Blood Clots
What Are the Health Benefits of Nattokinase?
No one is surprised that pharmaceutical firms span the globe. With research and marketing, they can present their products as familiar and desirable, no matter where they were originally developed. Na…
Can Stopping Aspirin or Eliquis Suddenly Lead to…
Stopping drugs that have anticoagulant properties can be tricky. That's because there can be an increased risk of blood clots after stopping aspirin or apixaban (Eliquis) too fast. But doctors routine…
How Do You Weigh the Benefits and Risks of Aspir…
Aspirin has been around for over 100 years. Moreover, it is one of the most versatile drugs in the pharmacy. This tablet relieves pain, lowers fever and reduces inflammation. In addition, it has anti-…
What Are the Health Benefits of Cocoa Flavanols?
Do you think of chocolate as a sinful snack or a healthy bite? Chocolate candy itself probably should be considered sinful. It usually contains too much sugar to count as health food. The cocoa flavan…
Could Too Much TV Lead to Blood Clots in Your Le…
Have you or someone you know been binging on Netflix videos or some other engaging television shows? Could too much TV cause health problems? Unfortunately, it might increase the risk for blood clots …
Is Aspirin Cost-Effective Blood Clot Prevention?
Blood clots can be useful if you cut yourself. That's how the body stops the wound from bleeding. In many circumstances, however, blood clots are undesirable. Doctors prescribe expensive anticoagulant…
Reversing the Admonition to Avoid Vitamin K with…
I was taught decades ago that if patients were taking the anticoagulant warfarin (Coumadin), they would need to avoid green leafy vegetables! That’s because greens are great sources of vitamin K. By…
Warfarin and Green Leafy Vegetables Can Be OK
For decades, patients taking the anticoagulant warfarin, known by the brand name Coumadin, have been admonished to be very careful about consuming foods rich in vitamin K. That’s because too much vi…
Why Should You Care about the Xarelto and OxyCon…
We don’t usually report on litigation. Although legal cases often involve a LOT of scientific evidence, the outcomes are not always trustworthy. Just because a jury finds a product deficient or dang…
Blood Clots, Travel and Deep Vein Thrombosis (DV…
The holidays are over. Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are in the rearview mirror. We trust you have recovered from all the food and drink. The extra pounds will hopefully disappear after your…
How To Prevent Blood Clots After Knee Replacemen…
Hip and knee replacement surgeries are growing at an extraordinary rate. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) reports that in 2014 there were 370,770 hip replacement surgeries and 680,15…
Aspirin vs. Xarelto (Rivaroxaban) After Hip or K…
People who undergo hip or knee replacements are at high risk for developing blood clots during the first several weeks after surgery. How serious is this complication? A research paper published in Cu…
Are There Foods That Affect Xarelto?
People at risk for dangerous blood clots frequently need to take anticoagulant medication to prevent clots from forming. Perhaps the best-known of these is warfarin. It is inexpensive, and its side ef…
Can You Avoid Blood Clots on a Long Flight?
Blood clots in the veins of the legs can be serious. Not only do they cause swelling, inflammation and pain in the affected leg, but they can also break loose and lodge in the lung. Blood clots in the…
Patients Walk a Dangerous Tightrope on Blood Thi…
Walking a tightrope is tricky business. If you have ever watched video of Nik Wallenda crossing the Grand Canyon on a high wire, you know how scary this can be. A misstep can lead to tragedy. When it …
Beating Back Garlic Breath With Parsley
Q. My husband has decided he should be getting garlic every day to control his blood pressure and cholesterol and protect himself against cancer. He hates taking pills or anything synthetic so I am st…
New Eliquis (Apixaban) Alert: Unexpected Side Ef…
A few years ago we received alerts about an increasing number of serious bleeding episodes associated with the anticoagulant Eliquis (Apixaban). This medication is prescribed to prevent blood clots in…
Is Your OTC Pain Reliever Deadly?
Is death an acceptable side effect for over-the-counter medicines? Most people assume that non-prescription drugs are super safe, although nearly everyone knows that prescription medications frequentl…
Newest Miracle Use for Old Aspirin–Prevent…
Blood clots in veins can lead to life-threatening complications, including pulmonary embolism. New research from Australia suggests that aspirin could reduce the risk of recurrent venous thromembolism…
Pros & Cons of Osphena for Vaginal Discomfo…
Q. I went through menopause several years ago and have struggled ever since with vaginal dryness and pain. A few years ago I used Premarin cream, but it was messy and smelly and I was scared that it m…
New Study Fails to Clarify Which Blood Thinner I…
Using anticoagulants is a bit like walking a tightrope. If the dose is too high, there is a danger of hemorrhage. If the dose is too low, there is risk of a deadly blood clot. For years, warfarin, ori…
Corticosteroids Boost Risk of Clots
Blood clots deep in the veins are among the leading causes of death in the U.S. They are called deep vein thromboses or DVTs. When a blood clot breaks loose and lands in the lungs it is called a pulmo…
Serious Side Effects Demand Attention
Several important drug studies were just published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine this week. They revealed some serious new complications linked to popular drugs such as: Prednisone Tiotropium …
Aspirin Prevents Recurrent Blood Clots
A blood clot deep in the veins is called a thromboembolism. Nearly one million people experience this potentially life-threatening condition each year. A person who has had one deep vein thrombosis, o…
Avoiding DVT During Travel
Long-distance travelers can take heart in new guidelines issued by the American College of Chest Physicians. The expert panel suggests that "traveling in economy class does not increase your risk for …
Preventing Blood Clots Is Big Business
Warfarin is a life-saving drug that doctors love to hate. It has been widely prescribed (mostly as Coumadin) since the mid-1950s to prevent heart attacks and strokes due to blood clots. No doubt warfa…
Newer Birth Control Pills Pose Risks
Oral contraceptives are known to increase a woman's risk of blood clots. Recent research shows, however, that the newer types of birth control pills containing the progestin drospirenone raise the ris…
Deadly Blood Clots
Blood clots trapped in the lungs kill up to 180,000 Americans each year. This is a serious complication of deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots that form in veins deep in the legs or arms. Deep Vein T…
Travel Boosts Risk of Blood Clots
Deep vein thrombosis or DVT may be more common than previously recognized, especially among travelers. When a blood clot forms deep in a large vein, it can break loose and lodge in the lung. When that…
Don’t Be Fooled by Drug Statistics
Recent headlines heralded unexpected benefits of a cholesterol-lowering drug: “Crestor Cuts Risk of Clots by 43 Percent.”Crestor (rosuvastatin) made news because deep vein thrombosis can c…
Private Eye Seeks Way To Avoid Blood Clots
Q. I am a private investigator. Believe me when I tell you the job is not as glamorous as most people think. I spend hours sitting in a car watching and waiting. I have read that people who sit throug…