Vitiman K

Has anyone had to take oral vitamin k 3 days before the surgery? I have no health issues in this Dept but my surgeon wanted me to take it.

I had an early gastric wls procedure. even over 20 years ago they checked for clotting time, to determine if someone was prone to clotting or not clotting,

It sounds like you have a surgeon who is very aware of where parameters need to be. That sounds like he wants to make sure surgery can be done safely. Be sure to follow his instructions. If you don't trust him on this? why WOULD you want him operating?

Some people have blood that is thinner/ thicker than others. one indication of thin blood/weak blood vessels would be having broken blood vessels in hands, or bruising. there are some herbals which help strengthen vessels. medical doctors are not trained in herbals. you would need to do own research thru herbalists sites.

Friendly reminder: OP and others should not take any herbal products prior to surgery without approval by their surgeons.

MarinaGirl, You are right, I was not clear.. strict following of Drs guidelines is impotant for following rules..of protecting pouch. and for readying for surgery. I still follow my surgeons rules for vitamins, supplemets,food intake, nurition choices, protecting pouch, and ect. I was thinking of long term managment for weak vessels following surgery- for the rest of life.

. and thinking of my own situation. I am one of the few that have very thin blood, fragile blood vessels often go with those symptoms. One of the main dangers is stroke. This Dr is doing his best to protect this lady. The dose he is suggesting should protect her... until her levels drop again...depending on age and gastric conditions..ie. Vitamin K is made in the gut.

It takes time to research and find herbalist/herbalist to work with and find the appropriate product for each person. This is not a day or two fix. It often takes months of herbals/supplements for effectiveness to be evident.

Medical doctors are generally not trained in this because there is no solid evidence proving "herbal remedies" to have any effectiveness.

Sparkle kittty,

No they( pharma and drug companies) can't make money from researching purely naural products they can not make money off of. So insead they separae by compounds and then make synthetic compounds... They do/have made money off of digitalis made from foxglove, and asprin made from willow bark.. There is an injection from a snail used for pain in knees....and the list goes on and on. For "ineffective Products" that is pretty good...for multimillion dollar companies must start with the lowly herb... to find the compounds needed for their narrowed scope of effects. One of the newest attempts to make money off of plant life is marijuana which has been labeled inappropriately as a useless plant. Now extracts from it are treating seizures , stopping pain and PTSD.. Think Pharma will make money on that.???? Do you really think they will do that as Charity?

Many herbals have been used in Asia, China, ect for many thousands of years. The problem with herbals is like with medication , sometimes it is a crap shoot. One may have to try several individually to get desired effect- Oh, thats the same as big pharma! One drug don't work, so they add another..and then another for unwanted side effects like dizziness or nausea... Hummmmm.

I am now using herbals for my long term issues. I did not arrive at that overnight...as "medicine failed me and became too expensive".. I have largely replaced pharma with nutrients/herbals. It is not for everyone, but each person needs to be aware they exist and there are specialsists to help people learn who are INTERESTED and MAY benefit.

I also use essential oils. I can not get organic fruit/root veggies and other things i need for family (really rural),..the purity of essential oils enables me to add lemon water to my diet and use peppermint( a precursor to menthols )for muscles, for gastric upset and sinus issues. I use prevacid for gastritis, but also have a herbal back-up should it not be available. sweet everlasting(wildcrafted) tea. These are all personal choices.

To make these decisions one MUST have information..instead of limited "official big pharma info only".. ie...PHARMA knows what their drugs do...just Look at the side effects and the warnings on those. The ones I am concerned with include the last side effect of death! If that is a possible side effect, I do not need it for daily use...I plan to only die one time because that's kinda final.

Herbals come with warnings as well! Yes, used without knowledge or guidance they can kill too. Bitter melon has helped stabilize my blood sugar . Dessicated liver has increased my iron and energy levels. Willow bark treats my continual arthritis pain ( On the bright side,I am petty good at predicting weather changes) and headaches...(tho I have pain daily I take infrequently) Epsom salts foot baths helps my low magnesium levels and stops muscle cramps. Apple cider vinegar was used recently by a family member to treat kidney stones. All these are common examples of our grandmothers may have done to take care of isssues BEFORE they became acute.

If you're of the "big pharma" mindset, wouldn't you expect them to research the heck out of a (supposedly) effective herb so they could patent it and sell it for a million dollars?

Yes, there are some remedies like asprin and digitalis that are helpful. Research proved their effectiveness, and they became an accepted part of medical practice. That has NOT been the case with a lot of remedies.

Just because something has been used for thousands of years doesn't mean it should be used in modern medicine. People lived in caves for thousands of years, does that mean we should all live in caves instead of our modern homes with indoor plumbing?

There is no scientific evidence that essential oils have any medical benefit beyond a slight reduction in stress and nausea (aromatherapy). The placebo effect in this area is HUGE.

Plenty of herbs and "natural" remedies can kill you too, especially if you don't know what you're doing. Not to mention the risk of death from an illness that is treated ineffectively.

Our grandmothers used what was available to them at the time. If they had modern, more effective treatments, I imagine they would certainly have chosen those instead.

Great. Now I'm stuck with all this extra rhino horn.

I might be in the market for rhino horn. What does it fix? Everything?

Sparklekitty, there is actually lots of research on all kinds of herbal remedies, in many peer reviewed journals, American, and particularly German, where they really support that kind of research. Pharma does a lot of research on herbals too, because that's the basis of many of their drugs. They are doing all kinds of research for new drugs from plants from less explored jungles throughout the world.