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Posted on Sep 30, 2002, 6 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
A surgeon is warning patients who are about to go under the knife to steer clear of herbal supplements and medications. Many patients don't inform their physician of herbal and dietary supplements even when asked, yet according to Dr Suzanne Yee, a surgeon from the University of Arkansas, their silence could be "deadly" as many herbs can prolong the effects of anesthesia or increase bleeding during and after surgery.
A surgeon is warning patients who are about to go under the knife to steer clear of herbal supplements and medications. Many patients don't inform their physician of herbal and dietary supplements even when asked, yet according to Dr Suzanne Yee, a surgeon from the University of Arkansas, their silence could be "deadly" as many herbs can prolong the effects of anesthesia or increase bleeding during and after surgery. Herbs that can interfere with anesthesia include St John's Wort and kava kava, while ginkgo biloba, feverfew, ginger and vitamin E affect bleeding. Yee recommends that, "all herbal supplements be stopped two weeks prior to elective surgery, no matter how minor.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 23rd February 2001
