How to help yourself when you go through surgery?
Surgery- what may happen?
Having surgery is not pleasant moment in life but sometimes we all need it go through one. I had a few myself and remember a lot of anticipation and stress which it caused, just waiting for it to happen.
But also, how uneasy might be afterwards when you are in pain, have some swelling and feeling unwell after anaesthesia.
And other things which can bother us when we really should be recovering. I did not know about homeopathy at the time but it can be a great help for pre and postsurgical problems. If you think about it is so important to minimise this impact to have the best outcome of the surgery itself.
Arnica and its great properties!
So, let’s have a look together on some remedies which you may find useful on the journey of surgery.
First and the most important remedy is Arnica which seems to be around forever and is one of the remedies you know even if you do not know homeopathy. Even doctors who call homeopathy placebo when they hear Arnica they react with enthusiasm or opposite- screaming a big no!
Do not use it can thin your blood and cause bleeding! Why? Because it works marvelously!
A quick explanation about the thinning of the blood. Arnica is an excellent remedy for post-surgical bruising, physical trauma and pain however should not be used in conjunction with allopathic thinning agents e.g. antithrombotic injections and antiplatelet medicines.
Another tip of advice, it should not be taken before surgery because believe or not it works so effectively that by increasing circulation may stop anesthesia to work fully in some sensitive individuals. Definitely you do not want that when you go under the knife of a surgeon.
Arnica use it after not before surgery.
Avoid using together with blood thinning agents
Other complementary remedies
Moving forward another remedy to consider is a sister of Arnica called Bellis Perenis for deep muscle damage and to help organs to readjust post -surgical intervention and to go back to their place. When surgery involves an organ removal or partial organ removal e.g. tumour organs need to find a new place in the abdominal cavity.
Bellis perenis is a great remedy for this symptom alongside Staphysagria which helps with an incision during the surgery. It ameliorates trauma associated with a cut itself, laceration and stretching of the skin. Staphysagria is the first remedy, or second after Arnica, to think of when there is a cesarean section which in actual fact is a surgery.
Surgery can be quite depleting in our healing properties which is so important in this process and here Calendula comes to play. It is a beautiful remedy which helps skin and wounds heal. Together with Hypericum, known as a Hypercal in herbal form, it works as antiseptic and prevents wound from getting infected. Hypericum as a homeopathic remedy also helps with pain associated with nerves being damaged during the procedure to help them heal. Surgical incision and scarring are often the most painful areas after a few weeks post surgery.
These five remedies: Arnica, Bellis Perenis, Staphysagria, Calendula and Hypericum are basic remedies which are useful around surgery but there are few other remedies to think of.
Other remedies
Depending how the surgery goes and if you need general anaesthesia which can cause nausea and vomiting that is why taking it in a homeopathic form can ameliorate this effect. The remedy is called Anaesthetic mix and consists of allopathic medicines.
Given my personal experience with this, I did not feel well post my surgery a few years ago and it was mainly due to the effect of general anaesthesia. I had so much pain when the tube was pulled out (Calendula and Hypericum could have helped me) and I felt full of mucus and difficulty breathing due to airways suppression with general anaesthesia. It is there when I could use this remedy but I did not know about homeopathy at the time.
Other remedies I could have had used were Antimonium Tartaricum for this rattling of mucus which I could not have bring up and possibly Phosphorus due to feeling sick with being thirsty for cold drinks and Nux Vomica to support detoxification and liver function post- surgery.
Additional remedies: Anasthetic mix, Antimonium Tartaricum, Phosporus and Nux Vomica.
Puncture holes- Ledum, Bone-knit -Symphytum, Bone injuries- Ruta
Some other remedies to consider is Opium when morphine is used around surgery and for post-surgical pain. That often happens around limb’s surgeries and in case of broken bones which leads me to the next important remedy called Symphytum. It is a bone knit and given in case of broken bone post -surgery, where the alignment of the bone structure is recovered, Symphytum speeds up healing of the bone and helping with bone pain after fracture. In case of injury with broken bone Ruta officinalis can be also an enormous help but that is not a subject of this blog …
Conclusion and more
So just to summarize, these basic remedies after surgery are Arnica, Calendula, Bellis perenis, Hypericum and Staphysagria with precautions in use of Arnica as explained earlier.
All the remedies explained in this blog can be used around surgery of our loved animals too. There are other remedies which can also help, some mentioned in this blog but it is very individual how we heal.
In my opinion as a homeopath during preparation for surgical intervention it is good to consider buying an Essential kit if we have not done that already. Variety of remedies in the kit allows to cover changeability of the post-surgical state and makes us less anxious in this quite stressful moment.
I have not touched much on remedies for fear and anticipation which also can be useful, just to mention a handful like Aconite, Argentum Nitricum, Gelsemium or Arsenicum album. They may be additional support while waiting for surgery alongside some Bach flower essences and other relaxation techniques.
In short words homeopathy is a great help which can significantly change the outcome of the surgical procedure so it is worth considering.
Let’s speak about homeopathy!