What is
hypercoagulation?
When you get a
cut, your body stops
the bleeding by
forming a blood
clot, which is a
thickened mass of
blood tissue.
Substances in your
blood called
proteins, work with
tiny particles
called platelets, to
form the clot.
Forming a clot is
called coagulation.
Coagulation helps
when you are injured
because it slows
blood loss. However,
your blood shouldn't
clot when it's
moving through your
body inside your
blood vessels. The
tendency to clot too
much is called
hypercoagulation
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What causes
hypercoagulation?
Certain proteins in your
blood are supposed to keep
your blood from clotting too
much. Some people do not
have enough of these
proteins. In other people,
these proteins are not doing
their job properly, or there
may be extra proteins in the
blood that causes too much
clotting.
Some people are born with a
tendency to develop clots.
This tendency is inherited
(which means it runs in your
family).
Certain situations or risk
factors can make it more
likely for your blood to
clot too much. These
situations include the
following:
- Sitting on an
airplane or in a car for
a long time
- Prolonged bed rest
(several days or weeks
at a time), such as
after surgery or during
a long hospital stay
- Surgery (which can
slow blood flow)
- Cancer (some types
of cancer increase the
proteins that clot your
blood)
- Pregnancy (which
increases the pressure
in your pelvis and legs
and can cause blood
clots to form)
- Using birth control
pills or receiving
hormone replacement
therapy (which can slow
blood flow)
- Smoking
Thick blood
caused by infections, metals, and/or genetics.
There are a number
of situations where the blood becomes "thicker" than it should.
This condition is known as hypercoagulability, or
thick blood. At a certain point, thick blood becomes very
obvious. If you have your blood drawn, and it comes out very
slowly, thick blood may be the culprit. If your blood is much
thicker than it is supposed to be, it cannot effectively deliver
oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. Interestingly, a high
percentage of people who suffer from thick blood also suffer
from
chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). In one study, 90% of CFS
patients were aided dramatically by the use of blood thinners.
Blood thinners prescribed by a healthcare professional may be
very effective in resolving thick blood, and may help alleviate
chronic conditions. If you decide to use blood thinners, care
should always be taken, since blood thinning may cause an
inability of the blood to clot and result in excessive bleeding.
Interesting research has also suggested that infectious agents
can actually work to create a thick blood condition. When the
blood is thick, these agents are able to hide from the immune
system. Conversely, the immune system depends on excellent
circulation to efficiently move white blood cells throughout the
body so it can fight these agents. The immune system cannot
attack infection if it cannot deploy its troops to all areas of
the body. So when the thick fibrin layers that make up
hypercoagulation in the blood are dissolved, the immune system
can finally attack the infections that are lurking there.
Nattokinase,
systemic enzymes,
magnesium, and
omega-3 oils are good natural supplements that will help to
thin the blood. (But in the case of nattokinase, beware that it
is a soy by-product and may cause an allergic reaction in some
people. This is rare, but it is possible.) Correcting thick
blood can be a major breakthrough for chronically ill people.1
Hypercoagulation
coagulation
means thickened blood. Research from the late 1990s reveals that
many patients with chronic disease may have an underlying
coagulation defect contributing to their symptoms. While few
doctors are familiar with this condition, understanding the
theory behind it can help explain many symptoms. Treatment based
on this theory can lead to improvement and even recovery.
David Berg of Hemex Laboratories
has been studying the hypercoagulation often found in patients
with chronic disease. This list currently includes
CFS/FMS,
myofascial pain syndrome, osteonecrosis of the jaw, fetal loss,
multiple
sclerosis,
Crohn's
disease, Sjogren's syndrome,
IBS,
Lyme disease, autism, gulf war illness and ADD.
Thick blood is the result of fibrin being deposited in the small
blood vessels. Fibrin formation is the last step in the clotting
process that stops bleeding when blood vessels are cut.
Normally, long strands of fibrin weave a mesh around
platelets and blood cells to form a clot that plugs the
break in the wall of a vessel.
A very complex series of reactions activates the clotting
process. The release of thrombin ultimately results in the
production of a substance called soluble fibrin monomer (SFM).
SFM is a sticky protein that increases blood viscosity
(thickness) and results in the deposit of fibrin on the
endothelial cells lining the blood vessels. Normally, a single
burst of thrombin would generate a large amount of SFM that
would produce strands of "cross linked" fibrin, resulting in an
actual clot. However, in
CFS/FMS
and other chronic conditions, continuous generation of low
levels of thrombin can occur. The result is hypercoagulation.
Causes and Development
There are at least three possible causes or contributing
factors:
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