top of page
drpfleghaar

You need to have general anesthesia now what- a guide to surgery and how to detox

Updated: Jul 4, 2023

The concern for going under general anesthesia for surgery is how your body is going to respond and detox from the surgery.





First, we need to continue to focus on the four pillars of health and make sure these are golden.

1) Nutrition

2) Sleep

3) Movement

4) Breath work

If you need help with any of these go to my YouTube channel and use the resources available.


Making sure your liver and gut is functioning properly is important, this is something. you would want to do months before the surgery if you are able to. The gut and liver restore program will help you prime your body for proper detoxification.


If you are getting ready for the surgery and the anesthesia.

Supplements to take:

Fish Oil (Omega-3) (stop before surgery, then restart)

MitoBoost (mitochondria support)


These are best to start a week before the surgery, you are going to hold them 24 hours before the surgery (or per the doctor's instructions) and restart supplements after surgery for two weeks.


Continue MitoBoost, Fish Oil, Probiotics for the next few months and/or talk with your doctor about your daily supplements needs!


Post surgery adjuncts:

Sauna, PEMF, Red Light will all be helpful with detox and mitochondrial health.


(Therasage is a great sauna, they also have a PEMF/Red light mat! Code DRJEN saves 10%)





What are the concerns of specific anesthesia?


Propofol is a common induction agent used in the OR and ER. "The formula contains soybean oil, glycerol, egg lecithin, and a small amount of the preservative EDTA." (1) "The mechanism of action for propofol is poorly understood but thought to be related to the effects on GABA-mediated chloride channels in the brain." Sounds great right? There is also something called Propofol Infusion Syndrome. This is a concern when you are on large doses of propofol for greater than 24 hours. More on mitochondrial effects of propofol: "In animal studies propofol disrupted the electron flow along the respiratory chain and decreased complex I, complex II, and complex III of the respiratory chain. In addition, propofol disrupted the permeability transition pore and reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential. In conclusion, propofol is mitochondrion-toxic and mitochondrial disorder patients should not receive propofol in high dosages over a prolonged period of time. Short-term application of propofol should be safe even in mitochondrial disorder patients." (2)


Propofol a good agent used for sedation in the ER. You do have to realize that all medication have side effects and can be hard on the liver and/or kidneys to metabolize. Sedation agents in particular are hard on our mitochondria.

But you have to have surgery- keep in mind: "All classes of psychotropic drugs have been documented to damage mitochondria, as have stain medications, analgesics such as acetaminophen, and many others. While targeted nutrient therapies using antioxidants or their precursors (e. g., N-acetylcysteine) hold promise for improving mitochondrial function, there are large gaps in our knowledge."


This is why I try to keep my patients on the least amount of medications- especially psychotropic drugs (which by the way are handed out like candy anymore).


Always check with your primary care doctor before starting any new supplements.


In Health,

Dr. Jen

ref:





Comments


bottom of page