V.I.P. Procedure Support Directives

VETERANS IN PAIN, (V.I.P.) TREATMENT DIRECTIVES

ASSIST YOUR CELLS IN THE REGENERATIVE PROCESS

• HYDRATE: Drink 60 0z of water the day prior to treatment to hydrate. Continue hydration for first 72 hours post-treatment and throughout your initial 6-12 month recovery period of tissue regeneration.
• GET ON THE WAGON: Refrain from any alcohol intake within the week surrounding treatment, and as much as possible throughout recovery.
• LET THE INFLAMMATION BEGIN! Do not take anti-inflammatories of any kind for 14 days prior, and 3-4 weeks post procedure. Any inflammation and tenderness you feel within the first three weeks is created by the regenerative process itself. Do not take any anti-inflammatories during this period of time! You may alternate between heat & ice   Once this initial phase of exacerbated inflammation resigns, feel free to continue NSAIDs and other anti-inflammatories as directed by your treating physician. 
• NO SUPERMAN-ING: Although you may experience the anomaly of an immediate “rebound” effect post-treatment, known by some as the “Superman Effect” (a little gender-bias there, but makes its point). Refrain from any rigorous activity for the first two weeks. Stem Cells are attracted to inflammation, so try not to create additional inflammation or injury with inspired activity.
• PEACE OUT: Be patient! May I say this again? Be. patient. The actual regenerative process is a slow one. Great for snails, bad for people. On average, you may not experience any noticeable improvement for possibly 3-6 weeks, and even then, the actual tissue regeneration process has been noted to proceed at a creeping 2-4mm a day. Then, it can take from 9 - 24 months to complete the journey to what would be your new baseline. It’s like a gestation period. Just think of pain relief as a baby! Or not.
• YOU’VE GOT FLARES: You may experience “flares”, a moderate ‘burning’ sensation within the injection area and surrounding tissues. This may sound crazy, but this is actually a good pain! The irony is, stem cells are like the nuclear bomb of anti-inflammatory, and then they cause inflammation by doing the work! 90% of pain is inflammation (not sure if this is true but we heard it somewhere). However, we must add, contact your physician if this accompanied by a fever or severe pain levels. Listen to your body.
• EAT THE RAINBOW: Read & print this link as well Eat The Rainbow - Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Chronic Pain  eliminate unnecessary systemic inflammation, is key to a long-term optimal-results recovery from any OrthoBiologic procedure, and as a way of life!
• The Cleveland Clinic published this informative article explaining this food-inflammatory connection, and how this can cause a direct correlation from your conscious food selections to the levels of pain you experience after doing so. 

I am one gal who can appreciate a quality Whiskey, which immediately brings to the forefront a night of BBQ pain levels, fatigue and joint pain.  Chronic Pain is very often a centralized systemic autoimmune disease, wit’s inflammation as its protective shield. 

When you are in chronic pain, it is easy to reach for comfort food, or drink. However, please keep in mind the very real effect these can have on your quality of life. 

We are including the following nutritIonal guidance in our Multidisciplinary post-procedure support for our VIP Veterans, however, if you suffer from chronic pain at all, the following could truly change your life. 

I know, it’s easy to say. I get it! But once you test this out, you’ll be hard pressed to not make at least a few changes beginning today. 

If you suffer from chronic pain, experts say a diet makeover with a focus on vegetables can have a dramatic effect. But protein sources are also imperative. And did you know that certain vegetables actually cause inflammation?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit academic medical center, patients who follow strict vegan or Mediterranean diets have seen a complete turnaround in their pain symptoms, according to pain management specialist William Welches, DO, PhD. He says getting regular exercise, controlling stress and eating healthy foods all work together to reduce inflammation and chronic pain. Now, I know some of you, as I did, are rolling your eyes thinking, nothing is going to touch my level of pain! The one thing I know we all can share in, our dream that obtaining any increase in our quality of life, would be a gift! What if this lifestyle change, for some, could be “the” gift?

“Research shows that diet should be an integral part of a pain management program — especially as patients age,” A vegan or Mediterranean diet — or healthier eating inspired by these diets — can control insulin and cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation — which is the pain culprit.”

Painful inflammation is body’s response to toxins - Cleveland Clinic

Inflammation is the body’s immune response to toxins as it works to “purify” itself. The resulting inflammation not only causes pain in the body.“

There are many ways to treat and manage chronic pain. One of the most exciting approaches, however — because it is all natural — is adopting an anti-inflammatory diet. The other options for pain don’t always work. 

An anti-inflammatory diet, however, often eliminates the unpleasant side effects of some medications that cause fogginess, memory loss and sleepiness.

Following an anti-inflammatory diet is powerful therapy for pain control with many beneficial side effects,” Dr. Welches says. “The anti-inflammatory diet is considered an integrative approach to pain management, along with exercise, stress management, osteopathic manipulation therapy and acupuncture.”

EAT THE RAINBOW 🌈 

Consume eight to nine servings of vegetables each day — make a couple of those servings fruit, if you like. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower are best.

Restrict dairy and grains: Eat dairy products in limited quantities. When choosing grains, stay away from simple carbohydrates with refined sugar. Opt for whole grains, including barley, buckwheat, oats, quinoa, brown rice, rye, spelt and wheat.

Avoid red meat: Eat red meat the way most of us eat turkey right now — twice a year, Dr. Welches says. Have it on very special occasions, very infrequently. Instead, include fish as the “meat” or eat vegetarian main dishes. Chicken is neutral — not harmful but not beneficial in the anti-inflammatory sense.

Take these additional steps to enhance your results

To make your diet part of an integrative lifestyle built to reduce chronic pain and reduce or eliminate inflammation, Dr. Welches recommends these additional priorities:

• Get down to your ideal weight. Weight loss on its own is anti-inflammatory.
• Get daily exercise in the form of walking.
• Manage stress.

I found this particularly interesting! “It is the diet, not the individual foods, that control inflammation”, he says.

“For a chronic pain patient who is suffering, I recommend the extreme form of the diet — so that is no red meat, no refined flour or sugar or simple carbohydrate and no dairy”

I know this part can be especially difficult for those suffering, daily. I am a firm believer of doing what you can each day to move forward. Everyone’s situation is relative. But if it doesn’t start now, then when? 

When I laid in bed for 6 years, the one thing I tried to do every day was contract my leg muscles and hold them as long as I could, then release. Over and over. Was it running a mile? No. But each day I did, it felt like I had run a marathon. Increasing blood flow is huge, and is an anti-inflammatory in and of itself. So consider this sometimes when thinking exercise is ‘impossible’. For others, even this is too much. It’s all about doing what you can, the best you can. 

“Nutrition that supports a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods is the key to anti-inflammation and chronic pain management,” Dr. Welches says. “Although there are no magic foods, putting the right combination of foods into your diet can produce remarkable results.”

Please refer to this Anti-Inflammatory Shopping List provides by www.HealthCoachRadio.com

• for guidance. And remember, the most important aspect in managing chronic pain, is self advocacy, and by taking the time to absorb this information can be the first step in embracing what could very well improve the quality of life you deserve. At 3 Weeks, it’s ok to begin a new approach to living an anti-inflammatory life. Researchers have found that fasting dramatically improves stem cells’ abilities to regenerate in both aged and young mice. They ended up with some pretty skinny mice, but while fasting, stem cells began to break down fatty acids instead of glucose, a change that stimulates stem cells to increase their regenerative rate. Please consult your physician first! We probably should have just said that as an umbrella statement at the beginning.
• BLOOD FLOW: Activity is known to increase stem cell numbers in general. This makes sense if you consider that the more active we are, the more new cells we need to create due to exercise depleting older ones through exercise. A PhD project by Ms Charlotte Coombs and supervised by Dr Peter Watt, Associate Professor and Anna Guildford of University of Brighton - don’t know who these people are, but attribution is important - has demonstrated the positive effect of exercise and its intensity on the regenerative capacity of mesenchymal stem cells, affecting their growth, proliferation and differentiation.  Researchers in China have reported that people who practice Tai Chi, Yoga, or swimming, saw a several-fold boost in their stem cell populations, by which they meant a specific type of cell called a “Progenitor CD34+Cells” cell. We know you’ll remember this bit of info for years. This seems a little too good to be true in terms of magnitude, but could fit in with the exercise boost discussed above. The key here, is to exercise, but at a fluid rate and in a way which does not over exert the body and have potential for injury, but increases your blood flow and stem cell reproduction.
• COUNT SHEEP: Although we wrote earlier about how activity could boost stem cell levels, what has been surprising, is that stem cells may complete some of their finest work while you’re counting sheep. Rest is imperative for your body to have the energy it needs during your recovery process.
• O2 YOU: You may have heard of Ozone, but  did you know it is also used as a therapy which assists stem cells in the regenerative process? The name of the IV protocol is a bit of a misnomer, as introducing actual oxygen to your blood stream will kill you. This is bad. IV therapy is most effective, and utilizes O3 - oxygen which has been exposed to UV light. On the other hand, inhaling actual oxygen is effective as well. Both have been shown not only to decrease pain relief levels, which is always welcome, but more importantly, they stimulate stem cells. This is good. OZONE THERAPY: The Restore Hyper-Wellness and Cryogenic Clinical In San Antonio, TX provides pro bono Cryogenic and Ozone therapy to our V.I.P.’s as well.

Ozone therapy is utilized in five primary ways:

1. It modulates the immune system, helping it to function as optimally as possible.
2. It promotes an increase in oxygen delivery to tissues and cells.
3. Ozone therapy destroys bacteria and viruses on contact. It also acts as an inhibitor, helping to stop viruses from attaching to cells.
4. It helps to increase cellular energy.
5. Ozone therapy decreases oxidation levels in the body. Oxidation via the right levels of ozone stimulates the body’s antioxidant enzyme systems. This, in turn, aids in the healthy balance of oxidation levels and in bringing the body back to a state of health.

• THINK: One of the greatest sectors of responsible pain management is therapy. Some therapists specialize in Pain Psychology, a fascinating field. Whatever kind works for you. Talk to a plant if you have to. We jest, but truly, stress can cause dynamics within the nervous system you just don’t need right now, or ever. However it does come with the territory of being human. If you have a therapist, please think about scheduling several sessions throughout your recovery. Peace of mind, or release of mind, has an impact on your overall health. Remember, or note, that stem cell therapy is a tool for healing, but there is also a tool box, with other tools. You can frame a house, but it won’t be quite as functional without walls, furniture, plumbing. You are a human being with many parts all working together on one very important mission. Please do not rely solely on the possibilities of stem cells, without addressing your being as a whole. 

The above, is a blueprint, available to you. It is a lifestyle embraced by those who are committed to taking control of not only their body’s well being, but understanding the importance of engaging in the multi-disciplinary approach necessary in the responsible treatment of chronic pain. Stem cells work differently for everyone. The majority of our Veterans are grateful for any possible increase in their quality of life. Some with mechanical injuries may still need to manage certain pain levels. It is good to have a realistic perspective and simply allow your body to heal while being an active participant in this process. Our suggestions are a not-so-magical formula – as it is based on science- which could change your entire perspective and approach to life if you let it, “be”, and trust that your body will do the best it can, if you offer it the support it needs to do so.

As always, feel free to contact Micaela 310-990-8389, or your assigned Cell-Mate Veteran Sponsor, at any time with any concerns you may have along the way. V.I.P. is not justified team of facilitators, but a long-term support system of those who have sacrificed their quality of life, just like you, in service to our country, having survived what to others, is impossible to explain. You both have also survived the devastating centralized systemic disease that is chronic pain, and had the strength to take control of your life by having faith in others simply willing to help. You have won many battles, but the war on pain may just be the biggest one of all.- Between Exercise, a long-term anti-inflammatory lifestyle beginning at about 6-months, a balanced mindset, and the adoption of this interdisciplinary approach to post operative care, whether you had a knee injection, or stem cells for your spine, you just may have stumbled on more than a groundbreaking science, but a way of life which without this journey, you may have never known.