Here are some options you have:
- Use hypnosis – Having a hypnotherapy session before surgery can reduce the need for anesthesia and result in less pain, nausea, vomiting and fatigue afterward
- Play Steven Halpern’s subliminal music CD Accelerated Self-Healing during and after the surgery. While the music will relax you, the subliminal messages will help to speed up the healing process.
- Visualize your recovery - Many studies have shown that guided imagery helps decrease discomfort and the need for pain medication while also reducing the side effects and complications from surgery.
- Meditate during and after the surgery - I personally have used this technique for years every time I have to go to the dentist and need to have a tooth filled or a crown put on. I have also used meditation twice when I had hernia surgeries. The doctor just injected Novocain on the area while I meditated. The doctor was surprised that I was able to maintain a very low heart rate and pulse rate during the entire surgery.
- Use acupuncture points to help prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting from anesthesia. You’ll need to stimulate the acupressure point on the inside of the wrist called P6. You can get an acupressure wrist band at the pharmacy. Ask your doc if you can wear it during the surgery.
- Except for some vitamins and minerals that can thin your blood (ask your doc which those are), you can increase the vitamin and mineral supplements you are taking. One way to view surgery is that it is an internal remodeling job on your body. When you remodel a house you would make sure you have all the building materials available before you started the demolition work. The same thing applies to the body. You want to make sure you have all the materials available to allow the body to rebuild itself. That’s what vitamin and minerals are, your body’s building materials.
So, here are my recommendation for pre- and post surgery:
Divide the following dosage recommendations by the number of meals that you eat each day. The vitamins and minerals will absorb better when you take them in smaller doses. Start taking them 10 days to 2 weeks before surgery. Continue taking them for several weeks afterwards. When you are finished healing, slowly taper off the vitamins. Take a week to 10 days to stop. (Actually, I'd recommend you continue because of the beneficial impact that the vitamins and minerals will have on your overall health. Just lower the dosages.)
1. Vitamin C with bioflavonoids – get 500 mg tablets of Vitamin C with 100 mg of bioflavonoids. Total per day - 2,000 to 4,000 mg
2. Vitamin E – 800 IU (make sure the label says d-alpha tocopherols. The "d" is the important piece as it means it’s natural).
4. Zinc – 30 mg
5. B-Complex – High potency - where most ingredients add up to 100 mg per day
6. Multi Mineral – Ask for a high potency one
7. Bromelain – 1,000 mg (Don't take if you are allergic to pineapple or papaya)
8. Vitamin D3 – 10,000 to 20,000 IU per day
9. The amino acid arginine – 2 mg three times per day on an empty stomach
To prevent bacteria and viral infections, take Echinacea and Astragalus. I’ve given this recipe to many people (including myself) and I’ve always gotten the same feedback – their doc was surprised at how fast they healed and the lack of any side effects or complications.