Under the knife - Part 3

Here we go with volume 3 of this series on the dangers of combining supplements and surgery.

I have already gotten several emails asking me where volume 1 was.

Well, that one went out as an email to our email list, so if you are not on that list you won't get it. If we ever get caught up posting our emails, that article will be posted either on the home page or more likely into the archives but I honestly can't say when.

We've made many changes including linking our blog to the site and actually blogging daily now instead of when ever it strikes me as we had over the last year or so.

Bottom line, if you are not on our email list, you are missing something.

You can sign up here.

If you were on the list and all of a sudden stopped getting your emails, as seems to be fairly common these days, it's because your ISP is in desperate need of Instant Einstein and can't tell the difference between valuable info and schpam.

This weeks brain dead, Einstein-needin' ISP's include excite.com at the top of the list followed by netzero, sbcglobal and bellsouth who let some through and others not for no apparent reason.

My advice? Add the blog to your favorites. Don't wait for my emails telling you to go there, just go there, please, as I am sendin' 'em and many aren't getting through.

Next, get a nice free G-mail account from Google as at least for the moment they are not playing games (maybe they had their Instant Einstein.)

Otherwise the handwriting is on the wall: the emails will have to go to a paid membership site where you go to read my nympho I mean info (daggone spell checker!).

We'll keep the blog free until they put an entertainment tax on it!

Ok, back to the business at hand supplements and surgery.

1) Cayenne pepper. Cayenne has been touted to lower cholesterol, blood pressure and decreased appetite.

The studies are too small to validate this but it might be true. The biggest problem I've seen is few Americans can eat enough of it to get benefits without unpleasant, heat related or indigestion related side effects.

If you are one of the lucky few who can tolerate it, be aware that it can affect the blood's ability to thin and it can also drop your body temperature, something which general anesthesia often does already.

2) Feverfew Often used for migraines this herb can also thin the blood and should be avoided before surgery.

3) Hawthorne berries Hawthorne is one of the main ingredients in Super Omega 3 and is known to have a role in improving the strength of the heart.

As such, it may increase the effects of the common heart medication, digitalis or Digoxin, so be careful about mixing the two. Let your doctor know you are taking Hawthorne if you are on any heart related meds. Don't be surprised if he or she doesn't have a clue what Hawthorne is!

4) Licorice root or it's active chemical, glycyrrhizin.

Glycyrrhizin is a potent antiviral and in some cases anti-fungal agent. It has found uses against Hepatitis and skin fungi as well.

The side effects of this herbal are all problematic for surgery: increased swelling, decreased potassium and increased blood pressure.

There have been cases of kidney failure due to eating too much real licorice (usually from Europe) as well so be very careful with this one.

In the next few days I will turn the beat around and talk about supplements that can help you heal after surgery.

All the Best from the King of Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil,

Dr Dave