 Robert Filice, M.D. - Dr. Bob's Newsletter |
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Natural Blood Thinners in Patients
with Atrial Fibrillation We use natural blood thinners in patients with atrial fibrillation. Actually, the use of coumadin and other prescription blood thinners is controversial in atrial fibrillation, at least with scientists. Several articles in main stream journals suggest the blood thinning drugs may not be protective in this condition after all, yet lifetime anticoagulation remains the rule in medicine, perhaps for medico-legal reasons, if not good science. The perceived risk of course is clotting and embolisation, perhaps causing a stroke. As with many treatments in natural medicine (and in traditional medicine as well), there is no double blind study that can assure us that the natural blood thinners produce the same results as the drugs, but it is my clinical impression that they do. And what's more, they do it without increasing the risk of dangerous hemorrhage. My favorite natural blood thinners are nattokinase, omega 3 fish oils, and vitamin E. My other frequent recommendation is EDTA chelation. I believe that intravenous chelation therapy produces its excellent results in cardiovascular disease in part because it keeps the blood thinner and flowing freely. All of these can be used in conjunction with low dose aspirin therapy and even with coumadin, but a patient must be under a doctor's close supervision to add the natural therapies to an existing regimen of coumadin in an effort to reduce the drugs. Judicious use of a combination of drug and natural thinners can reduce the necessary doses of the medications, and can overcome the phenomenon of bodily resistance to coumadin which occasionally develops. That syndrome often necessitates a progressive increase in the dose of coumadin to achieve the same blood thinning effects. *Never change your dose of blood thinner or add products which may affect your bleeding time without your doctor's supervision |
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