Vitamin C and Pain Control

BLENDING HOLISTIC MEDICINE AND SURGERY FOR BETTER RECOVERY

Vitamin C is easier than other vitamins to obtain in foods, yet up to 70% of American adults are not getting enough on a daily basis. This is a vitamin that is not stored in the body so we need to replenish it all the time. Our food sources are over utilized and have less nutrition in them than ever, making supplementation an important adjunct to improve our health. High dose vitamin C supplements are not that helpful as the extra vitamin C is mostly urinated out, so we only need about 500-1000mg extra per day in the vitamins we take. I recently came across a nutrition study that showed vitamin C supplementation correlated with BETTER pain scores and LOWER amounts of narcotic pain medicine for pain control after surgery. I found this fascinating. In surgery we are always looking for ways to decrease the pain we cause while balancing that with minimizing narcotic use because the addictive qualities are considerable. If vitamin C can help with pain control after surgery, then that is yet another reason on a list of many for patients undergoing or having recently undergone an operation to have some extra in their daily supplement routine.

When choosing a vitamin C supplement, there are a variety of things to consider. Cost, tablet vs capsule vs powder, and the facility in which the supplement is made.

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Contact me at info@centerforholisticsurgery.com and we can find a time to chat about how I can support you to your best surgical health.