Healing Support Program

• Arnica Montana plant is organically grown in the mountainous regions of Western Europe and U.S. Single remedy medication excludes dyes or colorants.


• Arnica Montana 30X formulation eliminates the challenge in determining the appropriate product, potency and formulation to buy.


• Arnica Montana soft-grain, sub-lingual tablets dissolve rapidly without leaving a chalky taste in your mouth.


• Each Bromelain with Quercetin two capsule dose provides 500 mg of bromelain and 500 mg of quercetin. Small, easy-to-swallow, odorless capsules.


• Bromelain with Quercetin delivers 2,000 Milk Clotting Units per gram, a measurement of activity and potency that studies have shown is required for therapeutic effect.


• Free from artificial colors and preservatives.


• Manufactured in the U.S. using Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and in accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopœia of the United States (HPUS).

INDICATIONS
The Healing Supplements Program is indicated for patients undergoing less extensive surgical procedures such as blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), laparoscopic procedures, breast biopsy, arthroscopic knee surgery and bunionectomy.

CONTRAINDICATIONS
Nutritional supplements have a very safe track record. Because these products are natural, they are generally milder, safer and less likely to cause negative reactions or side-effects than prescription medications. However, if a side-effect or adverse reaction occurs, please notify your physician or contact VitaMedica customer service toll free at 888-367-8605. Certain individuals should seek the advice of their doctor before beginning any nutritional supplement program particularly diabetics and pregnant or lactating women.

BROMELAIN WITH QUERCETIN is contraindicated in patients with a history of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias); taking blood thinners like Coumadin® (warfarin); or who have allergies to pineapple.

NOTICE
Do not take if safety seal on bottle is broken. KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN.

SUPPLEMENTS TO DISCONTINUE
The following nutritional supplements should be discontinued two weeks prior to, and for up to two weeks after surgery: bilberry, cayenne, dong quai, echinacea, feverfew, fish oil caps, garlic, ginger, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, hawthorne, kava kava, licorice root, ma huang (ephedra), melatonin, red clover, St. John’s Wort, valerian, vitamin E and yohimbe.

CAUTION: Energy drinks often contain ingredients like guarana, ginseng, ginkgo biloba and other herbs which can be contraindicated around the time of surgery. Prior to surgery, consult with your physician regarding their use.

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION
While taking the Healing Supplements Program, NO additional vitamin, mineral or herbal supplements should be taken.

Bromelain with Quercetin
For optimal results, begin taking Bromelain with Quercetin 3 days prior to surgery and continue for 7 days following surgery (example, if your surgery is on Thursday, start taking Bromelain on Monday). Take 2 capsules three times a day. For optimal results, Bromelain with Quercetin should be taken between meals preferably on an empty stomach. For example: upon awakening, late morning and late afternoon.

Arnica Montana 30X
Begin taking Arnica Montana immediately after your surgery and continue taking until the bruising and swelling has subsided (usually 7-14 days). Take 3 tablets, 3 times a day. Place tablets under the tongue and let dissolve naturally. For optimal results, do not brush your teeth, eat, or drink anything but water, 15 minutes before or 15 minutes after taking Arnica Montana. Do not handle the tablets.

IMPORTANT
Do not eat or drink anything by mouth (including the Healing Supplements Program) after midnight prior to surgery. Following anesthesia and surgery, it is not uncommon for some patients to experience decreased appetite or gastrointestinal upset. If you develop these symptoms after surgery, delay taking the Healing Supplements Program until your stomach is feeling better and you are able to eat a normal diet.

MAINTAIN YOUR SURGICAL RESULTS
VitaMedica’s Healing Supplements Program is aptly formulated to support healing during the peri-operative period. However, this unique program kit is not intended for long-term use. Instead, VitaMedica’s Wellness Supplements are designed to provide optimal nutrition to maintain surgical results.

HEALING SUPPLEMENTS PROGRAM FAQS



• Who should use the Healing Supplements Program?  Any individual who has swelling, inflammation and bruising that often accompanies soft tissue injury from injury, trauma, less invasive surgical procedures (e.g., arthroscopic knee surgery, upper/lower eyelid lift) or non-surgical procedures (e.g., Fraxel® and fillers like Radiesse®) can benefit from taking the Healing Supplements Program.  
  


• Who should not use the Healing Supplements Program?  Nutritional supplements have an excellent safety track record.  However, certain individuals should seek the advice of their doctor before beginning any nutritional supplement program particularly diabetics and pregnant or lactating women.  Please refer to the Directions section for more information on precautions and contraindications.
  


• What is the primary benefit for using the Healing Supplements Program?   The Healing Supplements Program includes a botanical combo to minimize the swelling, inflammation and bruising that often accompanies soft tissue injury.
  


• What makes VitaMedica’s Healing Supplements Program product unique?  A combination of high-quality, targeted ingredients, at dosing levels that support healing and recovery.  The targeted nutrients in the Healing Supplements Program were selected based on extensive use of the best evidence and research, currently available in the nutritional science literature.  What is unique about the Healing Supplements Program is that it provides nearly all of the key nutrients that are beneficial for surgery in a single convenient kit.  At the same time, it excludes those nutrients such as vitamin E, which should not be taken during the peri-operative period.
  


• What products comprise the Healing Supplements Program?  The Healing Supplements Program is comprised of two products:  Bromelain with Quercetin and Arnica Montana 30X.
  


• Arnica Montana is a homeopathic medicine.  What is homeopathy?  The literal interpretation of homeopathy is “like treating like”.  The guiding principle behind homeopathy is that our bodies have natural defense mechanisms to aid in healing.  This is often reflected as symptoms.  While prescription medications tend to suppress symptoms, homeopathic medications try to elicit them.  This approach helps to heal the body faster and is intended to stimulate a person’s overall resistance to infection.  Another principle of homeopathy is that the healing power of a medicine can be increased or potentiated while reducing its toxicity.  In other words, the healing power of a substance is increased at the same time its concentration is decreased.  This is in marked contrast to allopathic medicines that use a greater potency by increasing the amount of a drug given to a patient.  Each homeopathic medicine is diluted progressively and proportionately.  This is accomplished either through shaking (succussion) or crushing and grinding (truturation).
  


• What does the “30X” refer to after the name Arnica Montana?  The term “30X” refers to the potency of the Arnica Montana formulation.  In the dilution process, the original tincture is called the “mother potency”.  The mother potency is then diluted with alcohol or can be mixed with lactose and ground in a mortar and pestle.  During each dilution process, the result of the prior dilution is used instead of the mother tincture.  A number of dilution processes are available that create different potencies.  With the X-process, each tincture is mixed with 1 part medicine and 9 parts of diluting material (e.g. alcohol or lactose).  With the C-process, the mixing ratio is 1 part medicine to 99 parts of diluting material.  VitaMedica’s 30X potency means that the Arnica Montana was diluted 30 times to one part in ten (or 10 to the 30th power).
  


• Some homeopathic formulas are provided in pellets and others in tablet form.  What is the difference between the two?Both forms have been used successfully by homeopaths for over a century.  While both forms are probably equal from the standpoint of efficacy, some people prefer tablets vs. pellets.  The pellet is made from porous grains of sucrose (cane sugar).  One part of dilution is then mixed with 100 parts of grains until the dilution has been completely and equally absorbed.  In making tablets, the active ingredient is mixed with 9 parts of lactose and ground for a specified time to achieve a 1X potency.  The process is repeated until the desired potency is achieved.  The substance is then mixed with binders and pressed into tablet form.  VitaMedica’s Arnica Montana 30X is delivered in a small, soft grain tablet.
  


• What does the term “HPUS” mean in regard to homeopathic medications?  The term “HPUS” refers to the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States.  All homeopathic medicines are produced in accordance with the guidelines established by the HPUS.  These manufacturing guidelines ensure the purity and potency of each product.  In the U.S., homeopathic medicines are regulated as drugs.  As a result, a specific formulation (e.g., Arnica Montana 30X tablets) must be made according to a standard set of guidelines established by HPUS regardless of manufacturer.
  


• What is the importance of Bromelain and how does it work? Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme (capable of digesting protein) that is extracted from the pineapple stem.  Bromelain’s most common application is in the treatment of inflammation and soft tissue injury. Bromelain inhibits prostaglandins (hormone-like compounds) that cause inflammation and promotes the formation of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins.  Bromelain is also helpful in breaking up hematomas, or a collection of blood that can sometimes occur as a result of soft tissue injury.
  


• VitaMedica’s Bromelain also contains Quercetin.  What is Quercetin?  Quercetin (que-er-ce-tin) is a type of flavonoid (plant pigments that give plants & fruits their color) that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.  The combination of quercetin and bromelain is used to effectively inhibit the inflammatory response function.
  


• Bromelain’s strength is measured in milk clotting units or gelatin dissolving units.  What do these terms mean?  Unlike many vitamins and minerals, which are measured by weight (e.g., micrograms or milligrams) bromelain is measured by either milk clotting units (mcus) or gelatin dissolving units (gdus).  MCUs and GDUs are used somewhat interchangeably (1 GDU equals 1.5 MCU) and relate to the activity level of the bromelain.  Since bromelain is an enzyme, a measure of its strength is how quickly it can breakdown a protein.  The unit of measurement is either a MCU or GDU.  To be effective, at least 2,000 MCUs must be consumed in divided amounts during the course of a day.
  


• When do I begin taking and when do I stop taking Healing Supplements Program?  The Healing Supplements Program is begun 3 days prior to a surgical procedure and continued 7 days following (10 day program).   For trauma or other injuries, begin the Healing Supplements Program immediately following injury and continue for 10 days.  Each kit includes a detailed instruction sheet which details how to take each of the products in the Healing Supplements Program.
  


• Why is it recommended that a patient stop taking all other nutritional supplements 14 days prior to and 14 days following surgery? While nutritional supplements are quite safe, the use of certain supplements around the time of surgery is not recommended. For example, considerable research has shown that vitamin E plays a role in the prevention of heart disease. Part of the reason for this, may lie in its ability to thin the blood. While this is a benefit overall, it can be problematic during surgery. Other supplements such as fish liver oil, ginkgo, garlic and ginseng also thin the blood, which in turn can promote bleeding. Supplements such as St. John’s Wort, while beneficial for mild depression, can intensify the anesthetic effect. Stopping all supplements 14 days prior to surgery provides enough time for these nutrients to be eliminated from the body. These supplements are not necessary 14 days following surgery because the Healing Supplements Program provides all of the nutrients needed for healing and repairing the body. For more information, refer to our Surgery Supplements Guidelines.
  


• What other VitaMedica products can be used after the Healing Supplements Program to support long-term recovery, health & wellness? The visible aspects of injury and trauma - namely bruising and swelling - typically disappear after a few weeks. However, the body’s effort to repair and rebuild itself often extends several months following a surgical procedure or injury. While the Healing Supplements Program is intended to assist the recovery process during this immediate period, a number of VitaMedica nutraceuticals are designed to provide the essential nutrients required for long–term healing and wellness. Our high-potency Multi-Vitamin & Mineral provides all of the essential vitamins & minerals necessary for optimal health and great looking skin. Our Omega-3 supplements, including Flax Seed Oil and Super EPA/DHA Fish Oil, provide an excellent source of these important polyunsaturated fats. Broad Spectrum Antioxidant is formulated with a wide range of phytonutrients to provide protection against multiple types of free-radicals. Glucosamine Sulfate provides naturally occurring compounds that stabilize cartilage to maintain healthy joint function and new cartilage production. For more information, refer to the Wellness Products section of our website.