Yet again, conventional medicine is proving me correct. I’ve warned you about the dangers of the blood thinner warfarin, commonly known as coumadin. I’ve sharply questioned it is safety.
Now there is some concrete proof for you right from the New England Journal of Medicine. The authors were comparing the safety and effectiveness of warfarin vs. aspirin in preventing strokes.
The target population was those with arteriosclerosis of brain blood vessels, a high-risk group for ischemic stroke (lack of blood supply). The researchers, in particular, were looking for ischemic stroke, brain hemorrhage, or death from vascular causes other than stroke.
After 569 patients were enrolled in a study, it was cut short. Why? Because, over the 1.8 year average follow-up time, those in the warfarin group suffered a death rate of 9.7% vs. less than half that (4.3%) in the aspirin group. The rate of death from vascular causes was 3.2% in the aspirin group and 5.9% in the warfarin group. Heart attacks occurred at twice the rate in the warfarin group compared to the aspirin group.
Ill repeat those figures. 9.7% of the warfarin group was dead in just 18 months. You do not have to be a medical doctor to understand those figures. Even the authors noted a significantly higher risk with warfarin than aspirin.
Action to take: The next time your doctor recommends warfarin, bring him this study. There are safer and more effective alternatives you have read about here, including nattokinase, omega-3 oils, ginkgo, vitamin E, garlic, and, yes, even aspirin. (You will see in the next Health Note why I still do not recommend it. But if you feel you must take a drug, it is better than coumadin.)
Ref: The New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 352:1305-1316, No. 13, March 31, 2005.