study was terminated 3 and patients were told to stop taking Plavix

Plavix Health Risks Confirmed Again

Now, research² investigating the effects of Plavix in combination with aspirin versus using aspirin alone for the prevention of stroke and cognitive decline has confirmed these disturbing results.

In fact, the anti-platelet arm of the study was terminated³ and patients were told to stop taking Plavix and take aspirin only, as it became apparent the Plavix-aspirin regimen significantly increased the risk of death. The combination also doubled the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, and more than doubled fatal hemorrhaging. Previous studies have also demonstrated that Plavix patients have a higher rate of stomach ulcers. Numerous lawsuits have been filed by patients alleging they were injured by this common drug.

Here's something to consider: An aspirin regimen will cost you around $6 per month (or even less than $1 per month if you split regular generic aspirin into quarters), compared to Plavix, which will set you back around $200 per month (or one-tenth of that price if you get generic Clopidogrel).

How in the world can anyone justify the use of a drug that increases your risk of death, and costs 33 to 200 times more than the most common alternative, and to top it all off, call it prevention? It's really amazing how Bristol-Meyers has managed to pull the wool over everyone's eyes on this one. Even if you take Plavix alone, without aspirin, you're still likely wasting huge amounts of money, and, as the new evidence suggests, taking a higher health risk than you would with low-dose aspirin.

A 1996 Lancet study⁴ comparing Plavix versus aspirin for the prevention of ischaemic events, involving more than 19,000 people followed from one to three years, found that:

"...an intention-to-treat analysis showed that patients treated with clopidogrel had an annual 5.32% risk of ischaemic stroke, myocardial infarction, or vascular death compared with 5.83% with aspirin."

Note the words "intention-to-treat analysis." Statistically, when a study uses intention-to-treat analysis, chances are exceptionally great that it has been inadequately applied, "potentially leading to a biased treatment effect," according to a study⁵ assessing the methodological quality of intention-to-treat analysis as reported in randomized controlled trials in large medical journals.

What this means in plain English, is that whenever a study resorts to using intention-to-treat analysis, the data has likely been "massaged" in order to achieve a desired result - in this particular case, showing that Plavix was slightly better than aspirin for reducing your risk of stroke, myocardial infarction and vascular death. According to the authors of the above mentioned investigation into the proper methodology of such analysis:

"The intention to treat approach is often inadequately described and inadequately applied. ...Readers should critically assess the validity of reported intention-to-treat analyses."

A Free and Simple Alternative to Plavix

One of the simplest, most inexpensive (as in free), and effective alternatives to blood thinning drugs like Plavix is "Grounding," also known as "Earthing." The concept of earthing, was initially developed by Clint Ober. Stated in the simplest terms possible, earthing is simply walking barefoot; grounding your body to the Earth. And before you dismiss this concept as some placebo-induced fantasy by tree hugging hippies, know that at least a dozen scientific papers have been published demonstrating the mechanics and measurable physical effects of grounding.

When you're grounded there's a transfer of free electrons from the Earth into your body. And these free electrons are probably the most potent antioxidants known to man. Inflammation is a hallmark of virtually all diseases, so preventing chronic inflammation is key for overall health.

Bare skin in general is a very good conductor. You can connect any part of your skin to the Earth, but if you compare various parts there is one that is especially potent, and that's right in the middle of the ball of your foot, which is precisely where your foot would strike the ground if you were walking. It's a well-known point that conductively connects to all of the acupuncture meridians and essentially connects to every nook and cranny of your body. Any free radicals that leak into the healthy tissue will immediately be electrically neutralized. This occurs because the electrons are negative, while the free radicals are positive, so they cancel each other out.

However, there's more!

Another very important discovery, especially as it relates to grounding as an alternative to blood-thinning drugs, is that grounding thins your blood, making it less viscous – essentially doing the same job that Plavix does, but infinitely safer.