Talk about missing the point!

Blood thinners are supposed to reduce the risk of the blood clots that can lead to a heart attack or stroke — but a new drug that’s intended to slash the risk of stroke can actually increase the odds of a heart attack.

That’s not a benefit — that’s trading one deadly risk for another.

The drug, called dabigatran but sold under the brand name Pradaxa, is most commonly given to atrial fibrillation patients, who have a higher risk of stroke to begin with.

It’s also the first in a series of new blood thinners specifically aimed at preventing strokes — but there were problems with it right out of the gate: Even in the studies used to get it approved, that heart risk kept popping up.

Now, a new analysis shows this wasn’t just a fluke, as the drug’s maker no doubt hoped, but a genuine threat that should have anyone thinking twice before popping these pills.

And get this: While the drug is supposed to slash the risk of stroke by a third, the new numbers show that it increases the risk of heart attack and acute coronary syndrome by pretty much the same amount — nearly a third — when compared to the older blood thinners as well as a placebo.

That’s not the only serious problem with Pradaxa. This drug hasn’t been on the market very long, but the FDA is already looking into reports of serious bleeding problems (being the FDA, however, you can bet that “look” is all they’ll do).

I’m sure this sounds like a win for warfarin and the older generation of blood thinners, but warfarin itself is so dangerous it’s actually been used for years as a rat poison — and patients who take it need to be closely watched, lest they end up like those rats.

Like all blood thinners, warfarin can also cause serious bleeding problems, not to mention swelling, bruising, flu-like symptoms and more. It’s even been linked to gangrene.

It’s nuts to take those risks when there are completely natural options on the table — including ordinary fish oil, safe for men and mice alike.

Talk to your doc before making any changes, but a skilled naturopathic physician can wean you off risky meds and help you find the right amount of your safe alternative.

And you can leave the warfarin in the garage for the rats.

“Fish is brain food” is the kind of age-old folk wisdom that’s been proven time and again by cutting-edge science — and the latest research confirms that the best way to keep your brain swimming in gray matter is with a steady diet of fish.

I mean that literally: Seniors who eat fish at least once a week have more of that critical gray matter, giving them a lower risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

The biggest boost is in the frontal and temporal lobes — specifically the areas most closely linked to memory and learning, or exactly where you want your extra gray matter to be.

And if you think the benefits inside the brain are impressive, you should see how that translates out in the real world: Just 3.2 percent of the fish-eaters developed cognitive decline over five years, versus 30.8 percent of those who ate little to no fish, according to data presented at a Radiological Society of North America meeting.

If there’s one area where the researchers found no benefit, it was in fried fish — and I have to wonder if it’s because of the frying… or because of the oils people tend to fry things in.

Most people don’t fry their foods — fish or otherwise — in healthy oils. They fry them in the unhealthiest polyunsaturated oils of all, including blended vegetable oils, soybean oil and safflower oil.

Try a healthier oil — like peanut oil — and all your fried foods will get a health boost (and taste better, too).

But let’s get back to seafood, cooked however you like — because a diet rich in fatty fish will do so much more than protect your brain. Fatty fish can help prevent heart disease, protect your vision, beat depression and even improve your gums.

Yet despite all those benefits, some simply won’t eat fish to save their lives. Maybe it’s the smell… the taste… the texture… or all three.

Whatever the reason, you don’t have to actually eat any fish at all to get the benefits — because almost all of those benefits come from the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil, which you can find almost anywhere as a supplement.

Shop around before you commit to one — some brands will leave you with the “fish burps,” which is a little counterproductive if you’re taking pills to avoid the taste of fish in the first place.

Buy smaller sizes or sample packs first — it might take a little trial-and-burping, but eventually, you’ll find one that works for you.

If you thought statin meds to lower LDL cholesterol were useless, you should see what they’re cooking up next: drugs to raise your HDL levels.

As easy as it is to get your LDL under control through lifestyle changes, it’s even easier to boost your HDL levels the natural way — and I’ll tell you everything you need to know in a moment.

But first, a new study of 400 patients finds that the “promising” experimental med evacetrapib can raise HDL levels by between 54 percent and 129 percent without any significant side effects.

Sound good? Of course it does — but don’t sign up for the next wave of trials for HDL meds, because there’s more going on here than meets the eye.

Evacetrapib is actually part of a new class of meds called “cholesteryl ester transfer protein inhibitors” or “CETP inhibitors” for short. If those names are unfamiliar, it’s because there are no CTEP inhibitors on the market yet despite earlier research that looked just as promising.

In fact, the last CTEP inhibitor to make it this far in clinical trials, torcetrapib, also raised HDL levels… but it did something else when taken with statins: It boosted the risk of heart problems and even death so significantly that the trial had to be shut down.

Those problems didn’t pop up in smaller studies with hundreds of people — only in the later trials involving thousands.

But you don’t have to wait for the perfect HDL med, because you can raise your levels on your own right now — and you can do it naturally:

Fish Oil: People who eat the most fatty fish have higher HDL levels — and studies have shown that a fish oil supplement can raise those levels by between 4 and 8 percent and even reduce your triglycerides, too.

Astaxanthin: This pink pigment found in krill can boost HDL by up to 15 percent — and, like fish oil, it can slash your triglycerides at the same time.

Nuts: Just a handful a day can boost your HDL, slash your LDL and lower triglycerides all at once. There’s not a drug in the world that can do that.

Booze: Moderate drinking can boost HDL levels so well that the researchers behind one recent analysis said it works better than any known med.

Quit Smoking: Cigarettes can slash your HDL levels. Quitting can bring them back up and improve your health in so many other ways at the same time.

Looking for more? Visit the Web site of the Health Sciences Institute and browse the free online library.

Flu shots don’t work… but your friends in the media want you to get one anyway.

A new study finds the scantest of all possible benefits from the most heavily hyped vaccine of all time — benefits so small you have to wonder if they even exist at all.

But just take a look at the headlines:

• MSNBC: Flu shot not as effective as thought (but get one anyway)
• Wall Street Journal: Flu shot could be better, but for now it’s the best we’ve got
• Time Magazine: It’s no guarantee, but you should get the flu shot anyway

Best we got? Get one anyway? Sheesh — you’d think these “news” organizations were earning a commission here.

In reality, the study offers some of the most sobering evidence yet of the shot’s utter ineffectiveness. Overall, the analysis of data from 31 studies published since 1967 finds that just 2.7 percent of unvaccinated people got the flu versus 1.2 percent of those who got the shot.

It’s an absolute difference of 1.5 percent — but a statistical difference of 59 percent.

Guess which number the media is using? You guessed it — 59 percent, and most of them rounded that up to 60 percent.

If you want to lower your risk, there’s a much easier way to do it without having to go through the time, trouble, cost and risks of a flu shot.

Last year, Japanese researchers found that schoolchildren given 1,200 mg a day of vitamin D3 had a 58 percent lower risk of flu than kids given a placebo. The children who got the D were also three times less likely to catch a cold — something a flu shot won’t help you with at all.

Other immune boosters such as vitamins A, C and E and fish oil could slash that risk even further — and all of them are nutrients your body needs anyway. Throw in good hygiene, and you can cut your flu risk down to almost nothing.

When you can get that kind of boost from simple vitamins and regular hand-washing, why would you even waste your time with a flu shot?