PHLEBITIS, THROMBOPHLEBITIS, INFLAMMATION OF THE VEINS

Written by Slawomir Gromadzki, MPH

Phlebitis is described as an inflammation of a vein while Thrombophlebitis  is a blood clot in the vein which causes the inflammation.

SYMPTOMS

pain in the limb, swelling, cramps or redness of the skin (often only one leg), tenderness and pain that worsens with added pressure, etc.

CAUSES

The most frequent cause of phlebitis and thrombophlebitis is a blood clot which forms in a vein. As a result, the vein becomes inflamed. Phlebitis is also associated with varicose veins (often hidden). Varicose veins are prone to minor injuries which can lead to inflammation. The other factors are listed below.

– Thick blood caused by bad diet (meat, dairy, milk, sugar, refined products, eggs, bad oils and fats, etc.). In a study done at the University of Georgia at Athens rats fed a diet high in milk protein were found to have an increased rate of blood clotting and thus also phlebitis. The researchers concluded that the diet high in animal protein caused sensitizing of the metabolic factors that might initiate clotting inside blood vessels.

– Dehydration (drinking insufficient amount of water) as it makes the blood thicker and causes of impaired blood circulation.

– Failure to have regular exposures to sunlight increases the risk of blood clotting. A recent study published in International Journal of General Medicine found that low vitamin D (sun vitamin) levels are associated with idiopathic deep vein thrombosis and phlebitis.

– Inactivity. Lack of exercise increases the risk of getting phlebitis and blood clot. In one study 13 men ages 60 to 62 who exercised four to five times a week for six months showed a 39 percent increase in the ability to dissolve blood clots which had already formed. The exercise program included walking, jogging, and cycling for 45 minutes five times a week. The activity of clot-dissolving enzymes increased 39 percent after six months. According to the same study findings the dissolving ability was lowest in the early morning and highest in the evening. It explains why heart attacks usually take place in the morning.

– Overweight and obesity.

– Overeating causes insulin levels to go up. Insulin interferes with the mechanism which prevents blood clotting.

– Eating foods high in sugar increases the risk of phlebitis. Sugar in the diet increases platelet stickiness and therefore increases the likelihood of having intravascular clotting which contributes to phlebitis.

– Saturated fats (found in meat, dairy products, butter, or margarines) in experimental animal studies increased phlebitis and both venous blood clots.

– Several studies have shown that stress (due to elevated adrenaline levels) increases the risk of platelet aggregation and phlebitis.

– Increased estrogen caused by birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.

– Stimulants, especially smoking increases risk of DVT

– Prolonged standing or sitting can increase risk for phlebitis.

– Deficiency of antioxidants.

– Nutritional deficiencies.

TREATMENT

– Keep in mind that antibiotics are NOT a proper treatment for Phlebitis!

– Phlebitis can cause a clot to the lung if not treated correctly!

– Implement principles included in HEALTH RECOVERY PLAN >!

– Avoid or at least significantly reduce consumption of dairy and meat products as they thicken the blood. Switch to a totally plant-based (vegan) unrefined diet eliminating the intake of all animal-based foods (dairy, meat products, and fish) as they contain too much protein, are packed with high-risk factors (cholesterol, triglycerides, dioxins, heavy metals, antibiotics, bacteria, virus, cancer cells, prions, etc.) and because they don’t contain fibre. According to Professor Colin Campbell the author of the famous China Study, “The more you substitute plant foods for animal foods, the healthier you are likely to be.” The same scientist considers “veganism to be the ideal diet.”

– Practice regular sunbathing, if possible.

– Drink about 3 glasses of filtered, or even better, distilled water, 3 times a day between meals.

– Do not overeat.

– Drink 1 or 2 glasses of fresh raw and possibly cold-pressed (using slow juicer) vegetable juices (carrots, beets, broccoli, kale or spinach, etc.)  2 to 3 times a day before meals or instead. It is even better to have them with chlorella or spirulina, alfalfa, turmeric and barley grass. If you want to maintain your health drink 2 to 3 times 1 glass. In case your intension is to treat different health problems such as cancer, etc. you need to have 2 glasses 3 to 4 times a day.

– Stop smoking.

– Lose weight if you are overweight >

– Exercise or walk regularly to improve blood circulation in your legs.

– Consume more raw vegetables, fresh fruits, oats, barley, pulses, and buckwheat.

– Eat 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with breakfast and lunch.

HERBAL REMEDIES AND SUPPLEMENTS

– Use Venaforce (Vogel). It improves blood circulation in veins and strengthen their walls. Venaforce contains the extract of fresh Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) seeds. Horse chestnut is probably the most popular herb used in the treatment of phlebitis (due to anti-inflammatory properties), varicose veins, and  DVT as it improves blood circulation in veins.

– Externally use Venagel (Vogel) and/or Green clay (both give excellent results). Venagel contains the extract of fresh Horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) seeds. Horse chestnut extracts are commonly associated with the treatment of phlebitis and varicose veins. However, Horse chestnut extracts in gels are soothing, providing cooling relief to legs that feel weary, heavy and uncomfortable – fantastic after a night out or a day’s shopping. It is also useful for long journeys (especially by plane), during hot weather and can be used during pregnancy.

– Use MEDICINAL CLAY & HORSETAIL HERB

Medicinal clay is one of the best natural remedies I know and it is very effective in treating many conditions including Phlebitis. Clay has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. It is very effective in absorbing toxins from the body and at the same time, it is an excellent source of silica and other minerals, as well as some flavonoids such as quercetin.

When I was living in a small village in the Polish mountains sometimes people from other villages asked my collegue and me to help them with their health problems. And I remember a certain lady who developed a horrible pain in one of her legs. Her husband took her to a doctor who prescribed a medication for her but the drug didn’t work and the pain was even stronger. So they came back to the doctor hoping he would prescribe another medication. Unfortunately, the physician had no idea how to help her and said he couldn’t do anything else. Fortunately, after returning home someone in the village told them about us and they immediately sent a messenger to ask us to visit her. When we arrived she told us she was suffering a horrible pain in one of her legs. The whole leg was swollen and the pain was so severe that she couldn’t walk nor sleep for three days and nights.

After seeing her leg and knowing the symptoms we realised it was an acute inflammation of the veins (phlebitis) due to poor refined diet, which was high in sugar, pork, animal fat, dairy, white flour products and low in raw vegetables, fresh fruits, and other unrefined plant foods.

Since they were farmers and lived in a village, in the garden they had plenty of very potent fresh organic herbs. So we picked some horsetail herb which is the highest source of the mineral silica. When the horsetail herb is dry and when you shake it you can actually hear a kind of faint rustling sound. That’s because it is very high in silica which is extremely important for blood vesicles as it strengthens them, increases their flexibility, and has anti-inflammatory properties. But because horsetail contains a chemical which is called an anti-vitamin B1 factor it is important to take it with vitamin B1. So we told her husband to buy nutritional yeast tablets which were high in this vitamin.

Find out more about Horsetail and how to use it >

Apart from that, also in their big rich garden full of potent remedies, we dug out a very good quality green clay which is also very high in silica. W boiled it in a big pot with water for about 30 minutes and when it was warm we put a thick clay compress on the entire sick leg and wrapped it with a cling film and left the compress for 2 hours. And the whole procedure was repeated twice a day.

At the same time we prayed with them asking for God’s blessing and encouraged them to pray and read the Bible every day. We also explained them what was the cause of the problem and encouraged to improve their diet. As a result of the treatment the very next day, she was better. In a few days the inflammation was gone and in about two weeks she was completely healthy, free from pain and was able to walk and work again. They both were so thankful that they wanted to me to marry their daughter :-). But in spite of the fact that she was really a very beautiful girl, I was too shy at that time to get involved, and apart from that, I already received a visa to America (which was extremely hard to get at that time as Poland was under communism). So I was very excited about going to America – the land of milk and money :-).

It can cause pain and swelling in the leg and may lead to complications such as pulmonary embolism (when a piece of the blood clot breaks off into the bloodstream and blocks one of the blood vessels in the lungs).

– Take formulas with Silica and Bioflavonoids.

– Wholistic Gotu cola is a concentration of the finest parts of whole Gotu kola leaves gathered from fertile organic soils. This formula enhances healthy circulation, creating vibrant skin, improving wound healing as well as strengthening connective and nervous tissue. Recommended for skin inflammation, slow-healing wounds, scars, cellulitis, cellulite, ulcers, connective tissue inflammation, phlebitis, varicose issues, deep vein thrombosis prevention, arthritic pain, hyperactive nervous conditions and degenerative brain conditions.

Gotu Kola is a stimulant to the circulation with a particular focus on healthy skin. Constituents such as triterpenoid saponins encourage collagen production, collagen synthesis and effective connective tissue repair. Gotu Kola also has a relaxing effect upon the central nervous system; increasing gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), providing relief from hyper anxious states, lowering corticosterone levels, enhancing memory and protecting the brain from degeneration. Gotu Kola is packed with saponins which act as cleansing and softening agents for the skin. Oligosaccharides act as moisturisers and phytosterols are protective agents. The calming effect of Gotu Kola has made it a popular remedy in inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and acne associated with stress. Ingredients: Gotu Kola leaf wholistic extract 70%, Gotu Kola leaf 25%, Nutrigest Seagreens Arctic fresh seaweed, Ginger root, Spirulina, Vegetable cellulose capsule (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose).

– Manuka honey – One of our customers used good quality Manuka honey bought from us and said it reduced the size of his veins.

– Take Rutin (vitamin P) – the most important vitamin for vain health.

– Avoid any constipating foods such as all refined products, sugar, white flour products, white rice, desserts, and eliminate or at least reduce meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy, as they contain no fibre. Find out how to treat CONSTIPATION >

– Avoid prolonged standing.

– Avoid: margarine, mayonnaise, fried foods, cooking oils and fats, salad oils, peanut butter and all nut butters with added oils and fats. Studies have indicated that the more free fats people consume, the greater their likelihood of having an increased risk of inflammation (including phlebitis) and blood clotting.

– Consume foods high in antioxidants as they reduce inflammation and blood clotting by the effect they have on platelets. Antioxidants are found especially in fresh fruits and raw vegetables.

– Take antioxidants in supplements: Alpha-lipoic acid, NAC, vitamin E, C, etc.

– Ajoene, a compound released from Allicin when garlic is crushed or chopped prevents blood clotting.

– Other herbal remedies helpful in coping with blood clotting: Angelica, anise, fenugreek, ginkgo, ginseng, motherwort, myrrh, and turmeric.

– Learn to control stress.

– Include uncooked carrots, green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, cauliflowers and other vegetables in your diet as they are low in calories, but high in fibre and essential nutrients. In this way your body will stop craving for more food in between meals as it will have enough nutrients. Raw cabbage reduces the conversion of sugar and other carbohydrates into fat.

– Never fry your foods but cook or bake them without oil.

– Every day include in your diet the 5 CRITICAL and MOST POWERFUL SUPERFOODS:

1. Fresh raw sprouts;
2. Freshwater algae (chlorella, spirulina);
3. Super grasses (barley grass, alfalfa, wheatgrass);
4. Fresh cold-pressed vegetable juices;
5. Fresh raw organic turmeric powder (Pukka) or wholistic turmeric capsules (Pukka) with 10 x better bioavailability than powder.

– Almost every person in England is deficient in vitamin D which has anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin D is important for the human nervous system and it also assists in the prevention of osteoporosis brought on by the menopause. Vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures. While taking vitamin D3 supplements always remember to take also well absorbed magnesium (such as citrate) as vitamin D supplements lead to magnesium deficiency over time. If you can’t afford higher doses take at least 4,000 IU of vitamin D3 a day with a meal. But since deficiency of this vitamin is so widespread (especially in the UK) it would be better to take 10,000 to 30,000 or even 50,000 IU a day with meals with appropriate doses of magnesium (50,000 IU shouldn’t be taken longer than 2 months). Another requirement for proper absorption of vitamin D is 200 mcg of Vitamin K2 MK-7 (Derived from Natural Natto) a day. Read more about Vitamin D >

– Dr Fuhrman in “Fasting and Eating for Health”, wrote that, “Fasting thins the blood and prevents blood clots, or thrombi. Platelets do not clot as easily during fasting, and the ability of the red blood cells to clump together is diminished. Therefore, the fast quickly lowers an individual’s risk of a heart attack… The potential of a total fast (water only) to induce biochemical changes within the body that prevent the formation of a thrombus has been well documented. (Muliar LA, Mishchenko VP, Loban GA, Goncharenko LL, Bobyrev VN. Effect of complete fasting on the coagulative and antioxidative properties of blood. Voprosy Pitaniya 1984;4:20–23.) In one such study, a fast was undertaken by 22 normal volunteers. The ability of their blood to clot and form a thrombus under fasting conditions was extensively analysed. Fasting was discovered to lead to the reduction of blood plasma and red cell coagulation, deterioration of platelet aggregation, a rise of the oxidized hemoglobin content, and an increase in red cell resistance to peroxide hemolysis. In short, fasting lowers the risk of intravascular coagulation and thrombus formation… Other studies have shown that after 36 hours of fasting there is a significant increase in the fibrinolytic activity of the blood. Fibrinolysis is the breakdown of clots. This activity continues for 24 hours after the fast is terminated (Miettinen M. Effect of fasting on fibrinolysis and blood coagulation. Amer J Cardiol 1962;10:532–534. Menon IS. Fasting and non-fasting fibrinolytic activity. Lab Prac 1967;16:469–470.”

Apart from fasting, Dr Fuhrman suggests a vegan or vegetarian diet high in nutrient with minimal or no processed foods. Foods that are preferable in this nutritional approach include raw green leafy vegetables; asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, zucchini, and peppers; non-green, non-starchy vegetables like eggplant, mushrooms, onions, and tomatoes; beans and legumes. It also includes the lower nutrient-dense whole grains barley, buckwheat, oats, brown and wild rice, and quinoa, as well as raw nuts and seeds. Absent from Dr Fuhrman’s program are dairy products, bad oils, and meat products (except small quantities of fish).

SOURCES

http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/surprising-risks-deep-vein-thrombosis/

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