Adding Blood Thinners Increases the Risk for Internal Bleeding

Two drugs are not always better than one when
it comes to using blood thinners to treat clogged
arteries in the legs, U.S. researchers reported
on Wednesday.

They found that adding a blood thinner such as
warfarin to daily clot-preventing drugs such as
aspirin is no better -- and sometimes more dangerous --
for preventing heart attacks, strokes and other
circulatory problems in people with peripheral
artery disease.

About 1 in 16 people over 40 have some degree of
clogging in the arteries outside their heart.
The 8.5 million in the United States who do face
a higher risk of death from heart disease.

Because blood thinners are used to treat clots
that develop from acidic lifestyles and diets,
researchers thought adding them to the mix might
cut the risk further.

The new study in the New England Journal of
Medicine shows that such hopes are unfounded.

Results from 2,161 volunteers treated at 80
medical centers in seven countries demonstrate
that adding the second drug had virtually no
effect on the risk of heart attack, stroke, a
severe clot outside the heart, or death from
any type of heart disease.

The rates were 15.9 percent in the combination
group and 17.4 percent in the antiplatelet-only
group, an insignificant difference.

In fact, 4 percent of the people getting
combination therapy suffered life-threatening
bleeding, compared with just 1.2 percent getting
an antiplatelet drug.

"Treating 1,000 patients with combination therapy
as compared with antiplatelet therapy alone for
three years would lead to 24 fewer cardiovascular
events but 28 more episodes of life-threatening
bleeding, resulting in a net increase in serious
adverse outcomes," said the research team, led by
Sonia Anand of McMaster University in Hamilton,
Ontario.

The real solution to life-threatening bleeding
is to eliminate the acidic contributors from
lifestyle and diet choices that are breaking
down the blood and body cells.

To learn more about a natural approach to thinning
the blood without acidic drugs may I suggest
reading, The pH Miracle.

References:

Reuters 2007
The pH Miracle Books