Case Study: Reversing the Formation of a Blood Clot

Reversing the Formation of a Blood Clot

A 54 year old male patient (hereafter called “Jack” to ensure confidentiality) was recently diagnosed with a large deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his entire left leg. Jack engaged in daily physical activity, taking his dog on trail walks, visiting the gym weekly, and keeping active throughout the day. Jack ate out almost every day and consumed a moderate amount of alcohol, averaging about 3 drinks a week. 

Health Concerns 

Jack was diagnosed with a DVT by ultrasound. At first believing that he had pulled a calf muscle, he became concerned when the pain moved into his left groin and began impeding his movement.  Jack approached Dr. Bhandari to discuss his genetic propensity for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and how to dissolve his current clot. Both sets of grandparents had suffered from strokes, and his father had also developed recurrent blood clots.  

What Advanced Health Uncovered

Jack was a high-risk case since his left leg DVT was so large that it could easily break off, travel to the lungs, heart, and brain and cause a pulmonary embolism, stroke, or heart attack at any moment. For this reason, Jack was prescribed the blood thinner Eliquis 10mg twice a day, for 7 days, then reduce to 5 mg twice a day until the clot began to dissolve. This treatment course was expected to take a minimum of six months.

The onset of Jack’s symptoms coincided with a gradual increase in his beer and meat consumption during the summer of 2018. During the preceding spring, Jack had been mostly vegan and alcohol-free. From this, Dr. Bhandari  inferred that high systemic and cellular toxin accumulation developed from the sudden change in his diet, likely resulting from poor digestion, high toxin exposure, and the blood becoming too acidic.

Lab tests and low blood pressure (80/60) revealed Jack was chronically severely dehydrated causing viscous blood flow.  His high LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and a low HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels were reflective of poor liver function + intolerance to too much saturated fat from animal protein. Additionally, his cardiac C-reactive protein, a heart inflammation marker was very high—more than ten times the normal maximum of 1.0 mg/L!

In summation, Jack’s chronic dehydration, excess cholesterol panel from saturated fats, liver congestion, and extremely high-level heart inflammation caused his large DVT throughout one leg. The lab results did not indicate a genetic predisposition to unusual clotting. Furthermore, Jack’s DVT was mostly tied to environmental factors, including arsenic poisoning 10 times above the normal limit, dehydration, long-standing liver and kidney congestion from alcohol and other pesticide and heavy metal exposures. 

Steps Taken by Advanced Health

Jack was advised to increase warm water intake to over 4 to 6 liters per day, and consumed at specific intervals of the day while engaging in no other activities. He was to accelerate hydration by starting  Integrative Therapeutics Physicians' Elemental Powder Dextrose Free and Glutamine Forte dissolved in warm water and mixed with a pinch of salt, baking soda, and one to one-half teaspoons of the spice turmeric in between meals. The number one goal at this stage of the treatment process was to increase blood hydration in an alkaline environment.

Jack needed to invest in caloric restriction at each meal followed by intermittent fasting for sufficient repair to occur.  In practice, this meant that his last meal would be no later than 5 PM and his next meal would be between 7 and 9 AM the next morning. This schedule allowed for 14 to 16 hours of fasting overnight. While Jack regularly consumed fresh green vegetable juices, Dr. Bhandari altered the ingredients to omit fruits, nuts,  beans, and grains, and added lemon and avocado oil to his recipe. Jack was encouraged to cut down to 2 to 3 small meals per day.

Jack eliminated alcohol, animal proteins, bread, wheat, fruits, sugar, soy, corn, and processed ready-made food since they were all contributing to his vascular inflammation. To decrease pesticide exposure, she also advised Jack to forego take-out meals in favor of home-cooked, organic plant-based meals where groceries were purchased at local farmer’s markets. 

The Results

After six weeks, Jack’s cardiac C-reactive protein levels dropped from an exceedingly high 37.5  mg to normal level of 0.9 mg. His blood arsenic level became undetectable.

Jack is now able to do more strenuous activity without any discomfort. He can stand for longer periods without noticing any pressure in his leg. When pressure in his left thigh does increase, Jack will elevate the leg above the level of his heart and the discomfort usually resolves itself within 10 minutes. Jack’s walking speed has also remarkably improved, and he no longer needs to take pain medication.

Through repeat leg ultrasounds every month, Dr. Bhandari continues to see consistent improvement in the clot. Jack’s increased hydration, plant-based diet, supplements, and Eliquis together have helped the clot dissolve, and improve blood flow to the affected leg.

For more aggressive blood circulation, Jack was advised to increase his hydration levels, increasing use of Integrative Therapeutics Physicians' Elemental Powder Dextrose Free and Glutamine Forte powder and fresh green juice.  He would coincidentally eat less, and focus more on green vegetables rich in water and oxygen while consuming less grains and beans.

In summation, avoiding animal protein and alcohol, consuming fewer calories, and drinking more water has had a dramatic improvement on Jack’s liver function. His cholesterol panel is normalizing, and he is definitely moving in the right direction. Dr. Bhandari is still optimizing treatment strategies with Jack with minor modifications, such as the addition of magnesium powder and KPAX Mitonutrients, to reverse his cardiovascular and cancer risk permanently.

AUTHOR

Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. is one of U.S.'s top leading integrative functional medical physicians and the founder of SF Advanced Health. She combines the best in Eastern and Western Medicine to understand the root causes of diseases and provide patients with personalized treatment plans that quickly deliver effective results. Dr. Bhandari specializes in cell function to understand how the whole body works. Dr. Bhandari received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 1997 and Doctor of Medicine degree in 2001 from West Virginia University. She the completed her Family Medicine residency in 2004 from the University of Massachusetts and joined a family medicine practice in 2005 which was eventually nationally recognized as San Francisco’s 1st patient-centered medical home. To learn more, go to www.sfadvancedhealth.com.