In our last blog, we discussed Post-Operative Cognitive Decline or POCD and the research linking Alzheimer’s (AD) and Dementia to anesthesia. In this blog, we’ll discuss further relationships and what you should know about POCD.
POCD and relationship to different genotypes have been studied and many studies are still ongoing. From what has been done, it has been shown that certain genes have shown to be associated with an elevated risk of dementia and AD. It would be handy to know from your own genetic predisposition if you are predisposed to negative cognitive effects from anesthesia.
However, some researchers point out that surgery is a traumatic experience with inherent inflammation. It is possible that some of the negative effects on the brain are general inflammation related.
If that description didn’t seem clear, you have a decent grasp of the problem, as we really can’t make any sweeping generalizations. The bottom line is that some people are going to be more prone to damage from surgery and anesthesia and some might be OK. It would seem reasonable that if you have a progressive dementia condition, early onset Alzheimer’s, or if you have noticed a negative reaction to anesthesia in your focus and cognition in the past, you should not take anesthesia lightly and should forego any elective surgery. Instead, you should aggressively look for alternatives to any health problem to avoid any surgeries whenever possible. Don’t forget to include routine colonoscopies and endoscopies in that list of procedures that might have a decent non-anesthesia alternative in your case!
If you do have these predispositions or are concerned about POCD, we recommend increasing your glutathione support and vitamin C support a few days before and for a few days after the procedure. This should give your body the best chance of calming any negative effects as quickly as possible. Talk to your doctor or call us to discuss what supplements are best for you! After, we recommend NuMedica supplements Liposomal Glutathione and Ecological Formulas C-1000 from non-corn sources. Give us a call today to see how OVitaminPro can help!
