Can The Beverages You Drink Interact With Your Blood Thinner?

By Marcus Stout

Warfarin and its counterparts are commonly prescribed prescription medications today. Warfarin is a blood thinner, and is used primarily to prevent blood clots in patients with cardiovascular disease, or who are otherwise at a higher than average risk of stroke or heart attack.

Warfarin prevents clots from forming or from growing larger by stopping the formation of substances that cause clots. Because warfarin thins your blood, it’s important to stop taking it before any surgical procedures. Check with your doctor regarding his recommendations before your surgery.

Warfarin’s side effects include

• headache

• upset stomach

• diarrhea

• fever

• skin rash

Recently, there has been discussion that some beverages may inhibit the blood thinning properties of warfarin. The beverages in question include cranberry juice, grape juice and tea.

The theory was that the beverages inhibited the human enzyme upon which warfarin works to prevent the formation of clots. This led patients to wonder if it was safe to consume these beverages while taking warfarin and similar drugs.

Similar concerns were raised for patients who might be taking an anti-fungal such as fluconazole; the drug commonly prescribed to treat yeast infections.

A study was conducted to measure the effects of these three beverages on the effectiveness of warfarin. To conduct the study, researchers performed experiments both in vitro and on human participants, using flurbiprofen, a common anti-inflammatory drug.

The flurbiprofen mimics warfarin’s action in the body, so it was thought to be a safer alternative for the participants.

The human participants were given grape juice, cranberry juice, brewed tea, or a placebo cranberry juice for control. The patients were also given either flurbiprofen to determine any interactions.

In addition, the patients were given fluconazole along with flubiprofen to study its possible interaction, too.

The study used 14 healthy volunteers and studied them weekly over a 5 week period. At each visit, the volunteer would receive a different combination, so that each combination could be compared on each participant.

In addition to using human participants, researchers also studied the reactions created by these various combinations in the lab. Under these conditions, scientists can more closely monitor exactly how the substances might affect each other.

The studies concluded that the beverages in question did not inhibit the effectiveness of warfarin in terms of its ability to thin the blood in the human studies. However, the in vitro trials showed a slight inhibition when the flurbiprofen was combined with tea or grape juice –but this finding was not replicated in the human studies.

What the studies did find, however, was that fluconazole did appear to inhibit the effectiveness of warfarin in both human trials and in vitro tests.

So, this study concluded that those who drink juices and tea need not worry that their beverages will interfere with the drug’s ability to do its job. You should speak to your doctor, however, if you are prescribed fluconazole while taking warfarin, as the interaction may cause warfarin to be less effective.

But, you can feel safe drinking your usual beverages without fear that you’ll have an interaction. And, in fact, if your beverage of choice is green tea, you may actually be working your way out of taking that warfarin in the future.

Green tea’s potent anti-oxidants have been shown to help improve blood pressure and lower cholesterol. An improvement in blood pressure and cholesterol can mean a significant improvement in any cardiovascular disease that you might have.

Abnormally high blood pressure puts pressure on the arterial walls, which often causes them to have little nicks. Blood clots are formed as your body attempts to repair these little nicks.

But, if the blood clots grow too large or break off, they can block an artery to the heart, causing a heart attack. Or, if they block an artery that supplies the brain, they can cause a stroke.

Warfarin is prescribed to help prevent these clots from forming, but if blood pressure and cholesterol are lowered naturally, the need for a blood thinner can sometimes be eliminated.

Of course, you should never discontinue any medication without consulting your doctor, but wouldn’t it be nice to be able to manage your blood pressure naturally?

In general, adding green tea to your diet is a healthy idea. It has been shown in study after study to help prevent premature aging and a whole host of diseases, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and some cancers. It may also help you keep your weight under control, which also helps keep you healthy and strong.

Try adding two to three cups of green tea per day to your diet to start seeing the healthy benefits. You’ll find green tea available in a wide variety of flavors, in both loose form and tea bag form. You can drink it hot or iced – and add milk if you wish. Any way you drink it, you can be sure you’re doing something healthy – and that won’t interfere with medications you’re already taking.

About the Author: Marcus Stout is President of the Golden Moon Tea Company. For more information about tea, green tea and wu long tea go to http://www.goldenmoontea.com

Source: www.isnare.com

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Eat Healthier and Drink Organic Coffee

By Paul Julian

In today’s world, environmental issues and the health of our families have become growing concerns. We have to take action to persevere our environment for future generations. At the same time, increasing health risks demand we have to ensure that our future generations are around to enjoy the environment we are working so hard to protect. Enter organic food products. Not only do our families receive the benefits of eating healthier foods, the farmers who grow organic crops cause indisputably less damage to the environment.

Certified Organic

During a routine visit to the grocery store you can find organic products on most of the shelves. From cereal to pastas, and all in between, more suppliers are providing organic alternatives for all of the food we commonly consume. With all of this new merchandise available, what assurance do consumers have that the suppliers are genuinely providing organic products? Look for products that are certified organic. The United States requires farmers to be certified by an accredited agency sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Requirements for certification include farming without prohibited substances like synthetic pesticides.

Don’t Forget the Organic Coffee

When you are out shopping for healthy products, don’t forget organic coffee. Conventional coffee is sometimes processed with chemicals like methylene chloride, which has been found to be harmful for central nervous system and potentially carcinogenic, or ethyl acetate, which is possibly harmful to the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys. Organic coffee uses the SWISS WATER® process and is much safer and healthier for your family. Data from the Organic Trade association estimates that U.S. consumers purchased over $110 million worth of organic coffee products in 2006. It is also estimated that approximately 65 million pounds of organic coffee were imported in 2007 with a 33 percent annual growth rate. Data also shows that organic coffee’s global sales reached about 148 million pounds in 2006.

Organic coffee is grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Organic farming also ensures that the products are free of genetically modified organisms, which ensures a safer, healthier organic coffee. Coffee product that contains 95 to 100 percent organic ingredients and were grown by certified organic farmers will feature the USDA organic seal. Peru is the top exporter of organic coffee, followed by Ethiopia, and Mexico but there are actually 40 different countries around the world that also export it. Organic coffee accounts for over two-thirds of all organic products produced in Mexico, proving to be the highest percent of land used to grow crops except for vanilla.

Since its establishment, Nectar of Life Coffee Co. has become representative of exceptional gourmet organic coffee. They are an extraordinary company that has remained firmly embedded in the principles of ecological and social responsibility. Nectar of Life chooses only the finest Arabica coffee beans from Fair Trade suppliers for the production of their organic coffees. Not only are they USDA and Fair Trade certified organic coffee roasters, they are also certified kosher. Fair Trade is a beneficial social movement that alleviates global poverty and promotes social sustainability, especially for developing countries seeking self-sufficiency.

Nectar of Life is certified in accordance to USDA Organic guidelines as well as a registered coffee roaster with the Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Seattle, Swiss Water, and TransfairUSA. They are committed to selling only the best and whenever possible, they purchase shade grown organic coffee beans. Shade grown, organic coffee beans not only produce a more robust flavor, they also assist in providing suitable habitation for birds. Bird Friendly certification is available through the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center for farmers who meet inspection and certification requirements.

About the Author: Paul Julian is a firefighter, internet marketer and coffee drinker. You can check out more coffee stuff and find coffee deals at MustGetCoffee.com/blog.

Source: www.isnare.com

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Getting Some Help Drinking a Flush Detox Drink

By Annie Duvall

The world detox basically refers to a cleansing of the body. The purpose of detoxing is to cleanse the body in the blood, more than anything the blood in the liver which is where toxins are processed for elimination. The body also eliminates toxins through the kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymph and skin.

A good detoxing program can help to improve the body’s natural cleaning process as it is able to help the organs rest through fasting, stimulate the liver to drive toxins from the body, promote elimination through the intestines, kidneys and skin, and improve circulation of the blood.

Detoxification is one of the best ways to lose weight and get some internal cleansing. It is not only effective but healthy too. However, while you are undergoing a detoxification or cleansing process, it is important to know that this is one opportunity that you should not miss to take advantage of to achieve optimal amount of weight loss. How exactly can you take advantage of such phenomenon? By getting some help of course!

A Helping Hand With Flush Detox Drink

One good aid to ensure that you lose the optimal amount of weight while detoxifying is by taking a dose of a flush detox drink. Such a drink can help you ensure that your body will react accordingly to your detoxification diet, thus resulting to a successful body flush detox.

However, it is not only in weight loss that intake of a flush detox drink will be of help to you. Drinks like this can also have other functions, depending on the type and their main method of detoxification.

Flush Detox Drink: Stress Be Gone!

One of the many functions that drinks like this can do is getting rid of your stress. For instance, tea has the ability to detoxify, making it a good flush detox drink. However, some kinds of tea specialize on getting rid of your stress, while others work to help you to lose weight.

Nevertheless, tea can create a balance between your body’s expulsion and productive forces. Other than being effective and being available in mild dosages, it also has 100% natural herbs that do not cause you any kind of side effects.

If you want to try out tea as a detox drink, you can start by making it a habit that you drink it every morning. This is because your body is cleansed during the night, when your system is not that active or at rest. However, by drinking tea in the morning, your body is forced to continue and extend its detoxification process for some time. Thus, your body can be relaxed and can stay rejuvenated all throughout the day.

By making this a regular habit, you will always feel relaxed and can easily stay away from being over stressed. Thus, risks for developing conditions like headaches, nervous disorders, gall bladder issues, fatigue, indigestion, frustration, rashes, emotional outbursts and allergies will be less for you.

So, if you want to catalyze your detoxification and cleansing process, getting the help of a flush detox drink will just be the right thing to do!

About the Author: Annie Duvall the author of flush-detox-drink introducing detoxification of different methods and how they work. Drinking a daily flush detox drink on a regular bases is good for your health, for weight loss and as a anti stress method.

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Drink Tea to Help Your Acid Reflux and Indigestion

By Steven A Johnson

Indigestion is often a sign that there are other problems in the body like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gallbladder disease, or ulcers, rather than it being a condition or disease of its own. Indigestion is a reoccurring pain that is persistent and in the middle of the abdomen.

Symptoms of indigestion include burning in the stomach, stomach growling, nausea, vomiting, belching, gas, acidic taste in mouth, bloating, and abdominal pain. Most often people get a burning feeling in the chest called heart burn. All of these symptoms may worsen when stress levels increase.

Everyone can get affected by indigestion, even children and elderly. It’s a very common problem; it is mostly common among alcoholics and drug users. There are many causes of indigestion though, not just substance abusers get indigestion. Ulcers, stomach cancer, stomach infections, IBS, and thyroid disease can all cause indigestion as well. Even certain medications can cause indigestion, some of these include, aspirin, estrogen and birth control, steroid medications, antibiotics, and thyroid medications can all contribute to causing indigestion.

Eating to much food can factor in indigestion. Stress levels and fatigue can cause it as well. Swallowing excessive air while eating and drinking and pregnancy can be causes as well. Indigestion is not caused by to much stomach acid in the body and not every can find a known cause for there indigestion.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, other wise known as acid reflux or GERD, is a condition where the liquid content in the stomach backs up into the esophagus. It is a chronic condition and it normally lasts the entire life of the person. Most often the reflux occurs in the middle of the day when the person is standing or sitting upright.

Gravity, swallowing, and saliva are protective to the esophagus but this only works if the person is in the upright position. When lying down say at night sleeping gravity is not in effect, people don’t swallow while they are sleeping, and the amount of saliva produced is decreased. So at night when the reflux occurs the acid and contents are going to stay in the esophagus longer causing more damage to it.

Causes of acid reflux are complex and in most cases has many causes put together to cause the disease. Most people that have acid reflux however, produce large amounts of stomach acid. Some things that can contribute to it are the lower esophageal sphincter, hiatal hernias, esophageal contractions, and emptying of the stomach. Symptoms of acid reflux are heartburn, regurgitation, and nausea. More severe complications can arise from not treating acid reflux. Ulcer, strictures, barrett’s esophagus, asthma, inflammation of the throat and infection in the lungs can all happen.

Changing eating habits can help to treat GERD. Avoiding things like peppermint, chocolate, alcohol, and caffeine can all help. Fatty foods are not good either. However, chewing gum can actually help treat acid reflux, the chewing of gum can stimulate production of saliva and increase swallowing. After swallowing saliva it neutralizes in the esophagus. Antacids can help as well; they neutralize acid in the stomach so that there isn’t any acid to reflux. There is also foam barriers and surgeries that can help in really severe cases.

Another thing that can help to treat acid reflux and indigestion is Acid Reflux and Indigestion Tea by Bell. It makes a soothing and relaxing action in the stomach that promotes good digestion and relieves abdominal pain as well as gastrointestinal tract spasms. It is also an antacid. It can also prevent bloating, promotes digestive enzymes, prevents cramping, stomach pain, and reduces inflammation in the digestive system.

Acid reflux and Indigestion Tea is all natural and safe to use, some of the ingredients in it are anise seeds, fennel, chamomile, dill, cumin, peppermint, ginger, sage, and orange peel. Acid Reflux an Indigestion Tea can be found at Alterative Health Supplements.

About the Author: Steven Johnson is interested in maintaining a vital and healthy lifestyle. For more information on various health products and other life-enhancing nutrients please visit his website Alternative Health Supplements.

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