricks up their sleeves.
A beehive must be virtually sterile, because bacteria enjoy honey as much as bears and humans do. As a defense against invading bacteria, bees line the cracks in the hive with bee propolis, a powerful anti-fungal. The lining also includes some plant material, bioflavonoids, and other “phytochemicals,” all of which can hinder the growth of bacteria. But the primary antibacterial agent seems to be hydrogen peroxide, the same stuff you can pour out of a bottle onto a cut. The hydrogen peroxide is made by an enzyme, glucose oxidase, which the bees add to nectar as they collect it.
If you plan to use honey as a wound dressing, be sure to get unpasteurized honey, with the enzyme still active. To avoid making a mess, put some plastic film wrap over the honey, then cover with gauze dressing.
Don’t overdo honey as a sweetener, though. Just a tablespoon can reduce your body’s ability to chase down infectious organisms by about half, an effect that can last for several hours.
This article appears in March 30 • 2001.