attack develop peptic ulcers, which often have no symptoms.
This was the finding of researchers from the University of Western Sydney in
Australia. Using endoscopy, they studied 187 patients who had been taking
between 75 milligrams and 325 milligrams of aspirin daily for at least one
month.
An Annual Ulcer Rate of 28 Percent
The researchers found that 10.7 percent of patients in their study developed
ulcers at least 3 millimeters in diameter. However, only 20 percent
experienced symptoms that were significantly different from patients with no
ulcers, which means many people may not know the ulcers exist.
After three months, the endoscopy was repeated among the 113 people who did
not have ulcers when the study began. It was found that:
* Over 7 percent had developed an ulcer during this period
* This boosted the annual ulcer rate to 28 percent
Other factors that increased the risk of developing ulcers included being 70
years of age or older or having a bacterial infection with H. pylori.
The researchers said the benefits of using aspirin should be carefully
assessed before those who have low cardiovascular risk take it for a
long-term period.
Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics
<http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2036.2005.02649.x?p
revSearch=allfield%3A%28aspirin%2C+ulcers%29> November 2005, Volume 22,
Page 795
Dr. Craig's Comments:
Aspirin has developed a reputation in conventional medical circles for being
a useful approach for lowering the risk of heart disease -- just take one a
day to prevent heart attack or stroke.
Although, let's not forget that aspirin is in fact a drug.
Once you understand natural medical principles it is easy to see that any
drug is not the solution for a chronic degenerative disease. Although it may
seem to provide some initial benefit, the long-term overall view is rarely
appreciated, as it nearly invariably shows a combination of side effects
that far outweighs any benefit.
The case of Vioxx is quite clear. Tens of thousands of people around the
world paid the price with their lives for choosing some temporary pain
relief in exchange for a fatal heart attack.
In the case of aspirin, if you read the studies by British
<http://www.mercola.com/2000/jul/2/aspirin.htm> and American
<http://www.mercola.com/2002/nov/16/aspirin.htm> researchers, you will see
that taking aspirin can cause much more harm than good.
The chance of developing ulcers is just one potential side effect. Others
include:
* Increasing your risk of pancreatic cancer
<http://www.mercola.com/2003/nov/12/aspirin_cancer.htm>
* Damaging your kidneys
<http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/9/aspirin_seniors.htm>
* Gastric bleeding
<http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/9/aspirin_seniors.htm>
* Increased risk of stroke
What is the best alternative to aspirin? Simple lifestyle changes such as
taking fish oil <http://www.mercola.com/2005/jan/12/fish_oil_heart.htm> and
exercising <http://www.mercola.com/2005/apr/9/heart_disease.htm> can have a
tremendously positive effect on your cardiovascular system. To make a
misunderstood concept real easy... stop taking aspirin- unless you actually
want a bubbling, bleeding, oozing ulcer.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Do you know who actually coined the phrase, "An aspirin a
day will keep the doctor away."?
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