The clot thickens

[Guest guest]

" WC Douglass " <realhealth

The clot thickens

Thu, 16 Jun 2005 08:59:00 -0400

 

 

The clot thickens

 

Take two aspirin and call them from the morgue

 

In much of the popular culture - including the media and mainstream

doctors' offices - ordinary, garden-variety aspirin has been elevated

to the status of " miracle drug " for the prevention of heart attacks.

This is nothing new. And according to these " experts, " aspirin fights

heart attacks by making the platelets (clotting agents) in your blood

less likely to bind together in clumps and clog up your arteries.

 

But some recent research on the subject proves what I've been saying

all along - that aspirin may not be such a good thing when it comes to

protecting your ticker.

 

Here's the scoop:

 

The University of Maryland Medical Center conducted a study of 56

randomly selected heart patients who were engaged in " aspirin therapy "

for the prevention of heart attacks. Of these subjects, 14 exhibited

EXCESSIVE platelet aggregation (clumping). But before you conclude

that 14 out of 56 isn't a bad ratio - after all, it's only 25% -

consider this:

 

Out of these 14, 9 (64%) had what their doctors considered " high

cholesterol. "

 

Why is this big news? Because what most doctors view as " high "

cholesterol is actually bordering on dangerously LOW levels of this

vital substance. I'm a firm believer in keeping blood cholesterol

levels OVER 200 - because your risk of stroke increases when it's lower.

 

In fact, I'd ignore cholesterol altogether unless it gets up over 300!

 

If the Maryland study holds true, it means that the effects of aspirin

on healthy, cholesterol-rich blood actually INCREASE the risk of

platelet " clumping " and heart attack! And this is not to mention the

heightened risk of deadly uncontrolled bleeding that comes with

excessive aspirin use...

 

Bottom line: Take aspirin only when something hurts. And if you're

worried about heart attacks (who isn't?), do what I do - take cod

liver oil twice daily. It worked for my grandma, and it's working for

me...

 

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