I'm a volunteer at an organic community farm and an organic food co-op. I work for food. But I'm always being told by people that they can't eat greens because they are on blood thinners. Greens are a
superfood for skin and health. They are chock full of nutrients that
affect all kinds of factors that lead to acne such as magnesium, beta
carotene & sulfur phytochemicals and sulfur containing amino acids. I hate to see these people avoid healthy food and essential nutrients while taking harmful
drugs. Especially when they take them as a 'preventative.' And
especially when these drugs can actually cause the end result they are
trying to prevent: Plaque buildup, hardened arteries, coronary heart
disease & stroke! Consider carefully whether you need these prevention drugs or if you can manage your health via diet and lifestyle.
Vitamin K Deficiency, Calcium, Hardened Arteries & Stroke
There are many forms of
vitamin K. K1 comes from greens and is responsible primarily for the
coagulation of the blood while K2 is responsible for calcium metabolism
within the body and cardiovascular health. Deficiency in vitamin k leads
to misuse of calcium & thus osteoporosis and calcification of soft
tissues such as arteries & pineal gland. Vitamin k along with
vitamin D regulates the recycling of old bone tissue into new. A
deficiency of vitamin K means too much old tissue is broken down and the
calcium is sent into the blood stream where it binds to soft tissue
like your arteries and pineal gland which affects your ability to
sleep.
Coumadin (warfarin) blocks all forms of
vitamin K causing a deficiency. In fact, these drugs are used to induce
arterial calcification in lab rats!
Vitamin k2 can undue the
calcification of the arteries & other soft tissues. This form is
made by E. coli bacteria in our small intestines (so stop killing it) or
obtained via the diet, from animal products like full fat dairy, egg
yolks, liver, etc
Other ways to Thin Blood
All kinds of plant foods & healthy lifestyle habits help regulate blood coagulation. Ginger, chamomile tea, omega 3 foods, quercetin (onions, garlic,
apples), ginkgo billoba, curcumin (turmeric), cayenne, high salicylic
foods (cranberries, prunes), anti-inflammatory diet habits, exercise, nitric oxide which is formed and spread throughout your body whenever you inhale deeply through your nostrils. And other pharmaceuticals that might have other side effects.
Monitoring Blood Coagulation
The issue is, you can't monitor your blood coagulation yourself as easily as you can your blood pressure or sugar. Home monitors are available, but expensive at $700 - $1000. You might consider this money well spent as compared to the cost of the drugs and the cost if they cause the heart disease rather than prevent it. Perhaps all the new drugstore clinics offer this service at an affordable price. Prothrombin time (PT) and international normalized ratio (INR) tests are used to monitor blood coagulation.
Other preventions:
Manage blood pressure, diabetes, weight, stress. Avoid cigarette smoke. And be active.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_K
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2009/jan2009_Vitamin-K-Protection-Against-Arterial-Calcification-Bone-Loss-Cancer-Aging_01.htm
http://people.ku.edu/~jbrown/ecoli.html
.
http://www.shapesociety.org/images/pdf/Coronary-Calcium-Scan-Can-Help-Predict-Prevent-Heart-Attack-HarveyHecht.pdf
Dietary Intake of Menaquinone Is Associated with a Reduced Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: The Rotterdam Study Dutch Study:
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/134/11/3100.full
describes not only their study on humans & K2 rich diet, but also
studies on lab rats on/after warfarin treated with the varying forms of
K2 to repair the damage.
http://www.wellsphere.com/heart-health-article/food-sources-of-vitamin-k2/218694 - describes the varying forms of K2 & research.
http://www.stoptheclot.org/medical-messages/article286.htm - Home monitoring
