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Economy Class Syndrome - reducing the risk of blood clots
My husband frequently travels long haul for work - sometimes as often as three times a month. After all the recent stories about economy class syndrome, he is now taking more care to drink lots of water and exercise during these flights but is there anything he can take to reduce the risk of a blood clot?
Your husband needs to take the Chinese herb Ginkgo biloba, which will not only reduce the risk of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) but will have the presumably very welcome side-effect of boosting memory and brainpower, which is what it is more commonly used for.
The subject of more than £5 million worth of clinical research in Europe, Ginkgo works by boosting bloodflow and what is called peripheral microcirculation, which means to the extremities, the fingers and toes. The important thing is to buy a brand where the dosage has been standardised. What this means is you know exactly how much of the herb you are getting. Also, do not expect overnight results. With the exception of just a few remedies, most herbal products need a month or two to really kick in.
* Lichtwer's Ginkgo Concentrated High Strength capsules will provide at least 120mg of the active ingredients in each one-a-day tablet. Available mail order on 01803-528668.