Aspirin a Day Can Kill

It also makes persons with macular degeneration bleed inside the yes. There are articles around, including a few on this thread that assert that aspirin can be very dangerous. I don't intend to argue the point with everyone that disagrees with me. I just want to make sure everyone who sees this thread comes away with a mind to constantly question the use of aspirin.

The woman whose misfortune with aspirin sparked this thread has been living at home and doing very well until last night. She cleaned a cup with bleach. Then, later on, forgetting there was still some bleach in the cup, she poured herself a cup of tea and drank the combined tea and bleach. She will most likely survive the ordeal, but it is all but certain the doctor will never allow her to go home again. I will visit her as soon as I get the okay to go in her room.

Oh how horrible for your friend! I hope she recovers as quickly as possible. I have a great aunt who is 92. She lives alone and does well. I hope she continues to do so!

Edgar, while I respect your faith in Dr. Williams, I too would caution you. I hope I am not being condescending in saying this to you (and that is definitely not my intent) but I do hope that any sort of applications Dr. Williams recommends to you are followed up through your own physician.

I tend to agree with JLNobody regarding the impression I was left with after visiting the site you had linked. Aside from having to pay for his information, this one statement startled me. That sort of advice is dangerous. There are so many causes of stomach problems and to suggest a person doesn't have to see a medical doctor is an irresponsible statement.

I was curious about Dr. Williams credentials and according to the information on his own web site, he is a chiropractic doctor and not a medical doctor. There would be much he doesn't know about human medicine.

Also, on the page of the link you provided for Dr. William's site, there was a reference given regarding a study done on aspirin increasing the risk of cataracts. I was able to find the abstract from that study. (The full article is only available to subscribers, which is typical for medical journals.) In the abstract it stated: Medications and cataract - The blue mountains eye study

So indeed there is validity to his statement, however, it is not a complete statement. It applies to long term users in the study. It's a scary statement to read that aspirin may be at higher risk of cataracts. Also, from the other link you provided, there was a statement regarding macular degeneration. Certainly anyone with any pre-existing condition that could deteriorate with bleeding should be cautious about taking aspirin.

I guess the bottom line is, regardless of the fact that aspirin is an over the counter medication, it is still a drug and should be treated accordingly. Anyone with medical conditions should seek the advice of their physician before taking any drugs.

This also reminds me of something else. Many people don't seem to view herbals as drugs but they have powerful effects just as drugs do and like drugs, there are many herbals that can and do interact adversely with medications and maybe even other herbals too. So since we are applying caution here, I thought I would mention this too.

Some information regarding shark cartilage and cancer.

Shark cartilage and cancer

Given all of the comments about aspirin, I thought I would give a brief commentary (well...maybe not so brief once I get going! *L*) on aspirin's mechanism of action on blood clotting. I've read comments about aspirin being a blood thinner. Although it's a common phrase, "blood thinner" is really a misnomer. Blood is not actually thinner or less concentrated. I'm guessing, but I think it may have come from the fact that clotted blood is thick whereas unclotted blood is liquid or "thinner".

There are numerous components involved in the clotting process. Platelets are just one of these components, but a very important one. Platelets are cellular fragments that, when activated, become "sticky" and adhere together to form a plug which helps to prevent blood loss. (There is a lot more involved in this process but this is the gist of it.) For example, with a skin cut, damaged tissues release certain chemicals into the blood stream that essentially lets the platelets know there is a hole they need to plug up to prevent further bleeding. These chemicals cause the platelets to become activated. When a person takes aspirin, (acetylsalicylic acid or ASA), the ASA affects the activation of platelets in a way that prevents them from adhering together. Their ability to do so is affected for the life of those platelets, which are approximately 9 to 12 days long. For anyone who has had surgery, no doubt you have been told to not take any aspirin for several days before your surgery. The reason is to allow viable platelet numbers to recover.

In the case of strokes, one scenario is that a small platelet plug forms, becomes trapped within the microvasculature of the brain, and the ensuing buildup in pressure causes tiny vessels to burst, creating a stroke. Not all strokes have the horrible consequences we have heard about. If they occur in a relatively inactive area of the brain, a person could have had a mini-stroke without ever having known it had occurred. Why these platelet plugs form could be due to a myriad of reasons. But taking aspirin is thought to help prevent these types of platelet aggregations from forming in the first place and is why physicians may prescribe this in patients who are at risk.

I found the following in one of my old textbooks. (From 1992.)
(Note: bleeding time is a somewhat archaic test used to determine platelet function.)

Are ya still awake? *L* I hope this helps you to understand a little more about how aspirin can affect your clotting process.

I'm 6'3" weigh 16 stone... very fit, no fat, years ago I started to swallow 1 asprin a day.. Because I reckoned that being so big, I'd need the extra. Ended up with acute heart burn, two ulcers, then 12 months ago 2 heart attacks, work that out.

Aspirin won't stop a heart attack. Did your physician recommend it? And you may have taken too large a dose as well.

I read some time ago that one regular aspirin affects "blood thinning" for three days. I couldn't begin to site where I read that now. This is why - I think - when aspirin is prescribed it is often as "baby" aspirin.

Edgar, I am so sorry about your friend's troubles.

I DO know from personal experience that the higher the dose, the more it affects the clotting ability. I had a back injury when I was 13 and several years ago I was experiencing some major pain. (For the most part I'm not in pain.) There is an over the counter drug called Entrophen that contains higher levels of ASA than in regular aspirin. I found it helped with the pain. (I think I was taking either 800 mg or 1000 mg...the highest dosage available at any rate.) I couldn't figure out why I was bruising so easily! Then I realized, ah, it's the ASA!

I make the statements about aspirin to caution people. It is for the individual to determine the validity of any information they encounter, since I am not a doctor or affiliated with anyone who is.

so don't aspire to asprinate while in association

It is an indisputable fact that aspirin has the power to cause life threatening damage. Since I saw it happen to a friend of mine, after a doctor advised her to take aspirin every day, I took it upon myself to issue a caution. I did not tell anyone whether or not to take it. I will continue to add information (opinion) as often as it comes my way.

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27982&highlight=

This new thread may be of interest to readers of this topic.

In Croatia it's forbiden to give or prescribe aspirin to people younger then 16. I mean, not "aspirin a day" - no aspirin at all.

Edgar, I read that a recent large study (of nurses) indicates that two aspirins a week can lead to a more than 50% increase in pancreatic cancer. But another large study (also of nurses, I believe) suggests the opposite. That it can lead to a decrease in pancreative cancer, by more than 50%. Andrew Weil (my source) suggests that because of the benefits for the heart, colon and esophagus, which are much more prevalent than the relatively rare pancreatic cancer, we should not let the first study reported here drive us away from aspirin. I use it before playing the violin, together with an ice pack afterwards, to reduce or ward off inflamation to my damaged shoulder (rotator cuff syndrome with completely torn suprainatus tendon--please feel sorry for me).

Aspirin is my pain reliever of choice, jl, but I don't want to be a specimen for science. After they get it all sorted out I will decide what to use. Right now, I am fortunate in that I don't have to use pain medication to function. I have a painful bit of arthritis in my upper arms, but not so bad I can't take it. I try to correct it through the use of excercises, supplements and by eating as well as I can.

That's what I do also, Edgar. In addition I eat a lot ginger, tumeric and use ice packs for my shoulder problems (together with MSM and Glucosamine/Chondroitin), but today I did take Ibuprofen, with an ice pack, to reduce inflamation from playing the fiddle too long.

So happy to hear you're fiddling...

I once had a cortisone shot in one shoulder joint, but don't want to get any more.

Edgar -I juwst saw this thread and I read page 1 and 4. I hope your friend is ok. I was one of those "if a baby aswpirin is good, then 2 full sized aspirin are better" My doc set me strait and Im on a cherry flavored st Joseph aspirin a day. However , if you get a headache or muscle pain---do not take ibuprofen ,m as it will counter any benefit you derive from the aspirin regimen. Take an acetominophen instead. I know, tylenol has risk factors also.