aspirin Archives - Amazing Health Advances

5-Steps to Relieve Tinnitus

The AHA! Team — Mon, 27 May 2024 08:03:23 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – My patient T.K. was a wreck. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. I asked him what was going on. “It’s nothing you can fix, doc,” he said. “I’ve been to three specialists, and they all told me the same thing… “I’ve got tinnitus, and I just have to live with it.” Luckily, I was able to help him. Tinnitus is an aggravating, nerve-racking, and unseen condition. The constant ringing in your ears robs you of sleep, makes you miserable as it drowns out your hearing, and, over time, makes you more prone to illness. Tinnitus also shatters your focus and concentration. Sadly, up to 25% of the U.S. population suffers from the condition.1 And that number skyrockets to up to 90% of people who are hearing-impaired. And standard medicine can’t do a darn thing to fix it. There’s no drug that cures tinnitus. But there are plenty of Big Pharma pills that can CAUSE it… The most common are analgesic drugs. These pain relievers are available by prescription and over the counter. Examples of analgesic painkillers include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories like Advil, Aleve, and Motrin; the acetaminophen in Tylenol, Excedrin, and NyQuil; and old-fashioned aspirin. But it’s not just painkillers that damage your ears. Blood pressure medications like ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, cancer drugs, and certain antibiotics can cause or worsen tinnitus. Anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants – Big Medicine’s “solution” to treat the symptoms – are known to actually increase the ringing in the ears.2 Another preventable cause of tinnitus is aspartame, the most common artificial sweetener on the market. Aspartame, which has been deemed safe by the FDA, is known as an “excitatory neurotransmitter.” It increases electrical activity in the brain, specifically in the auditory cortex. Use my 5-step protocol to relieve tinnitus For years, I’ve treated patients with a simple five-step protocol. Ditch your ear-damaging pain relievers. Taking an NSAID for the occasional aches and pain typically isn’t a problem. But if you find yourself reaching for one of these pills regularly, consider replacing it with a natural alternative… Tulsi (holy basil): This powerful adaptogen reduces inflammation. It also contains ursolic acid, which inhibits the production of the inflammatory COX-2 enzyme. I recommend taking 150 mg three times a day. Indian Frankincense — Indian Frankincense, also known as Boswellia, “significantly increases” both pain threshold and pain tolerance. Researchers even recommend it as a treatment for osteoarthritis.3 I suggest 400 mg three times a day. White Willow Bark. This plant contains salicin, the same compound found in aspirin. Studies show it relieves arthritis pain as well as lower back pain.4 I recommend 240 mg per day. Lower blood pressure with my favorite supplement. Studies show boosting CoQ10 can drop blood pressure an amazing 11 to 17 mmHg in systolic pressure and 8 to 10 mmHg in diastolic pressure.5 I recommend taking 100 mg daily until your blood pressure is controlled. At that point, you can drop to 60 mg. And make sure you take the ubiquinol form of CoQ10 – it’s the most potent. Protect your ears with omega-3. The Blue Mountain Hearing Study followed almost 3,000 people for eight years. The researchers found those with the highest intake of omega-3 had a 42% lower risk of hearing loss.6 I recommend taking 1,000 mg of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA each day. Look for a formula made from calamari oil. It has one of the highest concentrations of DHA available. Turn down the noise with ginkgo biloba. Over 40 clinical studies show ginkgo eases tinnitus. For example, one study had tinnitus patients take ginkgo or a placebo. After 12 weeks, the ginkgo group had reduced ringing.7 Take 80 mg three times a day. But make sure your ginkgo contains at least 24% “flavone glycosides” and 6% “terpene lactones.” Try this for trauma-related tinnitus. If your tinnitus was caused by exposure to loud noises, I recommend you use the brain-booster vinpocetine for relief. It’s widely used in Europe and Japan, but doctors in the Americas don’t know much about it. In one study, tinnitus disappeared in half of those who took it within one week of trauma. But even if you don’t take it right away, it can lessen the severity. Despite the time lapse since the trauma, 66% saw a significant decrease. I recommend 20 mg a day.8 To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD, CNS References: 1. Bhatt J, et al. “Tinnitus epidemiology: prevalence, severity, exposures and treatment patterns in the United States.” JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2016 Oct 1; 142(10): 959–965. 2. Tang Z and Trussell L. “Serotonergic modulation of sensory representation in a central multisensory circuit is pathway specific.” Cell Rep. 2017;20(8):1844-1854. 3. Yu G, et al. “Effectiveness of Boswellia and Boswellia extract for osteoarthritis patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” BMC Complement Ther Med. 2020:20(1). 4. Chrubasik S., et al. “Treatment of low back pain exacerbations with willow bark extract: A randomized double-blind study.” Am J Med. 2000. 5. Rosenfeldt FL, et al. “Coenzyme Q10 in the treatment of hypertension: a meta-analysis of the clinical trials.” J Hum Hypertens. 2007;21(4):297-306. 6. Gopinath B, et al. “Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids and fish and risk of age-related hearing loss.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2010; 92( 2): 416-421 7. Morgenstern C. et al., “The efficacy of Ginkgo special extract EGb 761 in patients with tinnitus.” Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2002; 40(5): 188-97. 8. Konopka W, et al. “Treatment results of acoustic trauma.” Otolaryngol Pol. 1997;51 Suppl 25:281-4. To read the original article click here.

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A Major Clinical Trial Shows How to Reduce the Risk of Stomach Bleeding Occasionally Caused by Regular Aspirin Use

AHA Publisher — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 08:00:23 +0000

University of Nottingham via Newswise – A new study, led by experts at the University of Nottingham found that the risk of stomach bleeding caused by using aspirin long-term, can be reduced with a short course of antibiotics, potentially improving the safety of aspirin when used to prevent heart attacks, strokes and possibly some cancers. The results of the .HEAT (Helicobacter pylori Eradication Aspirin) trial, which was led by Professor Chris Hawkey from the University of Nottingham’s School of Medicine and Nottingham Digestive Diseases Centre, and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Technology Assessment programme, are published in The Lancet. Aspirin in low doses is a very useful preventative drug in people at high risk of strokes or heart attacks. However, on rare occasions, it can provoke internal ulcer bleeding. By thinning the blood, aspirin makes ulcers in the stomach bleed. These ulcers may be caused by a particular type of bacteria, helicobacter pylori. The STAR (Simple Trials for Academic Research) team from the University of Nottingham investigated whether a short course of antibiotics to remove these bacteria would reduce the risk of bleeding in aspirin users. The .HEAT (Helicobacter pylori Eradication Aspirin) Trial was a very large trial conducted in 1,208 UK general practices. It was a real-life study which used clinical data routinely stored in GP and hospital records, instead of bringing patients back for follow up trial visits. The team wrote to 188,875 patients who were taking aspirin and 30,166 volunteered and took part in the study. Those who tested positive for H. pylori were randomised to receive antibiotics or placebos (dummy tablets) and were followed for up to 7 years. Over the first two and a half years, those who had antibiotic treatment were less likely to be admitted to hospital because of ulcer bleeding than those who had dummy tablets (6 versus 17). Protection occurred rapidly: with those who received placebos (dummy treatment), the first hospitalisation for ulcer bleeding occurred after 6 days, compared to 525 days following antibiotic treatment. Over a longer time period, protection appeared to wane. However, the overall rate of hospitalisation for ulcer bleeding was lower than expected and this in line with other evidence that ulcer disease is on the decline. Risks for people already on aspirin are low. Risks are higher when people first start aspirin, when searching for H. pylori and treating it is probably worthwhile. Professor Chris Hawkey said: “Aspirin has many benefits in terms of reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people at increased risk. There is also evidence that it is able to slow down certain cancers. The .HEAT trial is the largest UK-based study of its kind, and we are pleased that the findings have shown that ulcer bleeding can be significantly reduced following a one-week course of antibiotics. The long-term implications of the results are encouraging in terms of safe prescribing” The results of the trial will be presented at the UEG (United European Gastroenterology) scientific meeting in Vienna where it has won a 10,000 Euro top abstract prize. The STAR team intend to use the prize to sponsor a competition to support a collaboration with a research team that would like to take advantage of STAR methodology. To read the original article click here.

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Could Aspirin Intake Reduce Mortality Risk in COVID-19 Patients?

AHA Publisher — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 07:00:34 +0000

Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D. via News-Medical – Scientists from the Michigan State University, USA, have conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to compare mortality rate in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who are aspirin users or non-users. The Findings reveal that the use of aspirin is associated with a significant reduction in overall and in-hospital mortality rates. The study is currently available on the medRxiv* preprint server. Background As of July 13, 2021, globally, there have been 186 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 4 million deaths, registered to the World Health Organization. Although a significant proportion of COVID-19 patients remain asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic, the disease can cause severe complications in susceptible individuals, including older adults and persons with comorbidities. In severely affected in-hospital COVID-19 patients, an estimated mortality rate of 11.5% has been reported in a recent study. According to available literature, the pathogenesis of severe COVID-19 is associated with immune dysfunction, excessive inflammation, hypercoagulation, and cardiopulmonary thrombosis. Given these observations, the scientists in the current study have hypothesized that intake of aspirin may reduce the severity of COVID-19 through its anti-inflammatory, anti-thrombotic, and immunomodulatory effects. Study Design In the meta-analysis, the scientists included recently published as well as unpublished studies from the PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases that reported the effect of low-dose aspirin consumption on COVID-19 related mortality. The studies that specifically compared aspirin use with no aspirin use in COVID-19 patients and reported events of mortality were included in the meta-analysis. The primary aim of the analysis was to determine all-cause and in-hospital mortality rates. The scientists used Newcastle-Ottawa Scale to assess the quality of included studies. For each study, the scale provides a maximum of 9 points. A study with a score of 6 or higher is considered a high-quality publication with a low risk of bias. Important Observations From more than 900 initially included studies, the scientists finally selected five studies for the final qualitative and quantitative analyses. All selected studies were retrospective cohort studies, with four were on in-hospitalized COVID-19 patients, and one was on non-hospitalized patients. Based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale scores, four out of five studies were high quality, and one was low quality. In the final five studies, there were 6,797 participants in the aspirin group and 7,268 participants in the non-aspirin group. The pooled data from 5 studies revealed that aspirin intake is associated with a 53% reduction in all-cause mortality in COVID-19 patients. In the case of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, the analysis revealed that the use of aspirin is associated with a 49% reduction in in-hospital mortality. Study Significance The study highlights the potential importance of aspirin intake in reducing mortality risk among hospitalized and non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Apart from anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet effects, aspirin is known to have antiviral effects against seasonal and pathogenic coronaviruses, such as human coronavirus-229E and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Moreover, aspirin has been used as one of the therapeutic interventions in COVID-19 patients. As mentioned by the scientists, the current study has some limitations. Because of the non-availability of clinical trial data on aspirin, the current analysis has included only observational studies. Moreover, the majority of selected studies are single-centered studies conducted in the USA and China. Thus, the findings may not be generalized to the global population. To read the original article click here.

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Aspirin Use for Cardiovascular Disease May Reduce Likelihood of COVID-19 Infection

AHA Publisher — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 07:00:17 +0000

Bar-Ilan University via EurekAlert – Aspirin is an established, safe, and low-cost medication in long-standing common use in prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and in the past a pain relief and fever reducing medication. The use of aspirin was very popular during the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic, several decades before in-vitro confirmation of its activity against RNA viruses. Studies showed that aspirin, in addition to its well-known anti-inflammatory effects, could modulate the innate and adaptive immune responses helping the human immune system battle some viral infections. With this information in mind Israeli researchers hypothesized that pre-infection treatment with low-dose aspirin (75mg) use might have a potential beneficial effect on COVID-19 susceptibility and disease duration. A joint team from Leumit Health Services, Bar-Ilan University, and Barzilai Medical Center conducted an observational epidemiological study, utilizing data from Leumit Health Services, a national health maintenance organization in Israel. Their findings were recently published in The FEBS Journal. The researchers analyzed data of 10,477 persons who had been tested for COVID-19 during the first COVID-19 wave in Israel from February 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020. Aspirin use to avoid the development of cardiovascular diseases in healthy individuals was associated with a 29% lower likelihood of COVID-19 infection, as compared to aspirin non-users. The proportion of patients treated with aspirin was significantly lower among the COVID-19-positive individuals, as compared to the COVID-19-negative ones. And those subjects who had been treated with aspirin were less associated with the likelihood of COVID-19 infection than those who were not. Moreover, the group observed that the conversion time of SARS-CoV-2 PCR test results from positive to negative among aspirin-using COVID-positive patients was significantly shorter, and the disease duration was two-three days shorter, depending upon the patients’ pre-existing conditions. “This observation of the possible beneficial effect of low doses of aspirin on COVID-19 infection is preliminary but seems very promising,” says Prof. Eli Magen from the Barzilai Medical Center, who led the study. Study principal investigator Dr. Eugene Merzon, from Leumit Health Services, emphasizes the importance of repeating the study results using larger samples, and including patients from other hospitals and countries, to verify the results. Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern, of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University: “The present study sought to better understand the potential favorable effects of aspirin in aiding the human immune system battle COVID-19. We intend to investigate a larger cohort of patients and in randomized clinical trials.” To read the original article click here.

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Aspirin May Accelerate Progression of Advanced Cancers in Older Adults

AHA Publisher — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 07:00:54 +0000

Massachusetts General Hospital via EurekAlert – Results from a recent clinical trial indicate that for older adults with advanced cancer, initiating aspirin may increase their risk of disease progression and early death. The study, which was conducted by a binational team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the Berman Center in Minnesota, and Monash University in Australia, is published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Compelling evidence from clinical trials that included predominantly middle-aged adults demonstrates that aspirin may reduce the risk of developing cancer, especially colorectal cancer. Information is lacking for older adults, however. To provide insights, investigators designed and initiated the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial, the first randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of daily low-dose aspirin (100 mg) in otherwise healthy older adults. The study included 19,114 Australian and U.S. community-dwelling participants aged 70+ years (U.S. minorities 65+ years) without cardiovascular disease, dementia, or physical disability at the start of the study. Participants were randomized to aspirin or placebo and followed for a median of 4.7 years. In October 2018, the investigators published a very surprising and concerning report showing an association between aspirin use and an elevated risk of death, primarily due to cancer. The current report now provides a more comprehensive analysis of the cancer-related effects of aspirin in the ASPREE participants. “We conducted this study as a more detailed examination of the effect of aspirin on the development of cancer as well as death from cancer,” explained senior author Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH, Chief of the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at MGH, Director of Epidemiology at the MGH Cancer Center, and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Chan and his colleagues reported that 981 participants who were taking aspirin and 952 who were taking placebo developed cancer. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for developing cancer overall or for developing specific types of cancer. Aspirin was associated with a 19% higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer that had spread (or metastasized) and a 22% higher risk of being diagnosed with stage 4, or advanced, cancer, however. Also, among participants who were diagnosed with advanced cancer, those taking aspirin had a higher risk of dying during follow-up than those taking placebo. “Deaths were particularly high among those on aspirin who were diagnosed with advanced solid cancers, suggesting a possible adverse effect of aspirin on the growth of cancers once they have already developed in older adults,” said Dr. Chan. He added that the findings suggest the possibility that aspirin might act differently, at the cellular or molecular level, in older people, which requires further study. Notably, the vast majority of the study participants did not previously take aspirin before age 70. “Although these results suggest that we should be cautious about starting aspirin therapy in otherwise healthy older adults, this does not mean that individuals who are already taking aspirin–particularly if they began taking it at a younger age–should stop their aspirin regimen,” Dr. Chan added. To read the original article click here.

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How to Get the Benefits of Aspirin Without the Risks

AHA Publisher — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 08:00:20 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – For people without a personal history of cardiovascular disease, aspirin’s risks may outweigh its benefits, but aspirin may have additional benefits. “We have long recognized the preventative role of daily aspirin for patients with atherosclerotic [heart] disease; however, it now appears that we can hatch 2 birds from 1 egg. Daily low-dose aspirin may help prevent certain forms of cancer, as well, as I discuss in my video Should We All Take Aspirin to Prevent Cancer? In an analysis of eight different studies involving more than 25,000 people, “the authors found a 20 percent decrease in risk of death from cancer among those randomized to daily aspirin…” The researchers wrote, “[T]he search for the most efficacious and safe treatments for malignant disease remains an enormous and burdensome challenge. If only we could just stop cancer in its tracks—prevent it before it strikes. Perhaps we can.” Indeed, perhaps we can with salicylic acid, the plant phytonutrient that’s marketed as aspirin. How does aspirin affect cancer? The Nobel Prize for Medicine was awarded to the team who discovered how aspirin works. Enzymes named COX (cyclooxygenase) take the pro-inflammatory, omega-6, fatty-acid arachidonic acid our body makes or we get directly in our diet (primarily from eating chicken and eggs), and turns it into inflammatory mediators, such as thromboxane, which produces thrombosis (clots), and prostaglandins, which cause inflammation. Aspirin suppresses these COX enzymes. Less thromboxane means fewer clots, and less prostaglandin means less pain, swelling, and fever. However, prostaglandins can also dilate the lymphatic vessels inside tumors, allowing cancer cells to spread. So, one way cancer tries to kill us is by boosting COX activity. We think one way aspirin can prevent cancer is by counteracting the tumor’s attempts to pry open the lymphatic bars on its cage and spread throughout the body. Indeed, reduction in mortality due to some cancers occurred within two to three years after aspirin was started. That seems too quick to be accounted for by an effect only on tumor formation . Cancer can take decades to develop, so the only way aspirin could work that fast is by suppressing the growth and spread of tumors that already exist. Aspirin appeared to cut the risk of metastases in half, particularly for adenocarcinomas, like colon cancer. Given this, should we all take a daily baby aspirin? Previous risk-benefit analyses did not consider the effects of aspirin on cancer, instead just balancing cardiovascular benefits with bleeding risks, but these new cancer findings may change things. If daily aspirin use were only associated with a reduction of colon cancer risk, then the benefits might not outweigh the harms for the general population, but we now have evidence that it works against other cancers, too. “[E]ven a 10% reduction in overall cancer incidence…could tip the balance” in favor of benefits over risks. How does the cancer benefit compare? We know that using aspirin in healthy people just for cardiovascular protection is kind of a wash, but, by contrast, the cancer prevention rates might save twice as many lives, so the benefits may outweigh the risks. If we put it all together—heart attacks, strokes, cancer, and bleeding—aspirin comes out as protective overall, potentially extending our lifespan. There is a higher risk of major bleeding even on low-dose aspirin, but there are fewer heart attacks, clotting strokes, and cancers. So, overall, aspirin may be beneficial. It’s important to note that the age categories in that study only went up to 74 years, though. Why? Because the “risk of bleeding on aspirin increases steeply with age,” so the balance may be tipped the other way at 75 years and older. But, in younger folks, these data certainly have the research community buzzing. “The emerging evidence on aspirin’s cancer protection highlights an exciting time for cancer prevention…” “In light of low-dose aspirin’s ability to reduce mortality from both vascular events and cancer to a very notable degree, it is tempting to recommend this measure…for most healthy adults…However, oral aspirin, even in low doses, has a propensity to damage the gastroduodenal mucosa [linings of our stomachs] and increase risk for gastrointestinal bleeding; this fact may constrain health authorities from recommending aspirin use for subjects deemed to be at low cardiovascular risk”—that is, for the general population. “Recent meta-analyses estimate that a year of low-dose aspirin therapy will induce major gastrointestinal bleeding (requiring hospitalization) in one subject out of 833…” If only there were a way to get the benefits without the risks. Those who remember my video Aspirin Levels in Plant Foods already know there is. The aspirin phytonutrient salicylic acid isn’t just found in willow trees, but throughout the plant kingdom, from blackberries and white onions to green apples, green beans, and beyond. This explains why the active ingredient in aspirin is found normally in the bloodstream even in people not taking aspirin. The levels of aspirin in people who eat fruits and vegetables are significantly higher than the levels of those who don’t. If we drink just one fruit smoothie, our levels rise within only 90 minutes. But, one smoothie isn’t going to do it, of course. We need to have regular fruit and vegetable consumption every day. Are these kinds of aspirin levels sufficient to suppress the expression of the inflammatory enzyme implicated in cancer growth and spread, though? Using umbilical cord and foreskin cells—where else would researchers get human tissue?—they found that even those low levels caused by smoothie consumption significantly suppressed the expression of this inflammatory enzyme on a genetic level. Since this aspirin phytonutrient is made by plants, we might expect plant-eaters to have higher levels. Indeed, not only did researchers find higher blood levels in vegetarians, but there was an overlap between people taking aspirin pills. Some vegetarians had the same level in their blood as people actually taking aspirin. Vegetarians may pee out as much of the active metabolite of aspirin as those who take aspirin do, simply because vegetarians eat so many fruits and vegetables. “Because the anti-inflammatory action of aspirin is probably the result of SA [salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin], and the concentrations of SA seen in vegetarians have been shown to inhibit [that inflammatory enzyme] COX-2 in vitro, it is plausible that dietary salicylates may contribute to the beneficial effects of a vegetarian diet, although it seems unlikely that most [omnivores] will achieve sufficient dietary intake of salicylates to have a therapeutic effect.” Aspirin can chew away at our gut. With all that salicylic acid flowing through their systems, plant-eaters must have higher ulcer rates, right? No. Both vegetarian women and men appear to have a significantly lower risk of ulcers. So, for the general population, by eating plants instead of taking aspirin, we may not only get the benefits without the risks, we can get the benefits with even more benefits. How is this possible? In plants, the salicylic acid can come naturally pre-packaged with gut-protective nutrients. For example, nitric oxide from dietary nitrates exerts stomach-protective effects by boosting blood flow and protective mucus production in the lining of the stomach—“effects which demonstrably oppose the pro-ulcerative impact of aspirin and other NSAIDs.” The researcher notes that while “[d]ark green leafy vegetables…are among the richest dietary sources of nitrate…it may be unrealistic to expect people to eat ample servings of these every day,” so we should just give people pills with their pills, but I say we should just eat our greens. People who’ve had a heart attack should follow their physician’s advice, which probably includes taking aspirin every day, but what about everyone else? I think everyone should take aspirin—but in the form of produce, not a pill. This article has been modified. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Greger click here.

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Dangers of Taking Aspirin Daily

AHA Publisher — Wed, 23 Oct 2019 07:00:13 +0000

Al Sears, MD, CNS – Medical authorities recommend aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Even if you have no history of heart attacks or heart disease. Taking one for a headache once in a while isn’t a big deal. But aspirin is a drug. And chronic, long-term use of any drug — including aspirin — can have serious consequences for your health. Especially when recent studies are showing that a daily aspirin regimen doesn’t help prevent heart attacks or stroke at all. Medical authorities recommend aspirin to prevent a heart attack or stroke. Even if you have no history of heart attacks or heart disease. Taking one for a headache once in a while isn’t a big deal. But aspirin is a drug. And chronic, long-term use of any drug — including aspirin — can have serious consequences for your health. Especially when recent studies are showing that a daily aspirin regimen doesn’t help prevent heart attacks or stroke at all. No Benefits from Aspirin Overuse In 2018, three major clinical trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine found few benefits and consistent digestive-tract bleeding risks associated with daily aspirin use for people at low and moderate risk of a heart attack.1,2,3 For those ages 70 and over, the rate of death from any cause was actually higher in those who used aspirin daily. But clearly the word hasn’t gotten out. According to a brand-new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, no fewer than 29 million American adults age 40 and older still take an aspirin a day — despite having no known heart disease.4 About 6.6 million of them do so on their own — without a doctor recommending it. And nearly half of people over age 70 with no heart disease — about 10 million — take daily aspirin for prevention. Related Articles: Heart Health: The Hadza Heart Secret You Need Today The Best Food for Slowing Your Resting Heart Rate Heart-Healthy Alternatives to Aspirin When my patients ask me about taking aspirin — and it’s one of the most common questions I’m asked — I tell them about safer, more natural ways they can begin boosting their heart health. • Lower homocysteine with B vitamins. Homocysteine, a naturally produced amino acid, is a strong predictor of heart disease and stroke. If you don’t know your homocysteine level, have it checked with a simple blood test. A level above 10.4 mM/L is abnormally high; a level of below 7 is good. You can easily lower homocysteine with a daily B vitamin supplement. I recommend vitamin B6 (75 mg), vitamin B12 (400 mcg) and folic acid (800 mcg). • Add “nature’s aspirin.” Meadowsweet is a plant-based anti-inflammatory that works to quell inflammation, the leading cause of heart disease and other chronic diseases. In fact, aspirin was created by studying salicylates and other compounds naturally contained in meadowsweet. I like to prepare a meadowsweet tea using 4 g to 6 g of the dried herb, taken 3 times daily. • Supplement with heart-healthy CoQ10. Organ meats, wild-caught fatty fish and grass-finished beef, chicken and pork contain the most CoQ10. It’s difficult to obtain optimal levels of CoQ10 from food alone, so I recommend taking a supplement. Make sure it contains PPQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone), which triggers your body to increase the number of mitochondria in your cells, as well as the ubiquinol form of CoQ10, which is eight times more powerful than the ubiquinone form. Take 30 mg a day for healthy adults over 30, and 60 mg a day for those over 60. To Your Good Health, Al Sears, MD References 1. McNeil JJ, et al. “Effect of aspirin on disability-free survival in the healthy elderly.” N Engl J Med. 2018;379:1499-1508. 2. McNeil JJ, et al. “Effect of aspirin on all-cause mortality in the healthy elderly.” N Engl J Med. 2018;379:1519-1528. 3. McNeil JJ, et al. “Effect of aspirin on cardiovascular events and bleeding in the healthy elderly.” N Engl J Med. 2018;379:1509-1518. 4. O’Brien CW, et al. “Prevalence of aspirin use for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in the United States: Results from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey.” Ann Intern Med. 2019 Jul 23. To read the original article click here. For more articles by Al Sears, MD click here.

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