Why Can’t I Drink Green Tea Before Having Surgery? Green tea has long been touted as a go-to drink for boosting antioxidants and nutrients in the body, helping to improve brain function, lower risk of infection, and even shed inches from your waist. But did you know that indulging in this healthy hot beverage before surgery can negatively impact your healing and introduce risks during your cosmetic surgery procedure? So put down the cup at least 10 days before surgery because this powerful brew can: Interact negatively with anesthesia and other medications. The compounds in green tea can react with certain medications, causing problems such as accelerated heart rate and dangerous blood pressure increases. In fact, you can never be fully certain how a health supplement might affect your surgery or healing, which is why it’s so important to talk to your surgeon about any supplements or medicinal foods that are part of your health routine. Influence behavior of other medications.
Green tea may reduce or overstimulate the efficacy of certain medications. For instance, green tea puts moderate stress on the liver, so combining it with other medications with a similar effect, such as high doses of acetaminophen, can have dangerous results. Affect your body’s ability to heal from surgery. Green tea has been shown to slow blood clotting, which can introduce complications during a surgical procedure and increase your risk of losing too much blood. Slow clotting can also increase the chances of having postoperative complications and lengthen your healing time. What else should I avoid? Green tea isn’t the only culprit. Several widely encouraged vitamins and healthy supplements can be harmful if taken less than a week before surgery. A range of anti-inflammatories should be avoided because they can slow healing of the internal and external sutures commonly associated with cosmetic procedures. More common foods and supplements to look out for before and after surgery:
Vitamin E can cause excessive bleeding, which can significantly interfere with healing. Vitamin C can delay closing of the blood vessels, which can complicate surgery. Multivitamins should also be discontinued due to their high levels of vitamins E and C. In addition to vitamins C and E, patients are encouraged to stop taking vitamins K, B, and all herbal supplements. Any weight loss or fat burning supplements should be avoided for at least two weeks before surgery. Fish oil capsules and fish high in Omega 3’s can increase bleeding; conversely, lean red meat counteracts blood thinning. Alcohol, caffeine, aspartame, and MSG should all be avoided leading up to a procedure. Refrain from taking blood thinners, such as aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. It’s also important to carefully consider what to eat when you’re healing. Easy to digest, protein-rich foods are perfect for the first several days after your procedure. Throw some avocados and berries into the blender for a great post-op smoothie that packs a healing punch with monounsaturated fats and anti-inflammatories.
Stay away from saturated fats, trans-fats, and refined sugars to further promote proper healing. Surgical dietary recommendations differ from the standard nutritional advice we hear and read for good reason. It’s critical to follow both pre- and post-surgery rules and to communicate openly with your surgical staff for smooth sailing during surgery and optimal healing afterwards. We like to work closely with our patients to ensure safe and successful outcomes. We’re happy to provide you with clear, easy to follow nutritional guidelines as you get ready for and recover from surgery. Contact us today to learn more about our services or to schedule a consultationation. Crohn’s disease is a digestive disorder that can cause a variety of symptoms. There’s no single diagnostic test for Crohn’s disease. Your doctor may use blood tests, stool tests, imaging tests, endoscopy, or biopsies to help diagnose your condition. disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that can affect your entire
In most cases, it affects the end of your small intestine, known as your ileum. It can also affect other parts of your small or large intestines, including your colon. It can cause stomach pain, diarrhea, and There’s no single diagnostic test for Crohn’s disease. you show signs or symptoms of the condition, your doctor may use a variety of tests to check for it. For example, they may order blood tests, stool tests, imaging tests, colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or tissue biopsies. Crohn’s disease is a serious condition. the end of your small intestine, but it can also damage other parts of your digestiveSymptoms can vary from one person to another. They range from mild to If left untreated, Crohn’s disease can lead to potentially serious complications. It can cause intestinal scarring, fistulas, or obstruction of your bowels. It also raises your risk of colon cancer. severe cases, Crohn’s disease can be life threatening. While there’s no known
cure, proper treatment can help you live a normal life. symptoms vary from one person to another, and many other conditions causeBecause of this, it can take a long time to get an accurate diagnosis of Crohn’s disease. Your doctor will likely start by asking you about yourThey may also conduct a full physical examination, order blood tests, and order stool tests. This can help them rule out other possible causesIf they suspect you may have Crohn’s disease, they will likely order other follow-up tests. To diagnose Crohn’s disease, your doctor will need to see what’s going on inside your digestive tract. To do so, they may use imaging tests that create pictures of your digestive tract from the outside, such asThey may also use an endoscope to look inside your digestive tract during a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. During these procedures they may collect samples of tissue for testing. Blood tests can help your doctor check for signs of
infection or antibodies in your blood. If you have increased levels of white blood cells or platelets in your blood, it may be a sign of infection or inflammationThe inflammation might be caused by Crohn’s disease or otherYour doctor can’t use a blood test alone to diagnoseBut it can help them assess the likelihood that you have it. Your doctor may order a stool test to check for blood inBlood in your stool is a sign of digestive problems, such asThey may also order stool tests to check for disease-causing organisms in your digestive tract. This can help them rule out other possible causes of your symptoms. For example, a stool culture can help them learn if you have a bacterial infection. A stool ova and parasites test can help them learn if you have a parasitic infection. You will need to provide a sample of your stool, or feces, for a stool test. It will be tested for abnormalities in a laboratory. you may feel uncomfortable about providing the sample, the process shouldn’t be
painful or pose any risk of side effects. Imaging tests include X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT) scans. They allow your doctor to examine your digestive tract from the outside. This helps them assess and document signs of damage or inflammation. It can help them diagnose Crohn’s disease and its potentially serious complications, such as fistulas or abscesses. If your doctor suspects that you have Crohn’s disease, they will likely use imaging tests to create images of your small intestine. specific procedure, called the upper gastrointestinal (UGI) series, includes a variety of imaging tests to create a complete picture of your small intestine. Your doctor may also use imaging tests to examine your stomach or largeSometimes your doctor will ask you to drink a solution beforeTwo different solutions, barium and gastrografin, areWhich one you end up taking will depend on the particular test that your
It helps your doctor to see your digestive tissues in greater An endoscope is a thin, flexible tube with a camera on theYour doctor can insert it through your rectum to examine the inner wallsThey can use it to conduct different types of endoscopy, including colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. During a colonoscopy, they can viewDuring a sigmoidoscopy, they will only examine the end ofYour doctor may also need to perform an upper endoscopy to look at your esophagus, stomach, and the first part of your small intestine. procedure is called an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or EGD. Endoscopy is one of the few tests that allow your doctor to examine the inside walls of your colon. They can also use it to examine the space between your small intestine and colon, where damage from Crohn’s diseaseFor example, they may find granulomas. groupings of cells that can only be seen with endoscopy. They usually point to the presence of Crohn’s disease. While conducting an endoscopy, your doctor may also collect