Coumadin

Coumadin (warfarin) is a blood thinner drug that has been used for the last 50 years to prevent blood clots in legs as well as to prevent strokes. It was originally used as a rat poison in early wars to cause fatal bleeding. While the drug was able to prevent a potentially fatal blood clot, it can also increase the risk in hemorrhagic stroke and other bleeding disorders if taken long term. Normal coumadin therapy usually consists of titrating to maintain a anti-coagulant range of 2.0-3.0 International Normalization Radio (“INR”) for 3-12 months. When the therapy is terminated, it is not uncommon to find that the blood clots return. Recent researcher Paul Ridker did a study on the low dose long term use of coumadin . The study involved 508 patients with a history of blood clots who were given a low dose of coumadin and they were followed for a median of 6 months with the end point of maintaining the anti-coagulation range of 1.5-.25 INR. The patients in the study were divided them into 2 groups: one group received low dose coumadin and the other group received a placebo. The progress was monitored every 2 months and the data was reviewed once a year. After 4 years, the researchers ended the study earlier than intended when the data showed that a low dose coumadin program was able to significantly reduce venous blood clots without causing major bleeding episodes. 37 of the 253 patients receiving the placebo had recurring blood clots but only 14 of the 255 patients in the low dose coumadin group did. Furthermore, women receiving coumadin showed a 80% reduction in the recurrence of venous blood clots while men receiving coumadin showed a 53% reduction. For those people who require blood thinning but cannot tolerate anything else, coumadin taken at low dose is much better than the regular dose. This study was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine February 4, 2003.

Many people who are into natural compounds are reluctant to go on coumadin therapy, and for good reasons. There are numerous natural supplements including vitamin E, fish oil, and gingko that have blood thinning properties but unfortunately, they require very high doses . For example, it has been shown that 5-10 grams of EPA and DHA found in fish oil have the equivalent blood thinning activity as a 325mg aspirin. High doses of these supplements should not be taken without the supervision of a health care professional. Likewise, the use of vitamin E for blood thinning also requires a high dosage in the neighborhood of 2000-3000IU.

Other natural compounds that can help circulation , but not necessarily causes blood thinning, include natto, a compound extracted from fermented soy beans. Natto contains an enzyme called nattokinase which has the ability to dissolve thrombus and prevent clot formation.