The Ups And Downs Of Aspirin
Aspirin is a medicine that, at first, was extracted from the European plant Spiraea ulmaria. Today, more than a hundred years after its discovery, aspirin has a vast track record.
However, its effects have not been fully discovered yet. Every year, new benefits of the drug are revealed, which is now synthetically produced.
Aspirin, in fact, purely acetylsalicylic acid, brings health benefits that surpass its merely analgesic behavior.
Aspirin Benefits
Alzheimer’s in the crosshairs
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience pointed to a reduction in a degenerative brain disease, Alzheimer’s disease, which is still incurable. Unexpectedly, taking one pill a day reduced the risk of the disease among the elderly by 23%.
In addition, this medication points to another advantage: it reduces the possibility of loss of reasoning and memory among elderly people. Something to consider.
Fighting bowel cancer
Researches, such as the one published by Thun MJ, Namboodiri MM, Calle EE, Flanders WD, Heath CW Jr (1993) , show that acetylsalicylic acid is responsible for a 25% reduction in the possibility of developing bowel cancer.
The use of this medicine reduces the number of intestinal polyps that are the basis for the formation of malignant cells.
other types of cancer
In addition, aspirin activates the efficiency of the AMPK enzyme throughout the human body. In this way, it inhibits the growth of cancer cells, as proven in the research by Thun MJ, Henley SJ, Patron C (2002).
It’s also good for the heart
Acetylsalicylic acid applied to infarcted people 24 hours after the event has the post-infarction death rate reduced by 23%.
stroke reduction
Aspirin use similarly benefits patients at risk for stroke. The acid is very effective in reducing platelet aggregation, which clump together, form clots and trigger stroke.
This is because, when taking aspirin, the patient has thinned blood. Aspirin also causes enlargement of the size of veins, arteries and capillaries.
We also recommend reading: 5 powerful ways to prevent dementia
Diabetics take a ride
Diabetes is a disease characterized by the low production of insulin by the pancreas, which leads to an above-optimal increase in blood glucose. Therefore, it is a disease that causes serious damage to the circulatory and urinary systems. Aspirin decreases the side effects of the disease in the human body.
how to take aspirin
The recommendation is that the patient chew the tablet and throw it under the tongue, where the drug absorption is faster. It is no accident that acetylsalicylic acid is recommended for patients with heart attacks.
Aspirin contraindications
Making continuous use of the drug without a prescription can make the headache (headache) transient, something chronic.
In addition, as with any medication, there are contraindications and side effects, be aware of them:
– This medicine can cause gastrointestinal diseases, nausea, vomiting, bleeding, ulcers and worse, perforation of the digestive system can also occur .
These generally toxic effects appear when the drug concentration in the blood is greater than 400 ml/L. That is, its use must be done with moderation and medical advice and not indiscriminately.
– It is contraindicated in cases of dengue and hemophilia, as it interferes with blood clotting, thus, a simple dengue can become hemorrhagic after using AAS.
And also contraindicated in cases of chickenpox, patients with this condition who use the drug can develop Reye’s Syndrome, a disease with flu symptoms that affects all organs of the body, especially the brain and liver.
Regardless of your health case, the medical benefits of acetylsalicylic acid should not excite you to the point of self-medicating. Always seek medical advice to consume this or any other medication.
Image 1 offered by DiegoSalcido.
Image 2 offered by rafaelkato.