Anticoagulation or thinning of the blood is necessary for a variety of reasons. Stroke, heart attacks, blood clots of the legs or other extremities, mechanical heart valves or a recent heart stent are reasons for anticoagulation. There are...
Anticoagulation therapy is used to prevent blood clots in a variety of patients including those with heart defects, a history of blood clots, medically implanted devices and heart arrhythmia. The most common forms of anticoagulation medication...
Anticoagulant medications are used to prevent blood clotting. Outside of the hospital, the most commonly used anticoagulants are warfarin (Coumadin), which can be taken by mouth, and a group of drugs called low molecular weight heparins (LMWH), of...
The heart contains four one-way valves that open and close in sync with heart contractions. Malformation of a heart valve or damage acquired through disease sometimes necessitates heart valve replacement. A poorly functioning valve may be replaced...
The American Heart Association defines anticoagulants as medications that delay blood clotting. There are two common anticoagulants, warfarin (Coumadin) and heparin. Anticoagulants are often referred to as blood thinners, though they do not...
Anticoagulants are prescription drugs that are used to treat a variety of conditions. Those available in the United States include warfarin sodium, heparin, and the low-molecular weight heparins, tinzaparin sodium and dalteparin. These medications...
Heparin is an injectable anticoagulant medication commonly given to prevent the formation of blood clots. Patients also receive heparin to decrease the clotting ability of blood during open-heart surgery, bypass surgery, blood transfusions and...
Renal artery stents are treatment options when the blood vessels that feed the kidney are narrowed or have a clot. This reduces the ability of the kidneys to clear the blood stream of waste products and toxins. Renal artery stenosis or renal...
Arteries are strong blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to all areas of the body. When arteries get blocked either due to atherosclerosis or a blood clot, it can reduce or eliminate blood flow to parts of the body---an...
Taking anticoagulant medications during pregnancy can be problematic, but it also might be necessary. Blood clots, which sometimes develop during pregnancy, require treatment with anticoagulants; women with artificial heart valves must take...
Coumadin is a brand-name prescription medication containing the drug warfarin sodium. Physicians prescribe it to help prevent blood clots in susceptible patients. It is manufactured as an oral tablet with a dose between 1mg and 10mg, according to...
Coumadin, also called warfarin, is a prescription medication blood thinner, or anticoagulant. Coumadin is prescribed to people with prosthetic heart valves, certain irregular heartbeats, and to those who have had a heart attack. It is also...
Tamoxifen is a drug that's widely used to treat early and metastatic breast cancer, and has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence. Tamoxifen has also been approved for use to reduce breast cancer risk in high-risk women who...
Anticoagulants are prescription drugs used to treat and prevent the development of blood clots. Warfarin and heparin are common anticoagulants; others include dalteparin and tinzaparin sodium. These medications carry risks of complications....
Enzymes are proteins that change other substances without being changed themselves, according to Medline Plus. All living things, including food, contain enzymes. Enzymes from food are absorbed in the digestive tract to aid in digestion, prevent...
Heparin sodium is an anticoagulant medication used to help prevent blood clots, but it can be used as a treatment for blood clots as well. Heparin is also used in central venous access devices, or central lines such as Hickman catheters, PICC...
Bruising is caused by an injury to the skin and underlying tissue. Blood collects and pools under the skin, giving a varying degree of red, black, yellow or green coloring. Some people may have a tendency to bruise more easily than others. As you...
Red clover leaf is an herbal supplement commonly used to treat the signs and symptoms of menopause, according to "Alternative Cures: More than 1,000 of the Most Effective Natural Home Remedies," because it closely mimics the effects of estrogen....
Generally regarded as a safe supplement, you may still suffer from side effects when taking fish oil. Many Americans take fish oil supplements daily. According to ConsumerLab.com, the supplement is the most popular on the market today -- even...
Many people take omega-3 fish oil for heart-health benefits, such as reduction of blood pressure, triglycerides and plaque buildup in the arteries. As a natural blood thinner, fish oil decreases blood clotting. Similar medications are commonly...
Coumadin is a brand name form of warfarin sodium. This prescription medication is indicated for the prevention and treatment of blood clots in the vein or in the pulmonary artery leading to the lung. It is also indicated for use with atrial...
Vitamin K injections are routinely given to new born babies to help prevent permanent injury or death that occurs from uncontrolled bleeding in the brain due to extremely low levels of vitamin K in the newborn system. According to Dr. Ben Kim, the...
Anticoagulants are prescribed to prevent blood clots from forming after a heart attack, heart valve replacement, or other similar event. Anticoagulant therapy can cause side effects like hair loss, fatigue, chills or gas, but even when it's doing...
An abundance of water is so beneficial to your mind and body that it's no wonder your body tells you when you're depriving it of essential fluid, by initiating thirst to stimulate fluid intake. The Institute of Medicine, the IOM, recommends a...
With the burgeoning burden of chronic disease, modern medicine increasingly focuses on disease prevention, which decreases the personal and societal hardship of illness. Medications and lifestyle choices are the principal modes of disease...
Flaxseed oil is rich in the essential fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is needed to form omega-3 fatty acids. While omega-3 fatty acids seem to be of benefit to heart health, the jury is still out on the effects flaxseed oil has on...
Vitamin K helps keep your bleeding under control when you're injured. Essential for the manufacture of proteins needed to make clotting factors, vitamin K comes from two sources: Your body manufactures some vitamin K in the intestines and dietary...
Garlic comes as a plump package of individual cloves that once cut, reek of its beneficial properties. Garlic has been used for thousands of years as an antiseptic and healing agent. The Food and Drug Administration classifies garlic as a low...
