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Our friend Moshe Schein is a world-renowned surgeon. Impressive. He’s also quite a character, and we love him. Years ago, he insisted my husband and I take a baby aspirin every day. So—we did.
Then I heard the Food and Drug Administration recommended against it. What??? Banking on Moshe’s wisdom, I continued. But I’ve been thinking…
What is aspirin, any way?
Aspirin is the first known pain reliever. Healers used willow bark and leaves for pain relief as early as 2500 BC. Since that time, many cultures have used willow and meadowsweet for pain relief. Both contain salicylic acid, as does aspirin.
It wasn’t until 1828 that Johann Andreas Buchner, Professor at the University of Munich, purified salicin from willow bark. Shortly afterwards, Professor Hermann Kolbe worked out its chemical structure.
Although their new drug relieved pain, it had an unpleasant taste and irritated the stomach. In 1897 Dr. Felix Hoffman, a chemist at Friedrich Bayer and Company, formulated a way to synthetically produce acetylsalicylic acid, and in 1899 Bayer registered the new drug as Aspirin. The ‘A’ comes from acetyl and ‘spir’ from Spirea ulmaria (meadowsweet), a botanical source of salicylic acid.
According to The Pharmaceutical Journal, aspirin is one of the most researched drugs in the world, with 700-1000 clinical trials each year. Wow.
What does aspirin do?
We’ve all taken aspirin since we were young, probably to reduce fever and relieve pain. It’s been effective at relieving headaches, cold and flu symptoms, sprains and strains, menstrual cramps, arthritis, and migraines. It also reduces swelling and can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in people with high risk. Aspirin resides confidently on my medicine shelf between the ibuprofen and Tylenol.
Can aspirin hurt me?
According to the Mayo Clinic, occasional use of aspirin for a headache or a fever is rarely a problem, but daily use of aspirin can have serious side effects, particularly gastrointestinal bleeding. They recommend talking to your physician about taking aspirin daily.
In fact, all of the NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like ibuprofen (Motrin IB, Advil, etc.) and naproxen sodium (Aleve) thin the blood and decrease blood clotting. Regular use of any of these can increase your bleeding risks.
Regular use of aspirin (and other NSAIDs) may cause a stroke from a burst blood vessel or an allergic reaction.
Sadly, I relied on ibuprofen many years for knee pain before finally getting a knee replacement. My friends and I called it ‘Vitamin I.’ I’m afraid that behavior contributed to my chronic gastric issues. Lesson learned—too late.
So, who should take a daily baby aspirin?
Back to the Mayo Clinic. I trust them implicitly. Mayo doctors stress that the benefits of taking a daily aspirin don’t outweigh the risks of bleeding for those of us who have low risk of heart attack. They also recommend people over 70 NOT begin aspirin therapy. The higher your risk of heart attack, the more the benefit of daily aspirin therapy outweighs its risks. Mayo doctors recommend aspirin therapy for:
• people between 40 and 59 who have a high risk (10 percent or higher) of heart attack or stroke.
• people who’ve had coronary bypass surgery or a stent placed in a coronary artery.
• people under 60 who have diabetes and at least one other heart disease risk factor such as smoking or high blood pressure.
Of course—it’s important to discuss aspirin therapy with your physician. For more detailed information, google “Mayo Clinic” and “Daily Aspirin Therapy.”
Well, decision made. I’m done taking a daily baby aspirin. Now I’m down to seven daily supplements. Probably time to evaluate those as well.
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