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Hip Replacement Surgery and Arnica
Dr. Anke Zimmermann, BSc, ND, FCAH
Naturopathic Physician and Classical Homeopath
In a previous edition of Island Voices I wrote about my recent, highly positive experience with using homeopathic remedies after surgery to reduce pain and trauma. As it turns out, a client of mine had a similarly positive experience using just Arnica before and after a hip replacement surgery. Now, the gentleman was on his third hip replacement by the time he discovered homeopathy, the other two surgeries having been performed by the same surgeon and in the same facility. After the third, Arnica-assisted surgery, he wrote a letter to his surgeon describing this experience and also gave me a copy to share with others as I wished. I am therefore reprinting his letter here with his permission for your information.
Professor Dr. Clive P. Duncan M.B., B.CH., M.Sc., F.R.C.S.(C)
(PT) of Orthopaedics
Head, Division of Reconstructive Orthopaedics
920-943 West Broadway
Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 4E1
5th May 1996
Dear Clive,
Herewith the long delayed letter re my last operation. As you know we have now been through three operations together since 1984. Each time that I have been hospitalized at VGH, I notice that there have been changes in the methods of pain control ranging from strict adherence to prescribed frequency of doses in 1984, to self administered, but controlled, doses during my last operation in November 1995.
The purpose of this letter is to tell you of my experience with Homeopathic medicine which was prescribed to me at the time of the operation in November. I feel that I am in a good position to compare the three operations from the point of view of “comfort” and speed of recovery from pain and bruising as experienced by a layman (whoops! layperson). My comments having nothing to do with the quality of the surgery, which, as I have always said, is the very best that is available.
For several years my children had a problem with a sugar allergy which no doctor or specialist managed to control, let alone solve. This allergy took the form of the children being unable to eat anything which contained the slightest amount of sugar without them breaking out into very severe and painful rashes. We were recommended to go and talk to Phyllis Coleman on Salt Spring who is an RN, and has been nursing for many years. She now has a small Homeopathic practice on the island. After lengthy discussions with Phyllis the girls were given some medicine and within a couple of weeks the rashes had disappeared and they have been able to eat a normal diet, except for such things as ice cream or other foods with a very high concentration of sugar.
In the course of time Phyllis got to hear about my hip saga, and when it was time for me to go in for the November operation she suggested that I should take Arnica pills for three days before the operation and then for up to eleven days afterwards, as the healing improved. This I duly did, and the results were extraordinary. When I came round from the anaesthetic I experienced far less pain than on the previous occasions. On the second day, when getting out of bed, the only pain that I felt was the pain from the stitches, but virtually no muscular pain. On more than one occasion I was told by the person who was supervising pain control that I must use the morphine “machine”. I can honestly say that I had no need of it, and apart from taking a couple of Tylenol 3’s on occasion, I eventually used it because he insisted that I tried it as he seemed to think that I was scared of the thing. It was also interesting to hear the surprise of the nurses over the lack of bruising around the wound. In Physiotherapy on day 3 I had my full range of movement, again without pain, and, again to the surprise of the Physiotherapist.
Don’t worry, I have not turned into a raving naturalist, I still consider that the people coming out of the delicatessen look a lot less drawn and haggard than those coming out of the health food store!
However, as you can imagine, I did not go into this blindly. It so happened that a member of the family had to have some radical surgery last summer and they tried the same treatment with the same type of results and the same surprise was expressed by the doctors and nurses particularly about the speed of healing. I am told that Arnica is an excellent natural medicine which helps the post operative healing process, particularly where there is bruising. I have been impressed by the way that certain aspects of VGH’s nursing have been improved over the years – but that’s another topic – and, as part of that, perhaps there is a role for, dare I say it, other therapies in some aspects of the recovery process.
When I compare my experience over the three operations, there is no doubt in my mind that this last operation was made a great deal more comfortable and the recovery was a lot easier and quicker than before, with, as I have said, minimum use of hospital analgesics. It may be that you did something differently at the surgical end, but it seemed to me that you had to do more surgical work this time than on the other two occasions.
Anyway, I send you this record of my experience which maybe you can pass on to those looking at this aspect of post operative care, at the same time reassuring them that I am not a person given to ranting and raving against modern medicine, but rather, I am extremely grateful for the results of the various medical interventions that I have experienced to date.
The hip is doing well over all and I look forward to seeing you again on the 13th.
All the best,
Jeremy Moran, Salt Spring Island.
Jeremey has since undergone a fourth hip replacement surgery and I am waiting to hear about the results.
Hip replacement surgery is a common and usually very helpful surgery in people over 50. Arnica could be a very useful adjunct to improve healing and reduce the risk of post-surgical complications.
There are many other homeopathic remedies that can be helpful in pre-and post-operative care. They do not interfere with treatment or other medications and are safe for people of all ages.
Dr. Zimmerman can be reached at: –
Suite 2A – 2563 Penrhyn Road, Victoria, B.C.
Tel. 250-590-5828
www.drzimmermann.org
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