We are all getting a little older these days and
more likely to end up at the doctor's or hospital with some of the usual
things affecting everyone else too. You know - cataracts, high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, cancers, arthritis, fractures
and so on.
However the fact we are also battling with our
polio problems can mean these and the treatments we are offered can result
in a different story for us.
Did you know that our often already low carnitine
levels can be lowered further by such things as antibiotics, beta blockers,
surgery, anaesthetics, radiation, chemotherapy?
I'm getting a lot of people ringing up after
the event because they are having trouble getting over it. If we
prepared ourselves, like we do for holidays and other special events, we
could find dealing with our health issues a lot easier.
BLOOD TESTS
Did you know that when you have a fasting blood
test eg glucose or cholesterol, it is important the blood be taken at 10-12
hours since eating, no later or you can get a false reading. And
that supper or any drink other than plain water counts as eating.
So be strict with yourself and get there at 10 hours in case of any delay
at the Path Lab.
XRAYS
Exposure to (both medical and environmental)
X-Rays increases the risk of some forms of cancer: X-Rays cause a
decline in
Vitamin C concentration in the bone marrow and
excessive exposure damages it causing problems with red and white cell
production. Research has shown that broccoli and cabbage protect
us against the toxic effects of X-Rays. Glutamine helps too.
SURGERY
So now we know we need surgery, how can we prepare
for that? Surgery is going to cause inflammation at the wound site,
suppression of the immune system, anaesthetic and painkiller toxins for
the liver to eliminate.
Glutamine is probably the most essential thing
to take both pre and post op. Glutamine reduces inflammation and
helps wound healing, supports the immune system, detoxifies and reduces
pain.
Vitamin C also reduces pain by increasing painkiller
neurotransmitters and inhibiting the production of Prosteglandin E2 (which
is how aspirin works). Vit C, Vit E and glutamine reduce clotting
time so if the surgeon wants to give heparin after surgery and you are
a regular user of these, get the doctor to do a clotting time beforehand.
You may not need the heparin and so end up bleeding more, but doctors are
unaware of this. Zinc and Vit C reduces inflammation and help
wound healing too. Both Vit C and Vit E, also lessen scarring and
bruising.
ANAESTHETIC
For polio people it is best to not have a pre-med.
You may need something to help with nausea and vomiting but do not have
a muscle relaxant or pethidine or atropine to dry secretions as they can
all make your muscles weaker and delay recovery from anaesthetic and resumption
of unassisted breathing. Polios have awoken in ICU this way.
Vit E helps to neutralise the toxic effects of
the anaesthetic and 1000mg of ginger before surgery can help with nausea.
Vit C will help you to wake more alert after the surgery.
Anaesthetics deplete your carnitine levels.
So does surgery. So take carnitine to bowel tolerance before surgery
and
resume again as soon as you can after your surgery
or your muscles will be weaker, making you more likely to fall and you
will have problems doing the exercises the physio wants you to do afterward.
PAIN
Patients lose a great deal of magnesium after
operations as well and men excrete more magnesium than women. Taking
magnesium will help with muscle pain and cramps and help with your physio.
Glutamine and Vit C help to lower pain. I know and others have told
me, that they need less pain relief if they have been on Vit C. (Nurses
couldn't understand why I refused pethidine and didn't even want panadol
- but I had no pain!). Surgery can interfere with nerves and tendons
too so take B6 for sharp stabbing nerve pain. Manganese helps with
tendons - you may feel heaviness. Swelling is helped by taking extra
potassium. (Your doctor can check your blood levels - they need
to be on the high side of normal
but too much (or too little) can give you
palpitations.)
Remember that Vit C, taurine, B6 and magnesium
help with swelling too.
HEALING
To assist with healing we can prepare by making
sure we have good levels of zinc, Vit A, C & E, glutamine, folic
acid, B5 and biotin. Biotin helps heal cracks and cuts. Honey,
sugar and aloe vera (all applied topically) can be used after you go home.
Healing is delayed by anxiety, stress, depression, diabetes or low thyroid
function. Hirudoid ointment will take the pain out of bruising and
hasten healing - buy at the chemist and keep for accidents and falls.
Other home remedies are olive oil, flaxseed and emu oils, and Vit C.
INFECTION
If the wound gets infected, topical applications
that help are raw honey (unprocessed), emu oil, tea tree oil, hesperiden
powder (a Vit C compound that helps infected wounds to heal), colloidal
silver soaked dressing and use to clean, aloe vera, or if you have nothing
else, even sprinkling with ordinary sugar or molasses accelerates healing
and prevents infection.
Golden Staph can be killed by colloidal silver,
applied topically and consumed orally and also with topical tea tree oil.
Nothing else can kill it - even antibiotics are ineffective and you often
end up on them for the rest of your life. It is worth a try and you
have nothing to lose.
BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS
Where possible these days, people are storing
their own blood ahead of time in case a transfusion is needed. If
this is not possible try to ensure that as good a match as possible is
made. The difference between A1 and A2 blood groups is not necessarily
determined routinely these days but if you know you are A2 you will have
less problems and feel better if you do get A2 blood not A1. Make
the Lab staff aware of this.
HOSPITAL PHYSIO
Make sure you take all the info sheets on polio
and surgery. Give a copy to the surgeon, anaesthetist, physio and
ward staff. If your doctors won't listen ask them to ring Dr Niblett
at SCGH for confirmation. If you have problems with nursing staff
or physios trying to make you do too much in the recovery period, ring
Tessa for help. We can arrange for Jaga from RPRH or Brenda Lake,
our polio physio to speak to them on your behalf. Remember it is
going to take twice as long as a non-polio to recover and you will need
to go at a slower pace with frequent rest periods in your recovery
program.
RADIATION
If you need radiation there are things you can
do to help get through it. Radiation lowers the immune system, depletes
haemoglobin, taurine, carnitine, Vit C levels. So you are likely
to feel tired. Increasing your intake will help. Carnitine
levels can be monitored but it takes a few weeks to get the results back.
Radiation also interferes with the sodium/potassium balance and the potassium/
magnesium balance. You may need to take more magnesium and potassium.
Again blood levels can be done weekly to monitor these if necessary. (Get
red cell levels for magnesium not serum - can be done by Clinipath.)
Taurine supports liver function and it is the
liver that has to detoxify you. A powerful detoxifier made by the
liver is glutathione which is made from glutamine and selenium. Glutamine,
Vit A & E increase the susceptibility of cancer cells to radiation
and also help to protect normal cells from the toxic effects. Essiac
(a mix of 4 herbs used for cancer patients) also helps with radiation sickness
and you feel better. Ask Tessa about it. Vit C reduces bleeding
and aloe vera and Vit A & E help to protect the skin from radiation.
CHEMOTHERAPY
Similar problems occur if you have to have chemo.
In addition you may have gut disturbance as the villi in the gut are destroyed
reducing absorption and causing vomiting and diarrhoea. Glutamine
reduces these and also increases the effectiveness of the chemo - as do
Vit C, A and Q10. So increase carnitine, taurine, try cysteine, ginger,
fish oils and monitor as above for radiotherapy.
FRACTURES
We are more likely to sustain a fracture these
days as well. Magnesium to bowel tolerance twice a day and a lick
of borax will take the pain out of the fracture site within a few days
and hasten healing. Take a good multivitamin-mineral tablet to assist
as well. Calcium will not help without magnesium and zinc.
We usually have enough calcium in WA - it will only give you tight muscles
and cramps.