By David Blyweiss, M.D., Advanced Natural Wellness

March 28, 2022

With so many streaming services at our fingertips, it’s easy to get trapped into a binge-watching marathon. And that’s risky business.

When people spend hours at a time sitting still, they are just asking for trouble. I even tell people that “sitting is the new smoking,” because the health effects are similar.

Blood flow slows down and your blood becomes more viscous. This puts you at greater risk of developing blood clots. Because blood tends to pool in your legs and feet, that’s where you’re going to get the clots.

I compare it to “economy-class syndrome.” That’s what we call clotting problems that occur in airline passengers after several hours of flight.

The problem is that a clot can break loose and travel to your heart, lungs or brain where it can get stuck and block blood flow.

You might think that as long as you’re active when you aren’t sitting around, that you’ll offset the risk. But even people who regularly engage moderate to vigorous physical activity face an increased risk of a clot. It simply doesn’t offset the damage caused by long periods of sitting.

And these days, COVID just adds to the problem.

Blood Clots in the World of COVID

Immobility, in and of itself, is a risk factor for blood clots. When you add COVID into the equation, it makes things so much worse.

When you’re sick with COVID, or if you have Long COVID, you probably aren’t moving very much. At the same time, inflammation is ravaging your body, raising your body’s clotting factors and damaging the inner endothelial lining of your blood vessels.

If you really want to knock out blood clots, you’ll want to take a natural enzyme.

Nattokinase, lumbrokinase and serrapeptase are three great options. All of them work act as anticoagulants. They breakdown the fibrin networks in blood clots, which helps thin the blood, improve circulation and prevent clots.

You also want to supplement with fish oil and curcumin.

Fish oil is a natural anticoagulant that has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It also stimulates the production of nitric oxide, which helps protect your endothelial linings. Look for a quality fish oil/omega-3 supplement and remember to take it every day.

Curcumin also helps thin the blood. And it’s one of the most impressive anti-inflammatories found in nature. Taken alone, it isn’t readily absorbed by the body. But if you combine it with black pepper, it increases absorption dramatically.

So look for a curcumin supplement that also includes bioperine, a black pepper extract that substantially increases its bioavailability. The formula should also be standardized to 90 to 95 percent total curcuminoids.

What are the Symptoms of a Blood Clot?

Symptoms of a blood clot might not be apparent. And when they do occur, they can easily be mistaken for something else.

Some of the most common symptoms include swelling, discoloration in the area, warm skin, tenderness and fluid build-up in the affected limb.

If a clot reaches the lungs, heart or brain, it could result in a pulmonary embolism, heart attack or stroke. If you experience facial drooping, difficulty speaking, weakness in one arm or leg, sudden shortness of breath or chest pain that extends to the neck, arms, jaw or back, call 911 immediately.

In the meantime, prevention is always your best strategy.

Stay active! If you feel link binge-watching TV, get up and walk around every twenty to thirty minutes. Eat a healthy plant-based diet. Stay hydrated. Take your antifibrinolytic enzyme (nattokinase, lumbrokinase or serrapeptase). And don’t forget your fish oil and curcumin.

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