Gum speeds up post-op recovery

If you thought chewing gums were just a sweet way to keep your jaws active, then you were underestimating these sugarcoated tablets, for now even hospitals are thinking of recommending it to patients for a quick recovery after surgery.

A new National Health Service study has revealed that patients who undergo bowel surgery are deemed fit to go home, almost 1½ days earlier than usual, if they are treated with chewing gums.

A chewing gum dose of 30 minutes at morning, noon and night results in initiating gastric hormones. This in turn stimulates the bowel and quickens the patients to carry on with their normal eat ing and drinking as compared to those who are not given gum. In fact, health chiefs actually touted this discovery as a cheap way to free up beds.

The six-month long study of 67 bowel operation patients at Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester, was led by consultant nurse Harriet Wright.

"Patients who received normal care went home four or five days after surgery But those who chewed the gum went . home an average of 1½ days earlier. Gum gets patients better and home quicker," The Sun quoted her, as saying. She added: "We now recommend it after surgery to help bowels to recover quicker. Hopefully this will become practice now."