Noteworthy Clinical Research For Reducing Pain and Swelling.
Dr. Girard, a chiropractor for nearly thirty years, has successfully counseled hundreds of patients to prepare for surgery by adhering to a specific diet and nutritional protocols that can decrease swelling, pain and recovery time. Dr. Girard’s guide to surgical preparation is supported by a vast amount of recent clinical research supporting the effectiveness of many of these specific protocols.
Several studies have assessed various proteolytic enzymes as an aid to recovery from surgery; the results showed reduced pain, inflammation, and swelling. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 80 people undergoing knee surgery found that treatment with mixed proteolytic enzymes after surgery significantly improved rate of recovery, as measured by mobility and swelling. 1
Acupuncture treatments are clinically shown to reduce the need for pain killers known as opioids (such as morphine), which is a class of powerful and addictive pain medications that can cause serious side effects. Recent clinical trials have shown that “using acupuncture before and during surgery significantly reduces the level of pain and the amount of potent painkillers needed by patients after the surgery is over”, according to Duke University Medical Center. 2
The Effects of The Recover Quickly Anti-Inflammatory Diet This guide outlines a specific diet that will help reduce inflammation in your body before and after surgery. Dr. Girard emphasizes the importance of this diet–even long after your recovery is complete, as a kind of lifestyle change. In a recent study oncologists report that cancer patients with the lowest amounts of inflammation were twice as likely as the other patients to live through the next several years. 3
The Effects of Negative Emotions on Surgery Recent studies have shown that increased fear of outcome before a surgical procedure is associated with poorer outcomes, including longer hospital stays, more postoperative complications, and higher rates of readmission to a hospital. Scientific studies show that outcomes greatly improve with positive beliefs and expectations. Increasingly, they are discovering that the mind has the power to influence the outcome of medical procedures through intention, visualization and focus. 4
A Plan For Pain: Alternative Pain Management While we understand the need for pain medication after surgery, it is important to note that there are a multitude of non-traditional therapies that relieve pain. The goal is to get off pain medication as quickly as possible. To achieve this, there are complimentary therapies that effectively reduce pain so a patient may be able to wean off paid meds faster. According to a 2010 study in the Journal of Patient Safety, the implementation of inpatient integrative therapies, similar to those outlined in this book, reduced self-reported pain by more than 50%, without placing patients at increased risk of adverse effects. “We struggle to provide effective pain control while trying to avoid the adverse effects of opioid medications, such as respiratory depression, nausea, constipation, dizziness and falls,” says Gregory Plotnikoff, MD, one of the study’s authors and hospital’s medical directors. The treatments included non-pharmaceutical services: mind-body therapies to elicit the relaxation response, hypnosis, use of the TENS unit, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage therapy, chiropractic and more. 5
Heal Faster with Hypnosis? Research shows a wide variety of the use of hypnosis in the medical field. It can be used to reduce recovery time, pain and anxiety. One study showed that patients who received hypnosis healed faster (about two months ahead of the non-hypnosis group) than those who had not. Hypnosis has been used in some cases when anesthesia was not tolerated. It has also been used to reduce the perception of pain in cancer patients, breast surgery, child labor and other surgeries. Another study on chronically ill patients found a 113 percent increase in pain tolerance among highly hypnotizable subjects versus those who were not hypnotized. 6
“This essential guide is a must for everyone facing surgery. It takes you step-by-step for how to prepare with diet, supplements, what to bring to the hospital, how to manage pain, how to emotionally prepare with wonderful exercises that relaxed me. I highly recommend this book and the program. “- Dr. Steve Sherwin, Patient
ENDNOTES 1. Rahn H-D. Efficacy of hydrolytic enzymes in surgery. Presented at: Symposium on Enzyme Therapy in Sports Injuries: XXIV FIMS World Congress of Sport Medicine; May 29 1990; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Vinzenz K. Treatment of edema with hydrolytic enzymes in oral surgical procedures [translated from German]. Quintessenz. 1991;42:1053-1064.
2. Duke Medicine News and Communications, “Acupuncture Reduces Pain, Need for Opioids after Surgery” , cited at www.dukehealth.org/health_library/news/10153, October 16, 2007
3. Crumley, A. B. C., McMillan, M. McKernan, et al, “Evaluation of an Inflammation-Based Prognostic Score (GPS) in Patients with Inoperable Gastrooesophageal Cancer”, British Journal of Cancer, 94, no.5 (2006):637-41; Al Murri, A. M., J. M. S Bartlett, P.A. Canney, et al, “Evaluation of an Inflammation-Based Prognostic Score (GPS) in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer”, British Journal of Cancer 94, no.2, (2006): 227-30
4. McCarthy, SC (McCarthy, SC); Lyons, AC (Lyons, AC); Weinman, J (Weinman, J); Talbot, R (Talbot, R); Purnell, D (Purnell, D), “Do expectations influence recovery from oral surgery? An illness representation approach.” Psychology & Health Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Pages: 109-126; FEB 2003
5. Dusek, Jeffery A. PhD; Finch, Michael PhD†; Plotnikoff, Gregory MD, MTS, FACP‡; Knutson, Lori RN, BSN, HN-BC§; The Impact of Integrative Medicine on Pain Management in a Tertiary Care Hospital; Journal of Patient Safety: March 2010 – Volume 6 – Issue 1 – pp 48-51
6. American Cancer Society citing a NIH Report as cited at http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedicine/mindbodyandspirit/hypnosis; Richardson J, Smith JE, McCall G, Pilkington K. Hypnosis for procedure-related pain and distress in pediatric cancer patients: a systematic review of effectiveness and methodology related to hypnosis interventions. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2006;31:70-84.
