Everything good has its downsides even when it comes to medication, because too much of a good thing is bad.
You might have heard of aspirin therapy and how it is important to have a low daily dose of aspirin to prevent certain illnesses. Be that as it may, you have to be careful not to harm yourself in the process.
The Mayo Clinic states that aspirin therapy can be used in two ways: primary prevention and secondary prevention.
Primary prevention: The clinic mentions that if you use aspirin for primary prevention, you have never experienced a heart attack or stroke, coronary bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty with stent placement. “You’ve never had blocked arteries in your neck, legs or other parts of the body.” It states that primary prevention means that you take aspirin every day to avoid these cardiac attacks.
Secondary prevention: This prevention indicates a history of heart attack or stroke, or a known condition involving the heart or blood vessels, according to the clinic mentioned above. “You’re taking a daily aspirin to prevent heart attacks or strokes.”
Pros
Good for cardio diseases: According to the Johns Hopkins Medicine publication, aspirin helps prevent blood clots from developing in addition to treating inflammation, fever, and discomfort.
It is explained that blood clots, the primary cause of strokes and heart attacks, occur when an arterial wall plaque (made up of cholesterol and other materials) bursts and your body tries to stop the bleeding by forming a clot. “When arteries are already narrowed by the buildup of plaque, a clot can block a blood vessel and stop the flow of blood to the brain or heart.”
The publication further states that aspirin reduces the blood’s capacity to coagulate into clots by concentrating on the tiniest blood cells in the body called platelets. “They bind together when they encounter damaged blood vessels. While aspirin’s ‘blood thinning’ quality can prevent heart attacks and strokes, it also can put you at higher risk for other harmful events.”
Brain health: The Supernutritious publication mentions that aspirin, which is frequently used to treat headaches, blocks the COX-2 enzyme, which prevents prostaglandin from being produced. By dissolving memory-related proteins, aspirin is said to also enhance memory and cognitive function and lower the chance of Alzheimer’s disease by as much as 55%.
Reduces breast cancer chances: Studies have shown that regular aspirin use may reduce the growth and spread of breast cancer cells, states the nutrition publication above. Additionally, it is stated that low dosages of aspirin have been proven to lower the risk by 30%, “Large amounts of aspirin regularly can have serious, detrimental, reoccurring effects on your health.”
Appropriate for babies: Supernutruious further states that pregnant women can benefit from low-dose aspirin by encouraging a safe delivery and avoiding preeclampsia. “Also, when pregnant you should never take regular-strength aspirin.”
Cons
These risks are suggested by the Mayo Clinic:
Stroke: “While daily aspirin can help prevent a clot-related stroke, it may increase the risk of a bleeding stroke. A bleeding stroke also is called a hemorrhagic stroke.”
Bleeding in the stomach: Daily aspirin increases the risk of stomach ulcers and can worsen bleeding from gastrointestinal bleeding or bleeding ulcers, states the Mayo Clinic.
Allergic response: According to the above clinic, any aspirin dosage might cause a severe allergic response if you have an aspirin allergy.
The Medical News Today published claims that other disadvantages of taking aspirin daily include chances of having asthma, and liver or kidney diseases.
Also see: Here’s how you can protect yourself from winter allergies
