Keep Your Blood Thin To Live Longer

Your circulation is the life blood to every cell in your body and yet many of us never give it a second thought- we take it for granted.

I am a firm believer in keeping your blood thin, as this improves your circulation to all your body organs. With thinner blood and improved circulation you will have less risk of vascular accidents (such as clots and hemorrhages) affecting your brain, eyes, heart, intestines and limbs. Your endocrine glands will function better as well, thus producing more youthful amounts of hormones. You will have less chance of dementia and other neuro-degenerative disorders.

People with thick sticky blood have a much higher risk of strokes, heart attacks and high blood pressure. These problems may happen when you are still relatively young, in your forties and fifties. This is a well-known fact and has led to the widespread use of daily aspirin to thin the blood. However, recently this practice has been called into question by the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA 2012; 307:2286-94.

This extensive study of over 370,000 patients found that those people taking low-dose daily aspirin were 55% more likely to have serious brain or intestinal bleeding (hemorrhages). This was 5 times the risk of bleeding caused by aspirin that was previously estimated. Even more alarming, people aged under 50 were at the highest risk. Thus the benefits of aspirin in keeping your blood thin need to be weighed against the risks of aspirin causing undesirable bleeding.

How can you keep your blood thin naturally?

• Take a fish oil supplement and eat oily fish regularly (trout, salmon, herrings, sardines and mackerel). Wild fish is always much higher in beneficial omega 3 fats than farmed fish.
• Eat garlic, onion, leek, shallots and spring onion regularly. This entire family of vegetables contains beneficial antioxidants that reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
• Take a vitamin C supplement and consume foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits, capsicums (peppers), kiwi fruits and berries. Vitamin C doesn’t get anywhere near the attention it deserves. It’s important for much more than preventing the common cold. You need vitamin C for strong collagen and elastin. That can keep you looking good, but it also strengthens your arteries and reduces your risk of high blood pressure and strokes.
• Try some spicy food – like curries (which contain turmeric), chilli, pepper, cayenne and ginger – they are natural blood thinners.
• Serrapeptase is an enzyme that helps to thin the blood. It has an anti-inflammatory effect in the body and also helps to reduce pain. Serrapeptase cleans up areas of congestion, inflammation, swelling and scar tissue in your body. It helps to improve blood flow through your arteries.
• Keep your liver healthy because it will keep your triglyceride levels lower; this is vital for healthy non-sticky blood.
• Avoid eating too much sugar, as it makes your blood sticky and viscous. Diabetics have the highest risk of strokes and heart disease.
• Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily – you can substitute herbal teas for water.
• Try to throw in some regular exercise and you will keep your blood naturally thinner and add many good quality years to your life!

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.