Your largest internal organ, your liver, plays an essential role in your health. Liver functioning helps maintain your metabolism, allows your body to dispose of toxins and helps maintain you hormone balance. Elevated liver enzymes -- the presence...
It's not unusual to be alarmed by the sight of blood, but unchecked bleeding can be downright terrifying. Fortunately, your body contains a number of proteins called human coagulation factors, or clotting factors, that aid in staunching the flow...
A blood clot of the leg, also called a venous thrombosis, can block the flow of blood to the heart and lungs. This can lead to swelling and pain in the affected leg. If a clot does form, there are several effective medications available to keep it...
Hemophilia is a rare, genetic bleeding disorder caused from a deficiency of specific clotting factors. Prompt treatment of bleeding episodes is necessary to prevent long-term complications. Vitamin K plays a role in blood clotting and a deficiency...
Malabsorption is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to absorb and use nutrients. Afflicted persons may experience a wide range of symptoms, depending upon the nutrient deficiencies. Symptoms may be gastrointestinal in nature, but may...
You may have heard the saying, "If a little is good, then more must be better." Some people apply this concept when taking vitamins, but this is not always true, especially in the case of fat-soluble vitamins. Because these vitamins (A, D, E, K)...
Heparin, an injectable medication that inhibits blood clotting, is used to treat people with an increased risk of developing blood clots. People undergoing certain surgeries, people with heart problems that could lead to clotting within the heart...
Vitamin K is one of the essential fat-soluble vitamins, obtained primarily from foods but also produced by bacteria in your intestinal tract. Adult deficiency of vitamin K is uncommon, with newborns at much greater risk. Deficiency states lead to...
Vitamin K plays a role in your blood clot formation and bone health. Many types of food contain vitamin K, and it is rare to have a deficiency. Vitamin K is an essential cofactor in the activation of certain proteins within your body. Without the...
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a clot that forms in a vein, frequently in the lower legs, thigh or pelvis. The DVT prevents blood flow out of the extremity which results in pain and swelling. The danger of a DVT occurs when a part or the entire...
A pulmonary embolism, or PE, is a blood clot that has lodged in the lung. It occurs when the clot breaks free from a vein (such as in the calf, which is also known as a deep vein thrombosis) and passes through the body's veins on its way back to...
