blood thinners – Hello Doctor

Your blood has one of the most important and complex jobs in your body. It flows continuously through your veins and arteries delivering nutrients and oxygen while overcoming bumps and lumps, twists and turns, all this with a fluctuating blood pressure.

Sometimes, this whole commotion can lead to the formation of blood clots. Clotting can be healthy and normal – helping with wound healing – but it can also be dangerous when the blood clot forms in places where it’s not needed.

What is a blood clot?

A blood clot is a cluster of blood that has changed from a liquid into a gel-like form. Clotting is an important process that can help prevent you from losing too much blood if you’ve cut or injured yourself, for example. Other times, it can be dangerous.

What are the causes?

Blood clots happen during a process called clotting. It begins when flowing blood encounters certain substances in your skin or blood vessel walls. When the blood touches the substances, the skin or blood vessel wall break, causing blood to clot.

Blood clots can also form when your blood doesn’t flow properly. This causes it to collect in clumps in your blood vessels or heart, forming clots.

Waxy cholesterol plaques that form in your arteries can also lead to clotting, usually when a blood vessel is scarred or inflamed. If the plaque breaks open, the clotting process begins.

What harm can it do?

Sometimes, when clots form in your veins, they may not be able to dissolve. This can be very dangerous and even life-threating.

If clots don’t move around, they are generally not harmful. But if they move around in your veins to your heart or lungs, it can get stuck and prevent blood flow. This is how heart attacks and strokes happen.

Different blood clots and their symptoms include:

In the leg or arm: This is the most common place for clots to form. Symptoms may include swelling, pain, tenderness, red discolouration and a warm sensation.
In the heart: Blood clots in the heart cause a heart attack. This can bring on pain or a heavy feeling on your chest. You may also feel lightheaded and have shortness of breath.
In the abdomen: Abdominal pain, swelling and food poisoning may be symptoms of a clot in your abdomen.
In the brain: A blood clot in your brain is known as a stroke. Symptoms include a sudden, severe headache and difficulty speaking or seeing.
In your lungs: Symptoms of a blood clot in your lungs may include chest pain, heart palpitations, shortness of breath and coughing up blood.

Lower your risk for blood clots

Lose weight if you’re overweight.
Stay active and exercise at least three to four times a week.
Avoid sitting for long periods. Aim to get up for 5 minutes at least once every hour.
Fidget and point and flex your toes while sitting for long stretches to help your blood circulate.
Eat a healthy diet, that keeps your blood vessels healthy: a diet rich in vegetables, antioxidants and omega-3 oils.
Drink lots of water and wear loose clothing when you travel.

Treatment

Blood clots are usually treated with medication, called blood thinners. Blood thinner medication may be injected under your skin. Your doctor can show you how to give yourself injections or a loved one can help you do it. Oral blood thinner medication is also available. Depending on your condition, your doctor may prescribe either or both the oral and injection blood thinners. Compression stockings may also be used to help prevent blood clots.

References:

Most of us have taken an aspirin at some point in our lives. Some of us take it every day.

Aspirin is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID) that is used to treat fever, mild to moderate pain, and inflammation in the body. It works by blocking substances in the body that cause pain and swelling. This helps to relieve the amount of pain sensed and reduces the inflammatory response.

Aspirin can also be used to lower the risk of a heart attack or stroke. It has blood-thinning properties, which means it can improve blood circulation and prevent blood clots. If you have high blood pressure or are at risk for heart disease, your doctor may recommend daily aspirin.

Despite the benefits, aspirin is still a drug. And, every drug has side-effects and risks. Some of these to watch out for include:

Easy bruising and bleeding.
Gastrointestinal bleeding.
Intestinal damage.
Kidney problems.
Liver failure.
Hearing loss.
Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears.
Haemorrhagic stroke.

The good news is that there are natural, heart-healthy alternatives to aspirin. Before popping your next dose, stop the pain with these instead:

Ginger can work in the same way that aspirin does by blocking the enzyme that causes inflammation. It can also break down existing inflammation in the body. Like aspirin, ginger also contains salicylates; natural acids that thin the blood. This means it can keep blood from clotting, and prevent heart attack and stroke.
Turmeric can be a potent anti-inflammatory. Its active element, curcumin, can help thin the blood and stave off blood clots. Turmeric can also help fight inflammation, reduce plaque build-up in the arteries, and improve blood circulation. It may be helpful in managing heart conditions, e.g. atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Garlic is as useful as a blood thinner as aspirin, minus the side-effects. With its blood-thinning potential, it can increase blood flow and prevent heart conditions like atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Garlic is also rich in antioxidants known to help combat free radicals that contribute to heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer disease.
Cayenne pepper has a high amount of blood-thinning salicylates and can improve blood circulation without raising blood pressure. It also has clot-busting effects and can be used for relief from angina and heart attack recovery. Capsaicin, the active ingredient in cayenne peppers, is a known painkiller and may help reduce nerve, muscle and joint pain.

Adding these to your diet can have multiple health benefits, such as decreasing inflammation, and helping to prevent cancer. However, if your doctor prescribed Aspirin, first talk to them about alternatives, before simply stopping your medication.

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