MenopauseMenu guest blog post by Tiffany McDermott, MD from Illnessdoula.
Even when we plan for surgery, there are so many details to address that taking care of our background bodily functions is rarely at the top of our list. Just expecting our systems to immediately return to normal functioning after surgery and anesthesia is a mistake.
Our body and digestive system house trillions of living organisms. These organisms are the beneficial bacteria called probiotics. They help break down food to usable molecules for us. A quick Google search will inform you that “the microbiome is the genetic material of all the microbes – bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses – that live on and inside the human body. The number of genes in all the microbes in one person’s microbiome is 200 times the number of genes in the human genome.” WHAT?…OMG!
We can supplement our microbiome by mixing and matching gut-healthy foods like kombucha, pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt and kefir.
In some ways, there are more of those bacteria cells than there are “human” cells. When they are happy your gut is happy and, unfortunately, the converse is true: when they are unhappy your gut is unhappy. Ummm…hello bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea. There are many things that make probiotics unhappy including antibiotics.
Antibiotics are frequently used at the time of many surgeries. Those antibiotics stop bacteria in their tracks, but antibiotics don’t discriminate so they kill both “good” and “bad” bugs. The antibiotics most commonly used are cephalosporins. They also have the strength to destroy most skin bacteria and some of our best gut bacteria.
After any surgery it is helpful to boost the good bacteria that are left behind. Grow those guys strong enough so your gut works like a dream! Give your probiotics food and love. Probiotics feed well on prebiotics. Prebiotics contain the fiber we can’t break down to short-chain fatty acids – we need our little bacteria friends to do that for us.
Some Common Prebiotics:
Onions
Garlic
Leeks
Bananas
Apples
Flaxseed
Seaweed
It is best to eat these raw, although that makes the onions, garlic and leeks a little less attractive. Bananas and flaxseed are an easy add to oatmeal or a smoothie.
So, if you are going to have surgery preload with probiotics. After surgery, recover first with prebiotics. Probiotics can be a little too stimulating so wait to reintroduce those until you are “back to normal.”
Check out MenopauseMenu’s Pinterest page for some recipe ideas, and visit Illnessdoula for other helpful tips.
Editor’s note: Dr. McDermott worked many years as an OB/GYN, finally retiring her stethoscope to devote her energy to helping others navigate life crises and health troubles as an illnessdoula.