Despite the fact that some blood clots are helpful and can stop excessive bleeding, others can seriously harm your health. Leg, lung, and brain blood clots frequently need medical care.
Knowing the signs of blood clots and when to seek medical attention requires knowledge of these symptoms. You might even be able to stop them from happening at all!
Continue reading to learn how to avoid blood clots if you are concerned about them.
What exactly are blood clots?
These are gel-like blood collections which develop within your veins or arteries as blood shifts from fluid to partially solid.
Clotting is natural and useful sometimes when you have an injury with bleeding occurs. Blood clots help here to plug the veins and stop the bleeding. After serving its purpose, the clot will dissolve on its own.
However, there are some situations where blood clot occurs for no reason and even does not dissolve on their own. This can be harmful. Medication and surgery are both options for treatment.
Do you have a blood clot of any kind? Sometimes it is safer to be cautious than sorry. Don’t put off finding out whether you have a healthy or bad vein. See a vein specialist and get a blood test for bacterial infection for further examination.
Clots are classified into two types:
1. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT):
Blood clots can form indefinitely. That is, they do not move. They can, however, obstruct blood flow. While DVT can occur without any symptoms, it is common for patients to suffer pain, swelling, discomfort, and skin redness.
2. Pulmonary embolism (PE):
Clots of blood can also move. Doctors refer to these as embolisms. They are harmful because they can spread to other places in the body.
In some circumstances, the clot may also have developed in one location, whereas in others, it could break off and travel elsewhere in your bloodstream for say lungs. This will be a life-threatening situation.
Blood Clot Risks and Dangers
While blood clots can affect anyone at any age, the following individuals are at risk of acquiring them:
- Individuals with a blood clot history
- Women who are pregnant
- Cancer patients and those undergoing cancer treatment
- Everybody who has lately been in the hospital or has had surgery
This all situations are very critical and can cause a bacterial infection in the blood which is also one of the major reason of blood clot. So, a person has to be very cautious and get bacterial infection testing to be on the safer side.
Blood Clot Symptoms
- Experiencing Swelling
- Skin Redness
- Pain
- Experiencing Chest pain
- Having pain while breathing
- Breathing difficulties
- Heart rate has increased.
- Change in vision
- Face, arm, or leg numbness or weakness
- Having difficulty speaking
- Feeling lightheaded
Natural ways to prevent blood clots
Having understood what blood clots are, their risk factors, and their signs, we now proceed to look at ways to prevent the clots naturally.
The greatest method to avoid clots is to eat well and exercise which keeps your veins from being clogged with blood. These consist of;
Regularly working out
Physical exercise can lower your risk for obesity, diabetes, and blood clots in addition to other health issues. One of the finest ways to enhance the health of the circulatory system is through exercise. The best strategy to maintain healthy circulation is to simply walk for at least half an hour daily.
Losing Weight
People who are obese are more likely to develop blood clots. This is because carrying more weight puts more pressure on the veins. Some of that burden on your veins can be reduced by decreasing weight and weight maintenance. This lowers your chance of blood clots as well.
Drinking water
Numerous health benefits call on you to stay hydrated. Dehydration can cause blood to become thicker, which increases the risk of blood clots.
Remain active
If you spend more time sitting down, try to get up and move about every 30 minutes to promote blood flow. A prolonged period of inactivity causes blood to pool, which raises the risk of blood clots.
Raising your feet while sleeping
The importance of sleep to your health and wellbeing. Since the average person sleeps 7 – 8 hours every night, they are sedentary, which increases the risk of blood clot formation. To avoid this, maintain blood circulation by elevating your legs when you sleep.
Be cautious while traveling
When you have to travel for more than 4 hours, It is good to have breaks, stand out and move around. Stretching is also helpful to avoid blood clots. It is advisable to consult a vein specialist before major travel if you are at a particularly high risk of these clots.
Pregnant woman – keep walking
Due to the hormonal changes that pregnancy causes, there is a risk of blood clots. To lower this risk, a pregnant woman has to practice walking for 30 – 40 mins during the pregnancy.
Look out for clues
Watch out for the blood clot symptoms described above. As soon as you see a problem, you should get in touch with a vein specialist.
Our Private GP London clinic can provide different blood tests for identifying reasons and prevention as well as cures for blood clots. What are you waiting for, book a same-day appointment online.