Q: We have a patient who has been taking Boluoke®. He is having a surgical procedure and has been instructed to stop their prescription of blood thinners for 10 days prior to surgery. Would it be prudent to take him off the Boluoke®, as well? We would like to confirm that there won’t be any problems taking the Boluoke® before the procedure. Thank you for your attention to this! Nikki (Cincinnati, OH)
A: The general recommendation is for patients to stop Boluoke® (lumbrokinase) 1 week prior to surgeries, and resume 2 weeks afterwards if there is no complication. However, if the patient is receiving lower extremity surgeries (e.g. hip replacement, knee replacement, etc), some doctors may ask the patient to get back on Boluoke® sooner in order to reduce the risk of surgery-induced blood clots.
Q: I have an interest in taking Boluoke®, but I also want to take systemic enzymes. Can I take them hours apart the same day safely? Also, can Boluoke® help shrink scars? And finally, may I take oil of oregano the same day as Boluoke®? Thanks in advance. David M.
A: 1. We usually suggest to take Boluoke® on an empty stomach, either 1/2 hr before meals or 2 hrs after meals. If you are taking other systemic proteolytic enzymes, then we would suggest that you take Boluoke® first, then the other enzymes 1/2 hour later. 2. Boluoke® has not been studied or shown to reduce scars, thus it is not one of the indications we would recommend for use at this point. 3. There is no issue with taking Boluoke® while you are on oil of Oregano.
Boluoke®’s primary indication is for hypercoagulable blood state. Thus, if you have hypercoagulation, then it could help you. If you do not, then it may not be needed. We would advise that you see a health care professional for proper assessment and recommendation.