AHA 2016 - AF, dementia and warfarin, data from 6000 patients

Utah Intermountain study - This data set comprised of 6000 patients taking warfarin for AF and other issues. They compared how the patients with AF did versus non-AF patients. This really speaks to the importance of rhythm control to minimize the risk of dementia.

[www.dicardiology.com]

Or does this speak to the importance of using other blood thinners besides warfarin?

Is there another blood thinner that works - and doesn't have wretched side effects? I keep seeing those tv ads for class action suits against Pradaxa for instance.

Nancy

The issue of hyperviscosity or the tendency for "thick, sticky blood" comes to mind when I read this. Blood that is thick and sticky will always tend to clot more easily for obvious reasons. There are many natural methods to help thin the blood and the first consideration is always, underlying systemic inflammation or 'silent inflammation'... that which goes unnoticed (unlike inflammation from an injury or infection).

There have been many posts on the topic of thick, sticky blood, inflammation, causes and the consequences of same..and in the past 4 - 5 years, in functional medicine and life extension medicine, the focus is about testing by using the markers of inflammation and that for hyperviscosity and other factors including elevated glucose. Use the advanced search feature box at the top of the page.

Many aids such as proteolytic and fibrinolytic enzymes help with hyperviscosity... ie, nattokinase, serrapeptase enzymes. Magnesium helps prevent the platelet aggregation (clumping) and Omega 3 essential fatty acids (fish oils) also make platelets slippery and reduce inflammation. There are many other similar natural remedies that work in this manner along with eating foods that do not cause inflammatory reactions for your unique biochemistry.

When we are required to use a prescription anticoagulant, we can still use smaller amounts of useful preventives that address the inflammatory factor and not have adverse reactions with the Rx OACs.

As for the focus on keeping the brain healthy to help circumvent developing dementia, the inflammation issue stands out as significantly important. One factor strongly emphasized is the importance of keeping the microbiome healthy by using specific probiotics known for those protective properties.

As we learned long ago from posts on "The Second Brain" (meaning the gut tissue), supporting the health of the microbiome is now fully in the spotlight for brain health and overall health as well. Brain-Health expert and Board-certified Neurologist, David Perlmutter, MD, FACN, speaks extensively on the importance of the human microbiome and has written new several books on the topic as it relates to brain health and conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and much more. He collaborated with Garden of Life to formulate a dynamic probiotic that contains specific cultures that promote brain health.

The brain health issue should be of critical importance to everyone, afibbers or not, and the sooner one starts to promote that health, the better one will age. There are many focuses. This brief post is only the "tip of the iceberg."

Jackie

Looks like the biggest advantage of the newer blood thinners is that diet (vitamin K) doesn't interfere with how well the blood thinning works so there is something to be gained. As far as uncontrollable bleeding (I am guessing that is what the lawsuits are about) is concerned. There are now antidotes available to bind the drugs so it is no longer an issue. People with kidney issues or artificial valves will have to stick with warfarin. My father in law has been on warfarin for a long time now and he has had occasional bleeding issues but it is more of an inconvenience than danger. He had to get off of warfarin for several weeks because of a Stanford ER screw up. His mental capacity clearly suffered as a result.