Coumadin (Warfarin) Information Now Available in Spanish

New Orleans, LA, August 19, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Timothy S. Harlan, M.D., also known as Dr. Gourmet, today announced the addition of Spanish-language information about eating healthy while on Coumadin (warfarin) and managing one's vitamin K intake.

Coumadin® (generic name: warfarin) is a prescription medication used primarily to prevent blood clots. Each year, thousands of people with conditions such as stroke, pulmonary or deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks or artificial heart valves are put on Coumadin for periods lasting from six months to life. This medication is most effective when its levels in the bloodstream remain fairly constant, requiring regular blood tests and close monitoring for those taking the drug. However, warfarin's effectiveness is easily influenced by the amount of Vitamin K in the body: simply eating too much of a food containing high levels of Vitamin K can significantly reduce its effectiveness.

This is the challenge faced by all Coumadin users: a normal, varied diet can result in widely varying levels of Coumadin (warfarin) in the bloodstream. For decades doctors have been handling the issue of the amount of Vitamin K in a patient's diet by telling their patients to avoid all foods containing Vitamin K. Their patients are given a list of foods to avoid, such as broccoli, spinach, cabbages and greens, but little further guidance, leaving their patients confused about what they can and can't eat.

Previously the invaluable information about diet and Coumadin use - available at no charge on DrGourmet.com - has only been available in English. With the translation of this essential information into Spanish, these resources are now even more useful to the fastest-growing minority population in the United States: native Spanish speakers.

Find these resources at DrGourmet.com/warfarin.

About Dr. Gourmet

Timothy S. Harlan, M.D. is a practicing internist, Medical Director and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Tulane University School of Medicine. Raised in the restaurant business, he is also an accomplished chef who owned his first restaurant at the age of twenty-two. He is the author of cookbooks as well as patient education materials, and is the creator of Emmy-winning television programming that helps viewers better understand how to eat healthy.

DrGourmet.com is firmly grounded in evidence-based medicine and its diets and recipes are based on the Mediterranean Diet, the only diet clinically proven to help prevent heart disease. It includes hundreds of recipes for low sodium diets, lactose intolerance and for patients who use warfarin (Coumadin®), as well as those with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and gluten sensitivity.

For more information: contact Timothy S. Harlan, M.D., at (504) 931-2929, drgourmet@drgourmet.com

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