Wake Up!
When a patient with an IQ that measures in the highest 2% in the nation, comes to you in distress, stating that she is rapidly losing her intellectual abilities, you sit up and take notice. What could cause a member of MENSA to literally lose her mind?
Another patient, a university professor, had the same complaint. Intuitively, he connected his 3 knee surgeries to his intellectual decline. After each surgery, he noted that he was incapable of teaching for 2-3 months. He was unable to read or retain information, and had difficulty following basic directions for daily living.
Alerted to the connection, I started to see a pattern in my patients who had undergone general anesthesia with a drug called Propofol. I owed it to them to do my research. Propofol is used for procedures such as colonoscopies and in general surgery as it allows the anesthesiologist to induce sleep quickly. It lasts about 15-20 minutes and may be administered several times in a procedure to maintain unconsciousness. Anesthesiologists favor it as it breaks down quickly in the body and they observe no bad long term effects. They tell me this is because within a few minutes of application, it is no longer in the bloodstream.
Based on the literature, we are told that the drug leaves the bloodstream - but it doesn’t leave the body!
[1] Propofol and its byproducts congregate in the nerves of the brain in a structure called the mitochondria, which is basically where the energy is made to run the whole electrical system of the brain. Young developing brains and older brains are at highest risk of being affected by this anesthesialogical residue.
There are some studies that show Propofol to be helpful to some patients with cognitive impairment. But there are many more studies that show that for about 25% of patients who undergo surgery with this drug, it actually contributes to their cognitive impairment. [2] I have seen this to be true in my practice. I have yet to see a patient who has told me that having general anesthesia has made them smarter.
The solution? There are other drugs available that have a better cognitive profile than Propofol. However, not every doctor may be open to making that accommodation. How then can you still get the necessary surgery and mitigate the possible side effects of the anesthesia? IV therapy. Arrange to get an IV of Vitamin C before and after surgery. Vitamin C and the other ingredients in a Myer’s Cocktail will help to detox the patient of the residual effects of the anesthesia.
I have found that in medicine there is invariably a price to pay. When we put the brain to sleep with a drug, however well intentioned, there is a chance it could impact the later functioning of that brain. The old adage reminds us that “forewarned is forearmed”. So step into surgery, eyes wide open, and fully awake!
Dr. John Young, MD
(727) 545-4600, Largo, FL
1 “Propofol is Mitochondrion – Toxic and May unmasked a Mitochondrial disorder. “
2 “Does Propofol definitely improve post-op cognition dysfunction long term post-op cognition dysfunction in elderly”
