Dear Health Conscious Reader,
Is your doctor telling you to take an aspirin for your heart?
If so, you may be putting your life at risk.
Aspirin is fine for the occasional headache, or to take while you are having a heart attack, but NOT as a daily preventive medication.
Yet each day nearly 50 million Americans take an aspirin, hoping to prevent a heart attack.
I’ve never been a fan of using daily doses of drugs to prevent disease. Especially when there are safe, natural alternatives. And this new information about aspirin confirms my beliefs.
A new Scottish study reveals that aspirin has no effect on preventing strokes, coronary and vascular events. Even worse, daily aspirin use increases internal bleeding.
In other words, taking aspirin daily won’t save you from a heart attack.
But “daily aspirin therapy” is the medical marketing idea that just won’t die, no matter how many people do. Here are just a few of its clinically-proven dangers:
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Stroke
- Major abdominal bleeding
- Ulcers
- Cataracts
- Pancreatic cancer
- Kidney failure
Fortunately, there are natural alternatives to aspirin that really work. Some have been around since the B.C. era. So consider the wisdom of our ancestors before taking your next aspirin.
White willow bark is the original aspirin. It comes from a tree native to Europe and Asia. The medicinal use of willow bark dates back to the ancient Egyptians who took advantage of its anti-inflammatory power.
Even the so-called “father of medicine,” the ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates, had his patients chew on white willow bark to reduce fever and inflammation.
Here’s why it works. White willow bark contains salicin, the same curative compound found in aspirin. But there’s a big difference.
White willow bark won’t upset your stomach. It won’t cause bleeding in your GI tract. Your body first has to extract the salicin from the plant’s natural fibers, slowing its release into your system. White willow bark stays in your system longer and provides lasting relief.
And here’s a convenient way to enjoy the healing benefits of white willow bark. You can reduce inflammation by drinking white willow tea. You’ll find it in health and nutrition stores. Try a cup after breakfast and at bedtime.
Plus, there are plenty of ways to lower your risk of heart attack without taking aspirin. Here’s what I recommend to avoid aspirin and do something healthy for your heart:
- Get proper exercise. My PACE program is a great example. It protects your heart, pumps up your lung volume and burns fat in just minutes a day.
- Supplement with Accel each day. CoQ10 has well-documented benefits for the heart. Accel, which is 8 times more bioavailable than regular CoQ10, is a heart-healthy powerhouse. My new formula includes the power of tocotrienols (the right Vitamin E), so it stays in your system longer for better heart health. It’s the only supplement I take each day.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
- Murphy, Sabina A. “Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis,” (AAA — Presented at ESC 2009). Aug. 30, 2009, http://www.cardiosource.com/clinicaltrials/trial.asp?trialID=1853