Understanding Thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis is a common chronic health condition popular amongst adults. The condition is caused by the clotting of blood in the veins causing an obstruction in the blood flowing through the circulatory system. Whenever a vein experiences injury, fibrin and platelets forms a clotting in the blood to prevent further blood loss.

But blood clot can also form under certain conditions. An obstruction in the blood passages of more than 25 percent of the artery walls affects the oxygen supply of the tissues resulting to a complication called embolism.

Thrombosis can be highly hereditary. A condition called hypercoagulability is a genetic deficiency wherein the blood has heightened tendencies to clot. The condition can also be caused by the quality of the walls of the blood vessels and the disturbance of blood flow due to an injured vessel causing blood stagnation; this may be brought about by sitting for a long period of time, for example.

Cases of thrombosis can be classified depending on where the condition is located. Deep vein thrombosis happens when the blood clots within the deep veins. This normally happens in the leg’s femoral veins. Superficial symptoms include reddening, swelling and chronic pain on the affected area. A study aimed at finding an effective means of alleviating the symptoms of deep vein thrombosis finds exercise as a potential supplementation to pharmaceutical intervention.

Study on the Benefits of Exercise on Deep Vein Thrombosis

A group of researchers from Canada conducted a study involving a group of thrombosis patients. They evaluated the effects of performing long-term leg exercises to the symptoms of the health condition. The researchers designed a specialized training program lasting for six months dedicated at improving leg flexibility and strength and overall fitness and they found that the program improves symptoms of deep vein thrombosis and its chronic complications. It has also been found to improve the symptoms of post-thrombotic syndrome. The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

A professor of medicine from the Division of Internal Medicine and Center for Clinical Epidemiology at McGill University, Dr Susan Kahn, said that given the divergence in treatment plans for managing the symptoms of post-thrombotic syndrome, the pilot study, aimed at determining the effectiveness of exercise training to treat post-thrombosis, establishes a new approach on more effective ways of fighting the condition. The researchers, led by Dr Kahn, gathered a group of 95 thrombosis patients. The authors said that findings of the small trial procedures will need further confirmation and that conducting a larger study is recommended. A variable was that most of the patients were young active and well-educated; results may differ on different demographics. Despite the preliminary quality of their findings, the researchers concluded that exercise training designed at improving leg flexibility and strength can help alleviate the pains of post-thrombotic syndromes.

Natural Methods of Preventing Thrombosis

The body has its natural means of repairing and maintaining itself. When the vascular system experiences damage like a cut or any incision that causes blood to flow out of the blood vessels, structures dedicated at preventing blood loss works to clot the blood. But not all blood clotting is healthy to the body. Serious health problems like stroke are caused by the undesirable clotting of the blood that leads to obstructed blood flow. The condition results to the insufficient oxygen supply to the tissues and, as a result, thrombosis develops. Research has found different reasons for a person to develop thrombosis.

Smoking has never been good to the body. The different toxins and other chemicals in tobacco have been found to cause different diseases. Cancer and pulmonary diseases are on top of the list. Smoking also reduces the body’s natural ability to protect itself against diseases by weakening the immune system. A common condition that results to the development of thrombosis is hypercoagulability. This happens when the blood easily coagulates with minimal or no reason to do so. Smoking results to myocardial infraction which is associated with hypercoagulation. Though primarily genetic, the condition can be developed by unhealthy practices like smoking and prolonged immobility and bed rest.

The common pharmaceutical treatments for thrombosis include aspirin, coumadin, heparin and ticlopidines. These medications are formulated to either prevent the coagulation of blood or to dissolve blood clots that obstruct healthy blood flow. But these medications have side effects. They can slowly impair the body’s natural ability to initiate and maintain blood clots even in situations where it is highly needed to prevent blood loss.

Lowering one’s cholesterol levels is one of the best natural ways of preventing the onset and development of thrombosis. Cholesterol is known to be one of the fatty acids that can form in the wall of the arteries and thwart blood flow. Other common health conditions associated with high cholesterol levels are mostly cardiovascular in nature. In the treatment of specific types of thrombosis, medications that work to lower cholesterol levels and remove any cholesterol plaques from the walls of blood vessels are also used. But it is also important to remember that the use of pharmaceutical agents can bring about unwanted side effects – adverse reactions that may be life-threatening. So when looking for a treatment regimen, it is emphasized that one choose what is healthy, effective, and safe.

The natural food ingredients that have been found to have high potential in preventing thrombosis are aged garlic, gingko biloba, nutrients like niacin, vitamin E, vitamin K, and other anti-inflammatory compounds. Aged garlic has been used to serve as a strong food supplement to promote the health of the cardiovascular system. Garlic increases the synthesis of a chemical messenger called nitric oxide that inhibits the clotting of the blood. A study on the food ingredient found that consuming one clove of fresh garlic in a day for a period of 26 weeks can result to approximately 20 percent reduction of serum cholesterol.

Benefits of Frequent Exercise

There are numerous health benefits of exercise – and this starts with the decision to get up from the couch and resolve to avoid a sedentary lifestyle. It is not necessary to go to the gym or burden over hours of heavy weights in order to achieve a healthy body. A simple walk in the park for a few minutes in most days of the year will give you the effects necessary in order to improve and maintain body functions.

• Exercise exerts its effect on a person’s mood. It can serve as an effective means of alleviating stress and releasing body tension.
  
  
• Different reliable studies around the world had also established the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle in order to lower the risk of developing chronic and degenerative diseases.
  
  
• Frequent exercising, together with a balanced diet, is the most effective means of reducing and managing body weight.

Sources
womenfitness.net
naturdoctor.com
cmaj.ca
eurekalert.org
webmd.com
mayoclinic.com