Blood Clots

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What Is Blood Clots

Blood has to continuously flow throughout the body for an entire lifetime. Blood Clots can be positive or negative, since they obstruct blood flow. They can be lifesaving because they stop bleeding if there is an open wound or injury, preventing the person from losing more blood. Alternatively, Blood Clots form when they aren't needed and can cause heart attacks, strokes, or other medical complications. While Blood Clots are more common in adults, they can occur in children too.

Signs Of Blood Clots

Blood can clot in multiple parts of the body, therefore different symptoms can occur. Blood Clots occur in the veins and arteries, lungs, brain, or abdomen. The symptoms are separated in the categories below.

Blood Clots in the Veins or Arteries:

Joint Pain
Tenderness
Sudden Pain
Swelling
Bluish Discoloration near Pain

Blood Clots in the Lungs:

Rapid Heart Rate
Sharp Chest Pain
Coughing up Blood
Mild Fever

Blood Clots in the Brain:

Speech Impairment
Hallucinations
Seizures
Weakness

Blood Clots in Abdomen:

Vomiting
Sharp Abdominal Pain
Diarrhea

What Causes Blood Clots

Blood Clots form when flowing blood comes in contact with substances in the skin or or blood vessel walls. If cholesterol plaques, which form in the arteries, break open (often times the cause of heart attacks), blood clotting will occur. If the blood doesn't flow properly, this can also cause it to clot. When Blood Clots form, they can break away from the source and cause damage to other parts of the body. Blood Clots can also be the result of surgeries or traumatic injuries. Other causes include:

High Blood Pressure
Arteriosclerosis
Family History of Blood Clots
Heart Failure
Obesity
Stroke
Heart Attack
Bowel Disease like Crohn's Disease
Infection

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Natural Remedies

Exercising and getting lots of vitamin D, i.e. sunshine, can help prevent Blood Clots from forming. Vitamin D acts as a natural blood thinner and exercise keeps the blood flowing. It's important to avoid sitting for long periods of time without any exercise as well.
Water is also a natural blood thinner. It's suggested to consume eight 8oz. glasses of water each day. A great way to remember how much water to drink is to halve your body weight and drink it in ounces of water per day. This means that if you weigh 150lbs, your water intake should be 75oz. daily.
A healthy diet such as raw-food, vegan, or vegetarian can help prevent Blood Clots from occurring. By avoiding processed foods, fried foods, meat, dairy, alcohol, tobacco, salt, sugar, and genetically modified foods, you can help facilitate proper blood flow. Eating foods rich in vitamin E can help as well because they help prevent over-oxidation. Broccoli, kale, chard, kiwi, broccoli, and red bell peppers are all good sources of vitamin E. Adding omega-3 fatty acids to your diet is also beneficial. Flax seed, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts are great sources of these.
If you are traveling by plain, it is important to get up and stretch to increase blood flow. Sitting cross-legged is also not recommended as it can dam circulation and cause Blood Clots. To help prevent Blood Clots, you can avoid wearing tight clothing items as they constrict blood flow.

Things you should eat