Sharon a victim of modern medicine??

[HysteryDiagnosis]

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000761.htm

In addition, brain hemorrhage can occur when people have problems forming blood clots. Clots, which are the body's way of stopping any bleeding, are formed by proteins called coagulation factors and by sticky blood cells called platelets. Whenever the coagulation factors or platelets do not work well or are insufficient in quantity, people may develop a tendency to bleed excessively.

Some medications (often used, ironically, to prevent ischemic stroke) prevent clot formation. These work by blocking the production of clotting factors (such as the blood thinner warfarin) or interfering with the function of platelets (such as aspirin). The most common side effects of such medications is bleeding, which may occasionally affect the brain. Controlling bleeding to avoid stroke is a very fine balancing act.



1: Phytother Res. 2001 May;15(3):219-23. Related Articles, Links


Treatment of vascular retinopathies with Pycnogenol.

Spadea L, Balestrazzi E.

Dipartimento di Discipline Chirurgiche, Cattedra di Clinica Oculistica, Facolta di Medicina e Chirurgia, Via Vetoio, Coppito 2, L'Aquila, Italy.

The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of Pycnogenol on the progression of diabetic retinopathy and other vascular retinal disorders. The study consisted of a double-blind phase in which 20 patients were recruited and randomly treated with placebo or Pycnogenol (50 mg x 3/day for 2 months) and an open phase in which another 20 patients were treated with Pycnogenol at the same dose schedule. In total, 40 patients with diabetes, atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases involving the retina were enrolled; 30 of them were treated with Pycnogenol and 10 with placebo. The results demonstrated a beneficial effect of Pycnogenol on the progression of retinopathy. Without any treatment (placebo) the retinopathy progressively worsened during the trial and the visual acuity significantly decreased; on the contrary, the Pycnogenol-treated patients showed no deterioration of retinal function and a significant recovery of visual acuity was also obtained. The fluorangiography showed an improvement of retinal vascularization and a reduced endothelial permeability and leakage in the Pycnogenol, but not in the placebo-treated, patients. The ophthalmoscopy and the electroretinogram (ERG) also confirmed the beneficial effects of Pycnogenol. The mechanism of action of Pycnogenol may be related to its free radical (FR) scavenging, anti-inflammatory and capillary protective activities. It has been suggested that Pycnogenol may bind to the blood vessel wall proteins and mucopolysaccharides and produce a capillary 'sealing' effect, leading to a reduced capillary permeability and oedema formation. Copyright 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 11351356