The “benign” drug that could kill you

I’ve always been suspicious of aspirin. I just don’t think it’s as benign as mainstream medicine wants us all to believe. In fact, I don’t think it would ever pass the scrutiny of the FDA if it were up for approval today. And a new study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association proves my point.

This study showed that the benefits of aspirin for preventing heart attack and stroke are relatively small. And any benefit it does have is easily offset by the increased risk of hemorrhage. In fact, in this study, aspirin use was significantly associated with an increased risk of major gastrointestinal or cerebral bleeding episodes.

Those at higher risk for bleeding while on aspirin include: those with gastrointestinal problems, increasing age, males, and people with hypertension and previous cardiovascular problems. Hmmm…that pretty much sums up the list of people who mainstream medicine thinks should be taking aspirin on a daily basis.

Aspirin deceases your blood’s ability to clot for 72 hours. If you take it every day, that side effect is essentially permanent. So what happens if you fall or get into an accident? Even a simple cut or bruise can become catastrophic if you’re on aspirin.

As I’ve said before, I do think that people should always carry one or two aspirin around with them, just in case. Because if you have a sudden heart attack, aspirin can save your life. But other than this one instance, you should avoid aspirin at all costs.

Of course, in Europe they stopped recommending aspirin for heart attack prevention based on the unfavorable risk-to-benefit ratio. Yet America–which spends more money per capita on health care than any other country–is the last to pay attention to any of the negative studies on aspirin.

Taken on a regular basis, this is one more “benign” drug that just may kill you.

Source:
“Association of aspirin use with major bleeding in patients with and without diabetes.” JAMA 2012; 307(21): 2,286-2,294