About Kelly Brogan

KELLY BROGAN, MD, is a holistic psychiatrist, author of the New York Times Bestselling book, A Mind of Your Own, Own Your Self, the children’s book, A Time For Rain, and co-editor of the landmark textbook Integrative Therapies for Depression.

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Rare risks are only rare if they happen to someone else. It's my belief that no one is engaging the principles of informed consent when it comes to the birth control pill. Now, the science is piling up, and the signal of harm is becoming harder to ignore.

The Pill Could Kill?

A recent metanalysis has demonstrated a 2.5 fold increase in risk of ischemic stroke from the birth control pill. Entitled Current use of oral contraceptives and the risk of first-ever ischemic stroke: A meta-analysis of observational studies, the authors analyzed 18 studies to identify increased risk with all generations of progestins (synthetic progesterone) and dose-dependent risk for synthetic estrogen.

What's ischemic stroke? It is when an area of your brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients. The resulting damage could leave you with functional impairment, or it could leave you dead.

Know the signs. According to Informed Choice for Amerika, an organization run by the family of a Nuvaring victim, here is what to look for:

Stroke is caused by a blocked blood vessel or bleeding in the brain. The signs of a stroke include a sudden severe headache, weakness, numbness, vision problems, confusion, trouble walking or talking, dizziness and slurred speech.

If you, or someone with you, exhibits any of the signs of stroke, do not delay because timely treatment is critical to survival and recovery. The most common symptoms are:

  • Sudden weakness or numbness in the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body.
  • Abrupt loss of vision, strength, coordination, sensation, speech, or the ability to understand speech. These symptoms may become worse over time.
  • Sudden dimness of vision, especially in one eye.
  • Sudden loss of balance, possibly accompanied by vomiting, nausea, fever, hiccups, or trouble with swallowing.
  • Sudden and severe headache with no other cause followed rapidly by loss of consciousness -- indications of a stroke due to bleeding.
  • Brief loss of consciousness.
  • Unexplained dizziness or sudden falls.

Here is a pharmaceutical product doled out to girls and women like a vitamin, that causes inflammation, brain changes, and can stop you dead in your tracks. Look to resolve the underlying cause of hormonal imbalance, and look elsewhere for contraception that isn't a Russian Roulette of risk.

Featured Image Contributor: Raymond Forbes—Getty Images/age fotostock RM

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