If you travel on a regular basis for business, you most likely have your own techniques when it comes to getting the best deals, packing the right clothes and getting through airport security quickly and easily. Still, there are some little-known tips and tricks that may come in handy when you travel for business, whether you’re traveling domestically or abroad. Here are five of the best little-known travel tips for business traveling.

1. Get up and move on long trips.

It’s commonly known as “Economy Class Syndrome”, but it happens to travelers in business and first class as well. Its technical name is deep vein thrombosis, a blood clot that develops in the legs and can travel to the lungs or the brain. Doctors believe that a combination of conditions contribute to the syndrome, including sitting in cramped conditions for 10 or more hours, low cabin pressure, low humidity and dehydration. You are especially at risk if you smoke, have high blood pressure, or have a history of cardiovascular problems.

Get up and walk up and down the aisle at least every two hours, and be sure to remain hydrated. Remember, coffee, tea and alcoholic beverages actually contribute to dehydration. Drink water and fruit juices instead. The best way to give you an extra advantage is to book an aisle seat with extra leg room.

2. Keep your eye on airline fees.

Save your company a bit of extra money by being aware of hidden airline fees. Shop around for the best rates and package deals if you need to rent a car or are traveling to multiple destinations. While boarding an airplane, keep your bags below 50 pounds.

3. Take full advantage of what your hotel offers.

When you are away from home you do not have your usual connections, your hotel can help you. Perhaps you need a printer at 2 am, or reservations for a business dinner at an appropriate restaurants. At home, you would know exactly where to go, but when you are traveling, you need answers from a reliable source. A business class hotel can provide these answers and more.

Most business travelers know whether their hotel offers high spend internet and wifi connections, but hotels that deal with business travelers often take those services to a far higher level. The front desk clerk or concierge will often go above and beyond to be sure that you have everything you need for your stay, from a replacing a cell phone charger to arranging pickup and delivery of important papers.

4. Make the most of layovers.

Your best case scenario may not include any layovers, but that’s not always possible. If you find yourself in a foreign airport with time to kill, make the most of it. Many airports around the world feature special lounges and amenities for frequent and business class flyers. You can take advantage of a hot shower, a massage or a nap; plug in to recharge your laptop and cell phone batteries; put your feet up in a massage recliner. Working out may not be an option, but a brisk walk between terminals can serve the same purpose – and get your blood flowing and your brain working again.

Not traveling business or first class? Many airports offer “pay per visit” access to the business/first class lounge that will still allow you access to all the amenities offered to business and first class travelers.

5. Pack smart for safety and comfort.

Spend as much time thinking about your safety as you do about packing the right tie or blouse. Keep a “go bag” ready to go with your current prescriptions, over the counter medications that you use frequently, your health insurance information and an abbreviated medical history. Pack your own amenities kit for the plane trip, too. Bring travel socks, eye shades, an inflatable pillow and mints, as well as travel size moisturizer, toothbrush, toothpaste and mouthwash.

Five Additional Quick Business Travel Tips:

1. If you travel to the same city frequently or for extended periods, look into corporate housing instead of hotel stays. The savings could add up in just a few trips.

2. When using a pay phone at the airport, avoid isolated or poorly lighted locations, and face outward while you’re on the phone.

3. Check to see if your credit card or personal insurance covers you while driving a rented car and save the expense of rental insurance.

4. Ask at airport check-in if there are exit row or bulkhead seats available. They’re usually the last ones assigned and there’s a good chance you’ll get a better seat without the cost of requesting a specific seat.

5. Be sure to keep a photocopy of your passport and ID back at the hotel. It will make things immensely easier in case of loss or theft.

Lawsuits versus the entire Oganon entities, makers of Nuva Ring, maintain that the company withheld information regarding its potential side effects like Nuva ring stroke. Injuries that involve blood clot leading to strokes are the cudgels that class suits pound against Nuva Ring. Since readers particularly the users of Nuva Ring have a vague idea of how a contraceptive can cause bodily injury, this article will attempt to provide detailed Nuvaring information about Nuva ring stroke.

Nuvaring information presents Nuva Ring as third generation contraceptive.  It carries a hormone called desogestrel which is a synthetic derivative of the second generation hormone progestin.  This renders Nuva Ring as a third generation contraceptive. Focus of the blood clotting causes is centered on the synthetic hormone.

Desogestrel is said to be resistant to anti-coagulant proteins thereby causing nuva ring stroke or blood clots to form. The occurrence of blood clot is most often referred to in lawsuits as the cause of death or scientifically known as “venous thromboembolism”.  For this matter, blood clots may also result to, but not limited to stroke, heart attack, deep vein thrombosis, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accidents, pulmonary embolism and death.

A medical doctor expressed opinion in an article confirming that third generation pills are indeed not suitable for all women. Use of this hormone as medication requires medical counseling not only about the risks involved but also about its benefits.  However, this same doctor emphasized that the resistance to anti-coagulation protein resulting to blood clots is true in all birth control contraceptives and not just on third generation contraceptives.

The FDA also issued a statement to this effect, wherein their course of action is to work out with the manufacturers to update the information contained in their product labels and pamphlets. FDA maintained that they do not recommend women to stop using products that contain desogestrel or to change their contraceptives. Instead, more emphasis should be given on the proper medical consultation that these women should get before making their choice of contraceptive. Considerations should be made about health, age, lifestyle and present conditions before deciding and self-administering a contraceptive third generation or otherwise.

In order to combat the real issue, there are a lot of Nuvaring information provided online.  Nuvaring provides information sheets regarding the use of their product. Users are enjoined to comprehend both benefits and possible side-effects.  Nuvaring information is contained in an FDA approved information pamphlet.  This contains a comprehensive description of Nuvaring and its hormonal component detailing how it works as a birth control pill and its possible risks and side-effects such as Nuva ring stroke.

As a summary, it was gathered that all birth control causes high risk blood clotting leading to stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure and other major ailments. FDA and other medical experts do not discourage the use of third generation contraceptives but instead instills proper medical consultation be fore deciding to use them.  For that matter, a would–be user of Nuva Ring should gather enough Nuvaring information to learn possible side effects such as Nuva ring stroke.

The fact is that the company manufacturing Nuvaring contraceptive knows that the third generation contraceptive, which contains a synthetic hormone called desogestrel, is not safe and does have side effects. All third-generation contraceptives and birth control products such as Nuvaring contain a warning label regarding the risk of blood clots and other side effects. The multinational manufacturing Nuva ring is well aware of the dangerous Nuvaring birth control side effects and has displayed this Nuva ring information on its packaging.

The very serious Nuvaring birth control side effects are becoming more public and as many women suffering from clots, ischemic strokes and PE, while using Nuvaring birth control, have come forward to complain and file lawsuits. Nuvaring birth control side effects such as blood clots and other the other life threatening side effects are forcing women to rethink and review their birth control options. Nuvaring contraceptive changes the hormone levels of women who use it for birth control. Many women who were unaware of this Nuva ring information, and had used Nuvaring and suffered Nuvaring side effects have switched to an IUD, which does not change the hormone levels. The reason many women are considering using an IUD is due of the risks involved with using third generation contraceptives that contain the hormone desogestrel. Many studies and research have shown that the risk of suffering a blood clot is 100% when using a third generation contraceptive compared to using a second generation contraceptive that contains hormones like norgestrel, levonorgestrel, norgestimate or norethindrone.

Blood clots and resulting blood vessel blockage is one of the many serious Nuvaring birth control side effects and the other third generation contraceptives, and could cause serious disability and/or death. A blood clot in the legs could cause thrombophlebitis and a blood clot traveling to the lungs could cause serious damage with a sudden blockage of the vessels, which carry blood to the lungs. In some cases, blood clots could occur in the blood vessels of eyes resulting in double vision or impaired vision, and even blindness.

Another, more dangerous Nuvaring birth control side effect is pulmonary embolism, also known as Nuvaring PE. Many women using Nuvaring contraceptive have reported this serious and dangerous side effect. A PE is a blockage of an artery in the lungs. Blockage is usually caused by a blood clot in the leg that breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream and to the lungs. Pulmonary embolism is a very serious and could cause permanent damage to the affected lung resulting in low oxygen levels in the blood, and damage to organs in the body from insufficient oxygen. If the blood clot is large, or if there are multiple blood clots, pulmonary embolism could even cause death. Deep vein thrombosis and ischemic strokes are the other side effects associated with Nuvaring. All this Nuva ring information about side effects is available on the Internet and any woman intending to use Nuva ring should be aware of the side effects.

The best way to describe hemorrhoids is to think of them as varicose veins but inside and outside of the rectum area and they occur due to the same reasons, strain; in the case of hemorrhoids strain during bowel movement such as in the case of diarrhea or constipation but also during pregnancy, anal intercourse or am existing medical condition.

Thrombosed hemorrhoids are those hemorrhoids that form a blood clot whether they are internal or external and here are some essential guidelines to recognizing and get a treatment as soon as possible in order to find relief and be healthy again.

Internal thromboses hemorrhoids cannot be seen or felt with ease unless they prolapsed and protrude towards the outside of the rectum but some visible symptoms are bright colored, fresh blood in the stool or toilet paper so, if you have been straining lately during bowel movement or have some doubts that you may have internal thrombosed hemorrhoids look out for those symptoms.

External thrombosed hemorrhoids can be seen, felt on touch and also experience the following: itching, burning and pain along with bleeding in the stool, on the toilet bowl and/or toilet paper.

Treatment For Thrombosed Hemorrhoids

After consulting your doctor to ensure that you have thrombosed hemorrhoids you will be offered the following choice of treatment: to drain the blood or to remove them by surgery depending on your case. For fast relief from itching, burning and pain try medicated wipes that can be bought over the counter in drug stores as well as creams and ointments for long lasting relief during the night or when at work.

Preparation H is a known over the counter hemorrhoids relief what can be found in the form of medicated wipes and creams to use as desired; wipes can also be found in individual sachets that can fit in a wallet, pocket and purse with ease.

Preventing hemorrhoids altogether is ideal and you can do so by ensuring you eat a balanced diet with enough fiber for your type of metabolism, weight, age and present state pf health that can only be decided by your doctor. Learning to understand and feel your body will also help greatly in recognizing symptoms when they appear, which are essential in order to start a treatment as soon as possible.

Hemorrhoids are fully treatable and not a fatal disease unless left untreated for long periods of time when diseases such as cancer can develop from it.

A precise definition of hemorrhoids does not live, but they can be describe as masses or clump (“cushions”) of tissue within the anal canal that hold blood vessels and the nearby, supporting tissue made up of muscle and stretchy fibers. The anal canal is the last four centimeters from side to side which stool passes as it goes from the rectum to the exterior world. The anus is the gap of the anal canal to the exterior world.

Although most public think hemorrhoids are abnormal, they are present in everyone. It is merely when the hemorrhoidal cushions make bigger that hemorrhoids can reason problems and be considered irregular or a disease.

Causes of Hemorrhoids

Hemorrhoids are linked with constipation and straining at bowel actions as healthy as pregnancy. It is thought that these situation lead to increased force in the hemorrhoid veins, thus cause them to puff up. Liver disease can also reason increased force in the veins and also cause hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids are extremely ordinary and have been expected to happen in up to half the population by age 50 years.

Symptoms of Hemorrhoids

Many anorectal evils, including fissures, fistulae, abscesses, or irritation and itching, also called pruritus ani, have parallel symptoms and are wrongly referred to as hemorrhoids.

Hemorrhoids usually are not hazardous or life threatening. In the majority cases, hemorrhoidal symptoms will go away within a little days.

Although a lot of people have hemorrhoids, not all knowledge symptoms. The the majority ordinary symptom of internal hemorrhoids is brilliant red blood cover the stool, on toilet paper, or in the toilet basin. However, an internal hemorrhoid may protrude from side to side the anus exterior the body, becoming aggravated and painful. This is recognized as a protrude hemorrhoid.

Symptoms of external hemorrhoids may comprise painful swelling or a hard lump about the anus that results when a blood clot forms. This condition is recognized as a thrombosed external hemorrhoid.

Treatment of Hemorrhoids

1. Rubber Band Ligation – This process involves insertion a little rubber band at the bottom of the internal hemorrhoid. The group cuts off blood provide to the hemorrhoid, cause it to shrivel up and fall off in concerning four to seven days.

2. Injection Sclerotherapy – This process involves inject a chemical answer into the mucous membrane near the hemorrhoid. This chemical causes inflammation and end of the veins, thus decrease the hemorrhoid.

3. Infrared Photocoagulation – This method involves direct an infrared glow to coagulate the dilate veins of the hemorrhoid. This causes the hemorrhoids to get smaller, as the blood does not run through the syrupy blood vessel.

4. Laser Coagulation – This new process involves the request of an electric present to the hemorrhoids. The electric current, emit by an electrode probe, trigger a chemical response that shuts down the blood bring in the hemorrhoid and cause the reddened tissue to shrink.

Home Remedies of Hemorrhoids

a.    To attach with a homeopathic kind of hemorrhoid home remedy you can think apply aloe plant to the anus region. There are also over-the-counter creams and ointment by training H, but for cost savings you can buy general brands.

b.    several foods, while they won’t create your hemorrhoids not as good as, can add to your anal misery by creating additional eager as they pass from side to side the bowels. Watch absent for extreme coffee, strong spices, beer, and cola.

c.    Take Buck prickle bark, collinsonia root, parsley, red grape vine leaves or stone root also in capsules or tea form. They are also high-quality for the action of hemorrhoids.

d.    Don’t scrape. Hemorrhoids can irritate, and scratching can create them feel better. But don’t give in to the urge to scrape.

e.    To keep the intestines clean use Cayenne or garlic enemas. They ease pain caused by hemorrhoids.

f.    Watch your weight. since they have more pressure on the lower extremity, overweight people tend to have more evils with hemorrhoids now as they do with varicose veins

g.    Apply vitamin E oil topically to the anal region or wounding off the end of a vitamin E capsule, and squeezing the oil in into the anus also brings a huge deal of pain relief.

h.    Heavy lifting and strenuous work out can act a great deal like strain on the toilet.

i.    Apply Aloe Vera gel in a straight line on the anus, relieve pain and soothes the burning feeling.

A highly anticipated case scheduled to be heard in the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) could be one of the most important cases to be heard this year, at least for Bayer Pharmaceuticals. This anxiously awaited hearing, scheduled for September 24, will see oral arguments from both sides on the merits of consolidation of approximately 20 Yasmin and Yaz cases across the U.S. Additionally, the arguments will question if the consolidation should be mandatory, and if it would have any impact, either way, on existing Yasmin and Yaz lawsuit, both presently and in the future.

As the lawsuits relating to prescription birth control medications Yaz and Yasmin have mounted against Bayer Pharmaceuticals, attorneys in different states are managing similar cases against the company for the serious interactions of Yasmin and Yaz and the female body. Cases generally allege that the potentially deadly side effects, including heart attacks, strokes, gallbladder disease, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE). Additionally, most of the lawsuits allege that Yasmin and Yaz both put the patient at risk for a condition known as hyperkalemia. This condition is marked by increased potassium levels in the blood, and often has no symptoms at all. It can lead to cardiac arrest and kidney failure in affected patients and it difficult to anticipate until it is too late.

Other allegations in the Yasmin and Yaz lawsuits claim that Bayer failed to sufficiently research either of the medications. The majority of oral contraceptives contain some combination of two main hormones, estrogen and progestin, Yasmin and Yaz contain a new type of synthetic progestin, drospirenone. Patients exposed to this chemical have been clinically shown to be six times more likely to have blood clot issues. To this end, claims that Bayer also fraudulently concealed the risk of serious complications from taking these contraceptives and minimized the risk women faced when taking the medication.

A wholly separate case regarding Bayer’s advertising and marketing for Yasmin and Yaz came under scrutiny. In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to Berlex Laboratories, a part of the Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation, demanding they cease the use of an advertisement for Yasmin which appeared to gloss over the significant risk presented by the medication and insinuated that Yasmin was a safer alternative to other oral contraceptives. The FDA went on to say that it possessed evidence to the contrary; clinical trials showed drospirenone presented a statistically significant increase in serious side effects. In spite of this sincere reprimand and subsequent fine for Bayer, both Yasmin and Yaz remained the top selling oral contraceptives in the U.S., posting 2008 sales figures of $616 million for Yaz and $382 million for Yasmin.

With the increase in publicity from the recent filings and the weighty number of class action lawsuits mounting against Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the possibility for a Yasmin recall seems potentially proximate. Patients currently taking either Yasmin or Yaz should continue to be aware of developing news stories regarding these medications, as the evolution of these cases could present significant changes to both their contraceptive regimen and health care needs.

It’s come to the day for your big trip. You are excited and ready to go. But as soon as you get to the airport it hits you just how long this trip will be. Long flights mean possibly getting seated next to someone that smells, the loud constant sound of the engines, no naps because of the constant hum of those talking around you. Soon your anticipation turns to dread. Don’t worry I have a few tips to make your long flight a nice and smooth ride to your destination.

First things first, get to the airport as early as you can. It is awfully stressful having to get through security. Having time will make sure that you won’t freak out when there is a lot of people in line or it just seems to be taking to long.

Dress for the ride. Remember that you will be seating for a long time so put on clothes and shoes that are comfortable. This doesn’t mean wearing a pair of faded out sweat pants and a stretched out t-shirt. You can dress casual and comfortable for the trip. You will want to make a good impression for your arrival.

Don’t eat too much. You are in a confined space and an aircraft is not the best space for trying to digest a burrito. Also don’t drink alcohol on the flight or even before it. The high pressure and altitude will increase the effects it has on your system.

Walk the plane. I mean get up and walk up and down the aisles. Prolong sitting is not good. Not only does it make you stiff it could also possibly cause a blood clot. It has been documented that sitting for hours at a time can increase your chances of getting a blood clot. This is often called deep vein thrombosis. So get up and move around.

Get noise cancelling headphones. These headphones will not only block out the noise of the airplane engines but it will also block out the chatter of people around you. This will enable you to take little naps and get your mind off the flight.

Following the above tips will help reduce the stress that these long airplane flights can cause. Of course they won’t reduce it all but should help you trip be a little bit more bearable and maybe even enjoyable in the end.

To find out more about noise cancelling headphones then Click Here to read reviews and recommendations on my website.

External hemorrhoids are swellings in the veins surrounding the anus. They are similar to varicose veins in the legs. A thrombosed external hemorrhoid is an agonizing complication of this.

Prevention of a thrombosed hemorrhoid is the simplest way to avoid hemorrhoids treatment for this painful condition. The condition causes intense discomfort as blood supply to the hemorrhoid is cut off due to the formation of a blood clot.

You can simply prevent the condition by following dietary cares, the use of a high fiber diet, and a regular bowel evacuation habit. Some more prevention techniques you can try at home include not sitting for long in the toilet and not straining hard to defecate. Home remedies for external hemorrhoids include the use of a warm sitz bath and not lifting heavy weights if you are happy towards the condition.

If you can follow all the above measures, you can find the possibilities of the development of a thrombosed external hemorrhoid will become substantially reduced. In the early period of its growth at least, you can use all the above measures to stop it from blossoming into an agonizing condition.

The surgical procedure is thought of as hemorrhoidectomy. In the procedure, a tiny cut with a clean surgical knife is made on the thrombosed external hemorrhoid under local anesthesia. This helps drain the hemorrhoid of blood and straight away provides relief from pain.

This option helps take away the clot and the blood vessels in the hemorrhoid and yields better results.

However, application of direct pressure to the site or cauterizing the site with silver nitrate or with a surgical stitch is all that is required to control bleeding. As for agony a regime of ibuprofen and warm sitz baths forms a good post operative remedy.

Another surgical procedure to drain a thrombosed external hemorrhoid is laser surgery. This procedure for thrombosed hemorrhoids treatment is less distressing and leads to a lot less trauma to the surrounding tissue. However, it is costlier than a hemorrhoidectomy.

ChristianPark is a recognized expert in the field of health and wellness. He believes in quickly curing the cause and relieving the symptoms with a Home Hemorrhoids Treatment. To read more about curing hemorrhoids visit www.Home-Hemorrhoids-Treatment.com

Elizabeth Taylor had them. So did Alfred the Great and German philosopher Karl Marx. Indeed, hemorrhoids are so common they’ve been with mankind for centuries. No one, it seems, is spared from the pain and discomfort they bring.

The problem of hemorrhoids is so widespread that Russian author Nikolai Gogol was shocked to learn “there was not one man in St. Petersburg free from this nuisance.” French Emperor Napoleon couldn’t ride his horse because of them and the African explorer David Livingstone reportedly died due to hemorrhoids.

Experts said approximately five percent of the population has them. The bad news is that as we get older, we become more prone to them.

“Hemorrhoids are essentially varicose veins that form along the linings of the anal canal and lower rectum. Sometimes these bulging veins can protrude through the anus or ‘prolapse’ or they can pop up under the surface of the skin around the anal opening. Wherever hemorrhoids occur, they can burn, itch, bleed, and hurt like heck. They can make a bowel movement, which irritates them, an experience to be dreaded, and for most sufferers, they’re just plain embarrassing too,” according to the editors of Consumer Guide’s “Medical Book of Home Remedies for People Over 40.”

The symptoms of hemorrhoids are bad enough but the worst is yet to come. A prolapsed hemorrhoid – one that protrudes outside the anus – can become irritated and bleed. If the prolapse is severe, thrombosis or a blood clot may form, causing the vein to become black and appear dead.

“A thrombosed external hemorrhoid is a painful blood clot that develops in a hemorrhoid that has been pushed outside the anus. Thrombosed external hemorrhoids tend to occur at a younger age, and usually follow certain traumatic events, including childbirth, heavy lifting, exercise, severe straining to have a bowel movement, even violent coughing or sneezing,” warned the editors of the “Johns Hopkins Health Insider.”

If you have rectal bleeding, see a doctor at once to rule out other serious diseases like colon cancer. Since being overweight contributes to hemorrhoids, stay fit with a good diet and a regular exercise program. One product that can help is Phenocal, a safe, natural, and effective weight loss supplement that boosts your metabolism, suppresses your appetite, reduces food cravings, and increases energy levels to keep you in shape. For more information, visit http://www.phenocal.com.

Blood clots in the leg, called deep venous thromboses (DVTs), can occur in a very broad spectrum of the population. Diabetics, the elderly and those who recently had surgery are not the only people who are at risk of developing a blood clot. Did you know if you travel by plane frequently, are on birth control or have cancer, you are at risk of getting a blood clot? These are just a few of the risk factors associated with this potentially deadly condition. Risk factors are inherited, acquired or highly associated. The following is a listing of those factors.

Inherited Blood Disorders: Genetic thrombophilias or an inherited tendency to develop blood clots are rare but can and do occur. Genetic clotting disorders are reported to exist in 20 to 30 percent of those with blood clots1. Most patients and their family members only discover the condition after genetic testing for blood clot disorders is performed on a person immediately after developing a blood clot. It is important for the entire family to know about the disorder, so they can get tested and prevent it from happening to them. For those who are found to have the disorder, simple changes in lifestyle discussed below can prevent them from developing a blood clot.

Acquired Risk Factors: Many, but not all, of these risks factors are avoidable and are due to unhealthy lifestyle choices. The following factors are associated with an increased risk of developing blood clots:

1) Obesity: Those who are overweight or obese are not only prone to having diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, but they are also at risk for blood clots. Blood clots are more frequent in overweight people especially after surgery, bed rest or immobilization as it is harder for the valves in the deep veins to push blood up against gravity due to the extra weight.

2) Immobilization: Those who are in an above or below knee cast or splint and/or are non-weight bearing after an injury or surgery especially those involving the lower extremities are also at risk as the weakened leg muscles are not helping to push the blood in the veins up to the heart.

3) Over 40 years of age

4) Sedentary lifestyle

5) Prolonged bed rest

6) Long hospital stay

7) Prolonged air plane rides

8 Heart & lung failure

9) Varicose veins

10)Birth control pills

11)Estrogen therapy

12)Cigarette smoking

13)Pregnancy

14)Diabetes

15)High cholesterol

Highly Associated Risk Factors:

1) Previous history of blood clots

2) Cancer

3) Positive family history of blood clots

If so many people are at risk of getting a blood clot, how do you prevent it from happening to you? The best form of prevention are simple lifestyle modifications such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, quitting smoking, and maintaining an active lifestyle. These modifications not only help reduce the risk of developing heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes but they can also reduce the risk of getting a blood clot. As a general rule, if you have 2 or more of these risk factors, it is important to take precautionary measures especially if you just had surgery or are off your feet for a prolonged period of time. Support stockings and compression devices are widely available not only in the hospital but in your local pharmacy and drug store to prevent blood clots. Your doctor will start you on a blood thinner if you are of high risk even if you do not have a blood clot. For those with an inherited blood disorder and those with a history of blood clots in the past, it is especially important to take preventive measures. If you are on a long plane ride, one can reduce the chance of getting a blood clot by not crossing your legs while sitting, getting up to go to the bathroom, walking around the aircraft periodically, and by wearing support stockings. Calf pain and swelling, increased warmth, girth, and redness in the calf and/or a firm mass in the calf, are all potential symptoms of a blood clot. Also shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing, coughing up blood, increased breathing and heart rate and fever are also signs of a blood clot that traveled to the lung called a pulmonary embolism (PE). Blood clots in the leg can dislodge and travel through the bloodstream to the lung to become a PE, stop oxygen from getting into the blood, cause shock and even sudden death. If you experience any of these symptoms, it is imperative that you seek medical treatment immediately. Go to your podiatric or orthopedic surgeon, primary care physician or other treating physician or, if after hours, go to the emergency room immediately for evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. If diagnosed, usually by venous ultrasound, treatment of blood clots consists of blood thinners to dissolve the clot.

1Murin, S., Marelich, G.P., Arroliga, A.C., Matthay, R.A. Hereditary thrombophilia and venous thromboembolism. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 158:1369-1373, 1998.