| Surgery for a Total Knee Replacement is a major | | | | green leafy salads containing romaine, leaf lettuces, |
| assault on the body. It creates a great amount of | | | | kale, swiss chard and spinach are good. Bright colored |
| stress and your body's natural defense mechanisms | | | | veggies like peppers (red and orange as well as |
| react to the stress. Pain, swelling, and inflammation | | | | green), carrots, tomatoes etc. contain the range of |
| reactions are to be expected. At the same time your | | | | vitamins such as A, C, and E that will assist your |
| body reacts to the knee surgery, it starts to heal | | | | recovery. And don't forget to take your |
| itself. Unfortunately, some of these reactions can | | | | multi-vitamins. Even with your best efforts, you are |
| hinder the healing and your subsequent recovery. The | | | | consuming produce that has been bred to look good |
| body's resources are stretched to meet all of their | | | | in the store, and travel well, not to be nutritious. So |
| needs. | | | | double up on your on-a-days. A study involving 11,000 |
| There are some simple things you can do to ensure | | | | dentists, followed over a decade, identified that the |
| you heal from your knee replacement as quickly as | | | | healthiest 10% tended to consume about four times |
| possible. They aren't complicated nor do they cost a | | | | the RDA of most essential vitamins and minerals. |
| lot of money. They will require your attention both | | | | Something to consider. |
| before, and after your knee operation. | | | | You might also think about starting the day off with |
| The body's ability to recover from any assault is | | | | a protein shake. A rounded scoop of whey protein |
| dependent on a number of things. Adequate rest is | | | | powder with some frozen berries and half a banana |
| one. Most healing occurs at night. Relief from stress is | | | | in a blender is an excellent source of low fat protein |
| another. Stress, or to be more blunt, the fight or | | | | and anti-oxidants. Have another shake mid-afternoon, |
| flight response, releases various chemicals into the | | | | and make your main meals, lunch and supper, slightly |
| body that channel activity away from long term care | | | | smaller than normal. This way you are spreading your |
| and over to quick response capability. You want to | | | | nutrient intake out across the day. This is easier on |
| avoid this. The last requirement is the presence of | | | | your system. |
| appropriate and correct nutrients so the body can | | | | There are some supplements you can take that will |
| repair tissues and reduce inflammation. | | | | help you in your quest to heal. Two amino acids that |
| Unfortunately our current diets don't have anything | | | | you might consider are L-Arginine and Ornithine. |
| like the variety and quantity of vitamins, minerals and | | | | These two are considered "non-essential" because |
| other elements that our ancestors evolved with. Part | | | | your body can synthesize them from other proteins, |
| of the problem is the calorie density of our food. The | | | | but studies have shown that under conditions of |
| constant presence of sugar and other carbohydrates | | | | stress, your body does not produce enough of them. |
| provides more than adequate energy for our daily | | | | In particular, arginine and ornithine encourage the |
| requirements, especially with our reduced levels of | | | | thymus gland in the production of more and more |
| activities. In the distant past, our forbears had to eat | | | | active lymphocytes. Lymphocytes play an important |
| a much larger quantity of vegetative material, and | | | | role in the body's immune system. |
| even meat (much leaner meat, with significantly less | | | | As well, studies have shown that arginine, in |
| fat content) to fuel themselves up for their daily | | | | combination with lysine (1200 mg each), promotes |
| activities. And those daily activities did not involve | | | | the release of human growth hormone. HGH |
| turning up the thermostat for heat, or flipping a | | | | accelerates wound healing and slows muscle loss |
| switch for cooling. All travel was by foot, and the | | | | after surgery. If you have liver or kidney disorders, |
| hunt for food, before the invention of agriculture, | | | | you should not take these supplements without |
| required steady travel during much of the day. The | | | | consulting your doctor. |
| calories burned by primitive peoples were large, but | | | | Your system has a major job in front of it. Healing |
| the benefit was that their diets were varied and their | | | | from knee replacement surgery will stretch your |
| daily intake of vitamins, minerals, and other essential | | | | systems resources. Provide it with the quality fuel it |
| nutrients was significantly higher that we get today. | | | | needs. And it will reward you with a faster, more |
| Certainly you should make a point of eating a varied | | | | comlication free recovery. |
| diet, high in fresh vegetables and quality protein. Dark | | | | |