The Medicinal Herb Info site was created to help educate visitors about the often forgotten wisdom of the old ways of treating illnesses. Many of today's drugs and medicines were originally derived from natural ingredients, combinations of plants and other items found in nature.

We are not suggesting that you ignore the help of trained medical professionals, simply that you have additional options available for treating illnesses. Often the most effective treatment involves a responsible blend of both modern and traditional treatments.

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Thrombosis / Phlebitis / Embolism

Definition

Phlebitis: the inflammation of a vein. Cause unknown. May occur in acute or chronic infections or following operations or childbirth.

Embolism: the obstruction of a blood vessel by foreign substances or a blood clot. Diagnosis depends upon predisposing factors. Embolism usually due to blood clots.

Thrombosis: the formation, development, or existence of a blood clot or thrombus within the vascular system. This is a life-saving process when it occurs during hemorrhage. It is a life-threatening event when it occurs at any other time because the clot can occlude a vessel and stop the blood supply to an organ or a part. The thrombus, if detached, becomes an embolus and occludes a vessel at a distance from the original site; for example a clot in the leg may break off and cause a pulmonary (lung) embolus. Consult the doctor immediately.
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Causes

Thrombosis: Trauma, esp. following an operation, childbirth, cardiac and vascular disorders, obesity, heredity, increasing age, an excess of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and of platelets, an overproduction of fibrinogen, and sepsis (bacteria or other harmful organisms in the blood stream) are predisposing causes.
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Symptoms

Phlebitis: Pain and tenderness along the course of the vein; discoloration of the skin; inflammatory swelling and acute edema below obstruction, rapid pulse, mild elevation of temperature. A doctor should be consulted immediately.

Thrombosis:

  • Lungs: Obstruction of smaller vessels in the lungs causes an infarct manifested by sudden pain in the side of the chest, similar to pleurisy; also the spitting of blood, a pleural friction rub; and signs of consolidation.
  • Kidneys: Blood appears in the urine and small hemorrhagic spots in the skin.
  • Spleen: Pain is felt in the left upper abdomen
  • Extremities: If a large artery in one of the extremities, such as the brachial, is suddenly obstructed, the part becomes cold, pale, bluish, and the pulse disappears below the obstructed site. Gangrene of the digits (toes or fingers) or of the whole limb may ensue.

If any or all of the above symptoms appear, see the doctor immediately.
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Herbs

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Recommendations

If the limb is swollen, watch for pressure sores. Guard against burning with hot water bottle or electric pad. Prolonged bedrest may be necessary depending on the condition of the patient.
Anticoagulant therapy is necessary. When a thrombus or embolus is large, surgical removal may be necessary.

Oral contraceptives should be discontinued until all symptoms are gone. Consult the doctor as to when to resume oral contraceptives.
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Bibliography

Buy It! Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke., Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000

Buy It! The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, by Dr. H.C.A. Vogel; Keats Publishing, Inc., 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. Vogel, Teufen (AR) Switzerland 1952, 1991

Buy It! Earl Mindell’s Herb Bible, by Earl Mindell, R.Ph., Ph.D., Simon & Schuster/Fireside, Rockefeller Center 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10020

Buy It! Planetary Herbology, by Michael Tierra, C.A., N.D., O.M.D., Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. WI 53181., Copyright 1988, published 1992

Buy It! The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine, by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988.

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