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Resia Pretorius is a Professor in the department of Physiology, University of Pretoria. She is also Director of the Applied Morphology Research Centre at the University. She has published over 150 research articles in rated scientific journals. She has also been study leader to 28 MSc and PhD students. In December 2011, she was named as winner of the African Union Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Awards for the Southern Region in the category: Basic Science, Technology and Innovation.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Stop the Clot Campaign

Blood clots are a major cause of disease. It may cause heart attacks, strokes and thrombosis (blockage of blood vessels). In your blood, you have small particles, called platelets. Also, in the watery part of your blood, called the plasma, you have plasma proteins circulating in the blood. Platelets and these plasma proteins work together and are in equilibrium if you are healthy. Your body sometimes needs the platelets and plasma proteins to react on events that disrupt the homeostasis* (for definition see previous blogs) (balance of the body). An example of this may be a small wound to your skin or even inside your body. A blood clot forms when platelets and plasma proteins form a small plug consisting of activated platelets and plasma proteins that after a trigger, form a meshwork or network of fine fibers to cover the damaged area. During normal homeostasis the body will break down the clot area and this is called lyses. If we smoke, have too mutch stress or high blood pressure and cholestrol, it will disturb our balance or general homeostasis. This will cause clots to form excessively or without a definite trigger. Also, these clots may then break down less effectively. This may trigger the clot to break loose and this may lead to heart attacks and stroke, depending where the clot is formed. Smoking is one of the major triggers for disruption in your homeostasis. Lets start a campaign to STOP THE CLOT by spreading our science knowledge!

58 comments:

  1. Interestingly "yes2life" (www.yes2life.co.za) has reported that in certain South African populations, heart diseases and strokes account for more deaths than HIV/AIDS when studying people over the age of 45. They also reported that heart diseases are responsible for 195 deaths each day in South Africa.
    -Published in The South African Journal of Natural Medicine, April 2011.

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  2. The US National Blood Clot Alliance has a similar campaign and so does Anticoagulation Europe. You can view their sites for more information about their campaigns. www.stoptheclot.org and www.stoptheclot.com

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  3. I have read and heard that Omega 3 and 6 thins blood. Is this true? And does it reduce the chance of the formation of a blood clot? If so, would it be recommended to people that are prone to heart attacks or if they are pregnant?

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  4. 13-17 September National Stroke Week

    (URL: http://www.heartfoundation.co.za/stroke/stroke.htm)

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  5. Regarding blood clots during pregnancy:
    My aunt has a family history of high blood pressure during pregnancy. During her first pregnancy her blood pressure shot up and the umbilical cord calcified. She later on had a stroke. Are these events related?

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  6. My grandmother travels between New Zealand and South Africa every six months and is often worries about Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT). Her physician has recommended an increase in garlic and ginger i n her diet as well prescribed a low dose of aspirin to prevent blood clots. Would prolonged intake of aspirin have negative side effects?

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  7. I recently donated my blood for the project and at the time I was not taking Roacutane, but now I am. Would you be interested in how this effects the fibrin network formation as I have read that a rare but serious side effect of roacutane is stroke. And then there is my mother, whose blood does not clot at all, what could be the reason?

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  8. Scientists at the University of California are currently working on a device to break up blood clots in strokes by means of ultrasound. Read the full article on MIT's website: http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24548/page1/

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  9. The World Heath Organization did a study on traveling and the increase in risk for blood clots in 2007.It shows that the risk for developing venous thromboembolism doubles after traveling for 4 hours and more.
    Look at it on http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2007/pr35/en/

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  10. Smoking decreases stress and we all know that that stress is a major cause of blood clotting and strokes.Is it then fair to say smoking increases your chances of getting a stroke, wouldn't the pros and cons cancel each other out?

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  11. adding to Lauren's comment about one of the side effects (rare) of roacutane being stroke, is it better for a person with a family history of strokes to avoid taking it?

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  12. Tema:I myself am a smoker and often use the exuse that smoking reduces my stess levels.(expecially in exam times when I smoke more than regularly).I have heard though,that smoking actually increase your stress levels,so I researced the topic.According to an abstract of an article from the American Psycologist Journal titled "Does sigarette smoking cause stress" smoking does increase your stress levels.A stress level test was done and showed that stess levels in adult smokers where higher than the stress levels of adult non-smokers.Apparently nicotine dependency worsens stress and causes stress levels to increase.
    "The message that tobacco use does not alleviate stress but actually increases it needs to be far more widely known."

    So if I may answer your question,sigarettes do not decrease stress levels and thus wil not cancel out anything but increase stress levels and eventually lead to a stroke.

    ...one more reason for me to stop smoking I guess

    American Psychologist
    Volume 54, Issue 10, October 1999, Pages 817-820

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  13. I've noticed that it has been mentioned that smoking is one of the leading causes of strokes due to blood clots. Well, studies estimate that about 600 000 people die each year due to second hand smoke:

    http://blog.womenshealth.northwestern.edu/2010/12/600000-worldwide-deaths-cause-by-secondhand-smoke/

    As a non-smoker myself, that worries me because I am continuously exposed to second-hand smoke due to the thousands of students who smoke on campus. Advertising should show the truth about the dangers of smoking because the warning on the label clearly does not work. If the world is clearly informed then the number of people who get sick and eventually die due to second hand smoke will decrease. Smokers have to be shown that their habit not only puts their lives at risk, but the lives of those who don't share their habit as well

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  14. Okay. All this information is good for making people aware of the dangers of smoking in relation to blood clots. But what if it is already too late for me. How do I know when I have a blood clot. What are the early symptoms?

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  15. To Brittany. You have to consider that aspirin is a drug, like any over the counter drug. However, it has anti-inflammatory effects thereby altering the body's normal blood-clotting processes. Aspirin is very effective in reducing blood clots when intake is regulated (short-term use). However, long term use can lead to gastrointestinal problems of which some of the sever cases include haemorrhage and ulcers. Haemorrhagic stroke may also occur, but the possibility of such is very rare. So aspirin may cause as many problems as it can treat. For further information go to:

    http://www.healthy-heart-guide.com/aspirin-side-effects.html

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  16. If I understand it correctly, any change in the homeostasis of the body will cause "sticky fibres". Do disorders such as Hypothyroidism or any hormone imbalance cause "sticky fibres"?

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  17. Does gender play a role in blood clotting? If so, how?

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  18. Does second hand smokers also experience these effects? What is the difference in the appearance of the fibres in smokers and second hand smokers?

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  19. apparently you can find clots in ones urine, what are they indicators of?

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  20. If you know that you have blood clots what medication is available and what is the probability that they will pass through a vital organ?

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  21. Adding to Brittny and Amanda's comment about Aspirin, I found an article in which they did a study on the effects of long-term aspirin use.
    According to their findings Aspirin can be beneficial when used at a low to moderate dosage (1 - 14 pills per week). A low dose inhibits thromboxane A2 (a blod clotting agent) thereby preventing clots from forming. However, A high dose (> 14 tablets per weer) inhibits the synthesis of anti-clotting proteins which means clots can more easily form. This effect counteracts the effect of a low dose.

    To read more about this study see "Long-term Aspirin use and Mortality in Women" by Andrew T. Chan et al
    Or the article can be downloaded from www.archintrenmed.com

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  22. I am a person who is in the Gym at least 4 times a week. I am also a smoker. The question i have is that seeing that exercise decreases stress levels why do i crave a cigarette immediately after i have had a good hour and a half session in the gym. Shouldn't i want to smoke less since i am de-stressed?

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  23. I know this is not a response to anyone's comments however i just wanted to inform people about the more common however frequently overlooked clotting problem. Deep vein thrombosis or DVT. This occurs in the legs usually and after sitting too long in a car or plane. The DVT in itself is not dangerous however if a piece breaks off or it dislodges it may cause a stroke.

    When driving regular breaks should be taken and stretching and exercise is recommended. Airlines are offering special socks to increase circulation on the longer flights. Information on this can be found quite clearly at this website if you are interested.
    http://www.medicinenet.com/deep_vein_thrombosis/article.htm

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  24. 31 May, World No Tobacco Day. Please join in!

    (For more info: http://www.world-heart-federation.org/press/news/detail/article/join-the-world-no-tobacco-day-campaign-taking-place-on-31-may-2011/)

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  25. Does secondhand smoke effect your fibrin network and can it cause a stroke?

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  26. My grandfather smoked for many years and he stopped smoking for about 20 years now, he has had 4 strokes in the last 7 years. Normally after a stroke patients cannot walk or speak or sometimes they are in a complete vegatable state. Luckily he can still walk and speak normally. He was one of the lucky ones. Stop smoking today to maintain your quality of life!!!

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  27. To answer Simone and Mariska, secondhand smoke- exposure certainly affects your fibrin network. A study was done to see if there are any significant changes in fibrin clots of individuals who are non-smokers but are exposed to smoke. The tests showed that there was a 40% reduction in the stiffness of the fibrin clot, a 20% reduction in the density of the fibers and another 20% reduction in the time it takes for a clot to lyse. This should be an eye opener for all smokers to realise that other peoples lives are at risk and as Neo stated, an alarming amount of people die each year.

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  28. To read more about this study go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505721

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  29. Various studies have been done on the link between secondhand smoke and stroke. Needless to say, active smokers as well as secondhand smokers have a much higher risk of stroke than non-smokers who avoid secondhand smoke.

    'Passive smoking as well as active smoking increases the risk of acute stroke' Published in Tobacco control: http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/8/2/156.abstract

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  30. My uncle was a chain-smoker for 30 years. Because of this very bad habit he use to cough vigorously every morining and evening. About a month ago he coughed so heavily that he lost consiousness. He got such a big fright, that he stoped smoking immediately. After a week his coughing was much less and after two weeks his coughing totally subsided. He feels much better and reduced his chances to develop bloodclots, cancers and serious emphysema. So stop smoking and improve your health.

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  31. I've notice that every one is worried about blood clots and strokes and how bad health habbits can compromise your fibrin networks... So I've find some interesting facts about how vitamins can influence your clotting abillity - for instance vitamin K( found in leafy greens and intestinal flora) controls the production of blood clotting factor II via the liver, thus having to little vit K you bruise much easily and have poor blood clotting with subsequent bleeding, which means in the long run - prolonged clotting time lead to heamorrage and in the end anemia. Too much vit E can delay blood clotting.
    To act against blood clots a balanced diet and enough excerise can give you a long and blood clot free life.

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  32. Blood clots in the lungs or also known as pulmonary emboli is responsible for the death of 200 000 people a year. This number is more than the deaths caused by breast cancer, AIDS and highway accidents combined.

    For more facts about blood clots visit http://www.drdonnica.com/fastfacts/00004671.htm.

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  33. According to an article published by Harvard university 'Smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease and death in the United States.'

    It also states that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke (as shorth as 5 minutes)can effect platelets in the bloodstream and cause blood clots. Research has also shown that cardiac stress caused by secondhand smoke is just as severe as the cardiac stress caused by smoking.

    http://www.health.harvard.edu/family-health-guide/updates/banishing-secondhand-smoke

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  34. I found an interesting article that was published in the journal Circulaion: Journal of the American Heart Association in which it discusses the effect of antidepressants on blood. Previous studies have shown that older forms of antidepressents increased the risk of bleeding however, a newer form of antidepressants, SSRI antidepressants (such as Zoloft), may actually have a postive effect on preventing blood clots. In the study, researches monitored several men and women (suffering from depression)that had been hospitalized for severe chest pain. All of which were on anticoagulant drugs. A test group was then also given an SSRI antidepressant daily. The results found the approxiamtely 75% of the patients taking the SSRI drug, had a much lower platelet activity than those just on the anticoagulants.

    for more info: http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/news/20030811/antidepressant--blood-clot

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  35. Mariska's comment about stoke patients usually being debilitated after having a stroke reminded me about a book my mom told me about. It's called 'My Stroke of Insight' and it's written by a Woman, Jill Bolte Tylor, who describes her own personal experience during and after having a stoke herself. The stoke occurred in her brain and since she is a brain specialist she knew exactly what was happening to her. In her book she describes what she went through and how she recovered. There is also a video on ted.com where she speaks about her stroke.

    For a description of the book visit: http://drjilltaylor.com/book.html

    For the video visit: http://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

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  36. I have stumbled upon a website, which describes how smoking can cause blood clots in the lungs. This effect is called Pulmonary Emboli. One interesting fact is that about 30% of blood clots in the lungs are fatal and most often within 24 hours. Here is the website where a you tube video explains this.
    http://www.smoking-facts-and-fiction.com/blood_clots_in_lungs.html

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  37. Ageing also causes high blood pressure, so the older you are the more the you are at risk of having these above mentioned clots.

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  38. For everyone who would like to have a more visual picture on how a blood clot looks like, go to http://www.thrombosisadviser.com/en/understanding-thrombosis/how-thrombosis-develops/index.php.
    It also provides more information on thrombosis

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  39. @ Amanda: The symptoms of a blood clot depends on where the clot forms. For example, a symptoms of a blood clot in the deep veins of the leg: pain, redness, warmth, swelling of the lower leg. This might suggest DVT (deep vein thrombosis).
    Symptoms that may suggest a heart attack (blood clot in the lungs or heart) may include chest pain, shortness of breath and upper body discomfort in the arms, back, neck or jaw.
    For more info, go to http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/ebc/ebc_signs.html

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  40. My cousin aged 16 had a bad case of acne and our doctor who is also a family memeber didn't know that she is also a smoker.. and he put her on the Pill, i have heard that one of the serious side effedcts of the pill is Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and clotting, which is also more liable to you if you are a smoker, because she is still so young (under the age of 20) will this also be applicable to her?

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  41. Can epillepcy and clotting maybe in some way be connected to each other??

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  42. I heard that secondary smokers are affected more than actual smokers - as crazy as that sounds could it be true, could "passive" smokers (if I may call it that) be in more danger for some reason?

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  43. @Bernice A very recently published article, has determined that women taking oral contraceptives (OC), specifically containing drospirenone, have more than double the chance of developing blood clots (non-fatal venous thromboembolism) than women taking OC containing levonorgestrel. OC with drospirenone includes Yasmin which is prescribed very often in South Africa. The age group of the study was between 15 and 44. This means that your cousin could be at a high risk already, but since the study doesn't include smoking, she could be at an even higher risk.

    'Risk of non-fatal venous thromboembolism in women using oral contraceptives containing drospirenone compared with women using oral contraceptives containing levonorgestrel: case-control study using United States claims data' published in British Medical Journal on 21 April 2011.
    http://www.bmj.com/content/342/bmj.d2151

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  44. Smoking and epilepsy...
    Smoking while having epilepsy does not have any other significant impact than the usual side affects. Some people who were smokers and had epilepsy said that when they stopped smoking they seemed to have less or fewer seizures.
    The bad thing about smoking while having epilepsy is the risk of burns and fires

    I read an article where a mother of a 5 year old little todler had epilepsy. One day while having a quick smoke in her apartment she had a seizure. She woke up in the hospital with severe burns on her body and the todler suffered smoke inhalation and brain damage. The child is now 18 years of age, wheelchair bound, retarded and living in an instituition.

    Smoking not only has an significant impact one the individuals who smoke but can also have an life changing impact on the people around them...

    http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/safety_smoking

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  45. i read an article where it was said that the reason why pregnant women are more susceptible to deep vein thrombosis than non-pregnant women is a result of the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy, which in turn, increase blood clots.it is also said that the expansion of the uterus also restricts blood flow from the legs and pelvis back to the heart, thus the increased chances of deep vein thrombosis.in addition to deep vein thrombosis, we also get pulmonary embolism which is caused by blood clots that break away from from blood vessels and travel through blood vessels to the lungs,where upon reaching the lungs, they impair blood flow to the rest of the body.
    #compared to deep vein thrombosis,embolism is most life threatening because it can result in low BP and low oxygen levels which could kill the fetus.
    www.healthtree.com/articles/pregnancy-info/complications

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  46. how can pregnant women prevent getting deep vein thrombosis and embolism?

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  47. In addition to stoping smoking, maintaining your weight and improving your nutrition play a great role in minimizing your chances of having blood clots. A diet that comprises of high-fiber, low cholesterol levels, lots of fuit and vegetables;garlic,ginger,onions and hot peppers prevents blood clots. Regular exercise helps control your weight and also improves your blood circulation.

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  48. interestingly buzzle.com says Taurine helps widen the blood vessels, thereby increasing the blood flow to the muscle cells. It increases the efficiency of rigorous workout sessions and ameliorates the overall performance.So it may be good for you if you smoke but obviously it does not reverse the effects of thombosis but it may make them less unpleasant although pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid consuming these supplements. This is because not much is known about taurine risks and toxicity during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

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  49. "Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol can affect blood coagulation - act as a 'blood thinner'- which can have both negative and positive health effects", (Alcohol can act as a 'Blood thinner', 2005).

    My father was a heavy drinker, that also smoked heavily. A few years back he suffered from a stroke. Since it is said that smoking is a trigger for the disruption in your homeostasis, therefore causing blood clots, does drinking then not thin out the blood clots. If drinking does thin out the blood clots does that rule out the possibility that smoking could have been one of the contributing factors leading to my fathers stroke?

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  50. My uncle experienced a blood clot in his leg and was subsequently diagnoses with the Factor V Leiden disorder... which results in hypercoagulability. In a healthy person, factor V acts as a cofactor to enables factor X activate an enzyme(thromin)which in turn cleaves fibrogen to fibrin which aids in blood clotting. Activated protein C (aPC)then regulates the extent of clotting by inhibiting factor V. In a person suffering from Factor V Leiden, factor V is unable to be inactivated by aPC which results in extensive blood clotting.

    Factor V Leiden is an autosomal dominant condition which is present in approximately 5% of the caucasian population.

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  51. about women who smoke during pregnancy. Smoking not only exposes the foetus to toxins in tobacco smoke but it also damages placental function.When a person smokes some of the oxygen in their blood is replaced by carbon monoxide. If a pregnant woman smokes, her blood and therefore her child's blood will contain less oxygen than normal. This can cause the foetal heart rate to rise as baby struggles to get enough oxygen.the health of the foetus is as equally important as an adults'so why do we cause damage to the innocent

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  52. In addition pregnant women who smoke increase their risk of early miscarriage.
    In later pregnancy smoking mothers are at increased risk of the baby's placenta coming away from the womb before the baby is born (placental abruption). This may cause the baby to be born prematurely, starve of oxygen, or even to die in the womb (stillborn).you must visit http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/pregnantsmoking.htm

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  53. Platelets Help fight Malaria.

    Most African countries are plagued by malaria. Those who survive are perhaps the ones with the sickle cell trait (carriers for sickle-cell). Sadly that’s not the case for everyone. According to the Menzies Research Institute in Tasmania and a researcher Dr Brendan Mcmorran, “Platelets play a helpful role by buying the immune system time during those early stages by binding to the infected red blood cells which kills the parasites inside the red cell. The experiments with cultured red blood cells have also shown platelet inhibitors like aspirin, removed this lethal effect that platelets have during the early stages of a malarial infection, on malaria parasites and he believes the use of aspirin and the potential harm it may have on malaria infection needs to be investigated. “ Read about his research on
    News-Medical.Net
    http://www.news-medical.net/
    http://www.news-medical.net/?id=45754

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  54. By now, we’ve all heard of the increased risk of suffering deep vein thrombosis (DVT) when travelling long distances. Found a few tips on reduces this risk when flying:
    www.powderlife.com/magazine/issue/30/.../deep-vein-thrombosis
    To help prevent DVT, have a single low-dose aspirin just before you board the plane, which helps to thin the blood. Wear loose clothing with compression socks and tights, which will help the blood return to the heart. Do not just sit still in your seat during the flight. Wriggling your toes in your seat is of some help. Stand outside the toilets doing one- leg squats and heel-raises for as long as you can stand people staring at you.

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  55. In 1998 scientists studied the anticoagulant factor in vampire bat saliva. Naturally they called the factor draculin. The latest studies suggest that it could extend the treatment window after an ischemic stoke from 3 hours to 9 hours. The first phase of the study was done in 2006 and it showed that medicine derived from the compound in the vampire bat's saliva is safe for humans. The second phase has recently started in hospitals in the USA and involves testing if the medication can help extend the treatment window.

    http://smrt.io/m7Mv7h

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  56. I've just read an article that said Nicotine from smoking can't cause epilepsy but can trigger seizures in some people with epilepsy.

    Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/25320-can-smoking-cause-seizures/#ixzz1MMMTQ6lXse

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  57. I read that maintaining a healthy lifestyle by walking,losing excess weight and by taking care of your feet can help with bloodclots. But even if you are maintaining a active lifestyle and still smoke, it means nothing.Smoking accalerates the process where your arteries narrow and become hardened. It is also known that 30% of coronory thrombosis is caused by smoking. Stop the clot,and stop smoking!!!

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  58. an interesting article i read showed that smoking increases vasoconstriction and to me this shows that smoking DOES NOT in fact decrease stress levels as we all know that vasoconstriction leads to high blood pressure in the blood vessels.

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