End the once-a-day nonsense for good

If you’re taking an aspirin every day for some imagined heart benefit, I need to ask you one question.

Why?

The latest research confirms what I’ve been telling you all along: The aspirin-a-day belief is little more than a medical superstition – something repeated by many, but with no real basis in fact. You may as well hang an old horseshoe over the door – it’ll help you about as much.

The newest study really caught my attention when it was presented in August at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. It involved 3,350 healthy men and women tracked over an average of 8.2 years. Some were given that old aspirin-a-day approach, while the rest got a placebo.

The researchers found that aspirin made no difference in preventing artery or heart disease in healthy patients – but it did lead to an increased risk of stomach bleeding, one of the notorious and painful side effects of regular aspirin use.

All painkillers – even aspirin – can cause quite a bit of pain of their own when you take them regularly. Many folks use aspirin so often that they forget that this is a powerful drug with significant side effects.

I’ve already told you about some of the problems of daily aspirin use.  Aspirin works by poisoning your hormonal fats. Some of these fats are bad to begin with, and that’s why you may get some short-term benefits from taking it.

But the other fats are good and necessary – and every time you take an aspirin, you poison those, too.

So those gastrointestinal problems are just the beginning when it comes to aspirin. This over-the-counter med can lead to worsening allergy and asthma conditions. And although it’s an anti-inflammatory drug, aspirin can actually have the opposite effect when used daily. Regular aspirin use can lead to swelling in the lungs, sinuses and joints.

That’s right – every time you take an aspirin to fight the swelling in your joints, you risk making the real problem worse. That’s why when you take an aspirin, you often get a little relief for a period of time, then need to take even more once it wears off – and, over time, a higher dose.

If you really want to lower you risk for artery and heart disease, start by eating right. That means avoiding carbs and other low-fat, high-sugar foods.

Then, try that real once-a-day wonder drug: a little bit of exercise.