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Risky Herbs to mention to your surgeon
Just read an article that states that because Herbs are so commonplace some 70% of patients don’t think to mention them to their surgeon..yet they can interact with anesthesia and medications used during surgery…So to avoid bleeding, breathing problems, liver damage and/or other complications tell your doc especially if you are taking any one of these:
Echinacea
Feverfew
Garlic
Ginger
Ginkgo
Ginseng
Goldenseal
Kava
St. Johns Wort
Valerian -
4 Replies
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Whats really interesting is that the surgeons don’t think of it either…they will tell you to stop taking your baby aspirin or vitamin E two weeks before surgery but never think to tell you not to use garlic which is a potent blood thinner…
Anyway i merely mentioned it as most people don’t think about “herbs” as being drugs or interacting in any way with anything else when in fact they can and do.
Pat -
Melodie,
Herbs are very potent medicines and need to be researched before using them.
A co worker of mine was taking black cohosh for hot flashes and it was working beautifully for her. She went to the Dr. for a regular check up and her liver panel was off the wall. She had a bunch of tests to make sure it wasn’t something else going on in her body, and then they determined that it was the black cohosh.
She stopped taking the cohosh and her liver panel returned to normal.
I was taking Chapparral as a part of my Cancer regimen. When I went to the Dr. for my arthritis (triggered by BCG’s ) and my Dr. said, “your liver panel is out of the normal range” and I had to really, really think it over, and then I remembered that Chapparral is toxic to the liver.
You have to be careful with herbs, but that does not mean that with proper knowledge and application, that they can’t be beneficial also.
Regards,
Rosemary
Rosemary
Age – 55
T1 G3 – Tumor free 2 yrs 3 months
Dx January 2006
Glad this subject came up. I was into see my family doctor last week and while waiting began reading an article about some gal who suffered from kidney malfunction, didn’t get through all the story before the doctor came in, but what I remember is that the article stated clearly that the only difference in her diet was that she had began taking Kava Kava….the main point of the article being that at least several individuals have had severe kidney problems as a result of that that herb, that possibly some have died from it, and that in some countries it has been outlawed. ??? Any comments. Melodie
Melodie, Indy Pouch, U.W.Medical Center, Seattle, Dr. Paul H. Lange & Jonathan L. Wright
Patricia thanks. I just bought some organic echinacea tea and looked this up first. I will be having a TUR one week from yesterday so it looks like I should hold off.
Joe
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