Phlebitis is a word I haven’t heard in almost forty years. As a child whenever I would question why my grandmother’s ankles looked so different that was the word they used, phlebitis. For some reason giving the ugly shriveled red skin a name was supposed to explain everything. What it did was tell me that was a subject they were not comfortable talking about. After a while I put my youthful curiosity on the shelf and quit trying to ask questions about it. That was probably the last time I heard the word spoken. Now I don’t know if that was what was really wrong with my grandmother’s ankles or not. Since they never told me more about the problem I have no way of knowing if they were telling me the truth, or just what someone else was telling them. When I came across the word in one of my books I decided it was worth investigating.
It turns out that phlebitis is an inflammation of the vein. Because the body tends to want to heal inflammation it will throw everything it has at it. Some of the things it throws are platelets and fibrin. The platelets are the part of the blood that helps it clot. Fibrin is a substance in the blood that our body makes when under stress. Used correctly it thickens the blood and helps it to clot, so we don’t bleed to death from a hangnail. If you have too much fibrin in your blood you will have high blood pressure, and blood clots. The scariest part of phlebitis is that blood clots can form in the veins to take care of that area of inflammation. That in itself isn’t bad, but the blood clot can break off and travel through the body. If it ends up in the lungs, or the veins in the heart or brain it can cause serious problems. If you have painful swelling in a leg that won’t go away with elevation and rest please go see your doctor. Emergency measures need to be taken, and then come back and see what you can do on your own to prevent further attacks.
Guess what doctors are recommending to prevent phlebitis? Enzymes! As usual they are only focusing on one at a time, but at least they are looking to nature instead of chemicals. The one that Dr. Decker Weiss, a naturopathic doctor at the Arizona Hear Institute in Phoenix studied was Bromelain. He found that Bromelain helps prevent platelets from sticking together, and sticking to the sides of blood vessels. He also found that it helps to break down fibrin. If you have been reading my articles for very long you know that is exactly what Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes do. Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes contain Bromelain along with eight other plant enzymes that work in similar ways. Together they are much more powerful than any of them are on their own. In addition Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes contains ionic minerals, which have been proven to activate the enzymes. Many enzyme formulas on the market depend on the minerals in your body to activate them. Unfortunately more and more people are mineral deficient, because our soils are becoming mineral deficient. That is why Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes takes the guesswork out, and puts the minerals in. You get everything you need to put the enzymes to work where they are needed.
Our normal recommendations for Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes are to start slowly and work your way up to three at each meal and three at bedtime. If you have phlebitis you will want to modify that slightly and take some of your capsules between meals. Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes work first in your digestive tract. If there are any left over after that process they move into the blood stream. If you want them to go first into the blood stream the simple trick is to take them on an empty stomach.
Another thing the doctors are recommending for prevention of phlebitis is vitamins. Enriching Gifts Complete Vitamins Plus contains the folic acid, vitamin B12 and vitamins B6 they recommend. Enriching Gifts Complete Vitamins Plus also contains vitamins C and E. Part of why they recommend C and E is to feed the heart. We have a product called Enriching Gifts Heart Algae that does a great job in feeding the heart and blood vessels. The anti-oxidants in Enriching Gifts Heart Algae are more focused on the heart than C and E.
If you are one of the rare people that don’t feel like there is enough B12 in the Enriching Gifts Complete Vitamins Plus, or if for some reason you can’t take Enriching Gifts Complete Vitamins Plus we also carry B12 Strips. These are great for the person on the go that wants a natural pick me up. Unlike a pill they don’t go through the digestive tract, they dissolve directly on your tongue. This means you absorb more of the vitamin. It also means you don’t have to have water with you, though it is recommended to swish your mouth with water after the strip has dissolved on your tongue. These would be great for those that needs some energy, but don’t have access to a bathroom for extended periods of time.
As usual I am not telling you to ignore your health. On the contrary I am telling you to take charge of your health. Go; see your doctor when you need to! Between visits take steps to take care of yourself, instead of waiting for others to do it for you.
Sources:
Nature’s Medicines by Gale Maleskey and the Editors of Prevention Health Books, copyright 1999 by Rodale Inc.
Blended Medicine Combining Mainstream and Alternative Therapies by Michael Castleman copyrighted 2000 by Michael Castleman.
