Are you taking a low dose Aspirin, daily? – Good advice by Dr.Harold

Your doctor will recommend you to take a low dose of aspirin after the age of forty. Most people do not take it seriously until they are about 60 years and over.

Why does your doctor does want you to take aspirin, daily? The reason is that a low dose of aspirin daily lowers your risk of getting a heart attack or stroke, by thinning your blood. Normally, clotting of blood occurs by clumping of platelets in your blood stream. At times of a bleed from an artery chemicals are produced to make platelets paste to each other and form a bung. Aspirin tend to delay this process. Further, if you happen to get chest pain (angina) whilst driving, you might escape a severe attack by taking one or two aspirins immediately, which may help to dissolve a clot, if you are on your daily dose.

Recent studies have shown published in The Lancet, that aspirin also prevents cancer. In those studies, Professor Peter Rothwell of Oxford University in the UK, a world expert on aspirin studies confirms that for people in middle age, a daily dose of aspirin can reduce the risk of developing several cancers. Furthermore, the studies have shown that the spread of cancer can be reduced by taking aspirin, daily.

Aspirin may double the chance of survival for patients with gastro-intestinal cancers according to the results of a new study presented at the 2015 European Cancer Congress in Vienna, Austria.

Long term aspirin usage reduces the risk of ovarian cancer in women, and colon, stomach, oesophageal and liver cancers in both sexes.
Those suffering from stomach ulcers (peptic ulcers) should not take aspirin. Aspirin also may give stomach ulcers. Those suffering from age related muscular degeneration (AMD) should avoid taking aspirin daily.

So, for that question in your mind, “Should I take aspirin, daily? –the answer is yes, better start tonight if you are not on it, after discussing with your doctor.

One important side effect of taking aspirin on a daily dose may lead to bleeding in your gut. In most situations, you wouldn’t know whether you are bleeding, as it is so microscopic and goes undetected. If ever you detect dark tarry stools you need to suspect upper abdominal gut bleeding. The stomach acid changes the colour of stools to black. If you detect brown colour stools, the bleeding could be in the large bowel, and detecting fresh bleed is from an anal region as from piles (haemorrhoids).

In most situations bleeding due to taking aspirin stops with time.

You should not take aspirin daily without the guidance and supervision of your doctor.

Some schools of thought are that there is no necessity to take daily aspirin among healthy people having no history of cardiovascular or cancer history in the family.

Some authorities believe that taking aspirin will worsen the situation of bleeding from plaques in the arteries. The platelets under normal conditions form clots in vascular plaques, and may prevent bleeding through ulcerations of the plaques… Taking aspirin may hinder the clotting process and lead to further bleeding and cause heart attacks and stroke. This is the opinion among some doctors.

On the same token, aspirin reduces the ability of platelets clumping together thereby lowering the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. So, your thoughts would be between the Devil and the deep blue sea, as far as deciding to take this life-long medication, or not. Listen to your doctor, and he will guide you on the right direction, whether you should be on aspirin or not.

The risks of bleeding among people who take low doses of aspirin are higher for those who eat fruits daily, eating veggies like the crucifers and spinach, on certain medications like ibuprofen, cortisone preparations and supplements like fish oil. If you suffer from asthma you should avoid taking aspirin. Kids under one year should never be given any paediatric aspirin preparation.

Some people may, as a side effect get nausea and indigestion on taking aspirin. Never take aspirin on an empty stomach.
Some may experience heart burn after taking aspirin. In such an event drink some cold milk and eat a few slices of cooled cut cucumber straight from the fridge to bring immediate relief.

Women who take aspirin daily may increase the chance of pregnancy, especially those having a history of miscarriage.
The main use of aspirin or salicylate is to reduce fever and relieve mild to moderate muscular pains. For the same reason it is used in conditions such as arthritis. It works by blocking certain natural inflammatory chemicals in your body to reduce pain and swelling. Children under 12 should not be treated with salicylates.

Aspirin was the only treatment available for rheumatic fever in the old days. Much larger doses such as three tablets a day, or the Salicylate mixture, was the standard treatment for such diseases. Low dosage aspirin is used only to prevent clotting of blood.
Conclusions: Aspirin is a ‘magic drug’ taken daily by millions of people in various countries, and is the most widely used drug in medicine. Aspirin is also one of the oldest drugs in use, with a history dating back to the period of Hippocrates and Galen. It was then obtained from the bark of the willow tree. The incidence of side effects is minimal compared to the numbers taking this medication right through the ages.

So do not hesitate, to talk with your doctor and take low dosage of aspirin daily. There are similar other medications (antiplatelet agents), that thins the blood, such as Clopidogrel, Dipyridamole, Prasugel and so on. These latter agents are prescribed after heart attacks. Your doctor will decide what’s best for you.