As a young woman, I went to a wonderful revue
called “At the Drop of a Hat”, with a lot of very English Humor. I never
forgot Michael Flanders’ remark “all I know about babies is, that if you put
one in a bath and it turns red, the water is too hot for your elbow”.
So what? Well, I always remember this when I
hear people being warned not to take Garlic, Tomatoes, Fish Liver Oil, or
Ginkgo, Chamomile, or Vitamin E, or Bromelain, or Nattokinase (or whichever
of the other natural remedies that also has blood thinning properties), along
with their aspirin or coumadin/warfarin.
I'll say one thing,
at least ceasing to take the nutrients on the list above will not CAUSE a heart
attack, whereas recent French studies (Dr. Emile Ferrari, of University Hospital
Pasteur in Nice, France) have found that of 1236 patients who were in hospital
fir cardiovascular related conditions, 51 had heart attacks or other severe
events within one week or less of stopping the aspirin. If you start
taking aspirin, prepare to take it for life, and just hope that you don't need
surgery or dental work in the meantime!
Before we consider that warning, first, let us
also consider the fact that science is no longer the pillar of disinterested
research it once was: to quote the New York Times—”rare is the
disinterested researcher.” Quoting again (Krimsky of Tufts University
according to Creedon of the Utne Reader) “a private company will probably
buy an entire university some day; in the meantime, it’s one professor at a
time.” He's not far off, considering that Harvard Medical School
is considering loosening its regulations governing the financial ties between
faculty researchers and private drug companies, a process whose outcome could
help set the tenor and pace of medical research here and around the country for
years to come. Strangely enough. this policy review comes at a time when
three of the big drug makers are moving significant portions of their research
operations to the Boston area, hoping proximity to Harvard's world-leading
medical school will result in new, profit-making drugs.
Next, let’s take into account the fact
that, according to a 1999 study from the Inst. of Medicine, National Academy of
Sciences, the number of patients who die annually from medical errors ranges
from 44 to 98 thousand. Thirdly, bear in mind that “much, if not most, of
contemporary medical practice still lacks a scientific foundation” (Dr.
Grimes, San Francisco School of Medicine) Incidentally, we don't hear the
aspirin manufacturers warning us that aspirin blocks the entry of Vitamin C into
cells which could potentially mean a deficiency of Vitamin C at the cellular
level - in my opinion a serious problem.
To recapitulate, much of the advice we are
receiving from the medical world is the result of questionably honorable
research results, riddled with errors, perhaps not supported by irrefutable
evidence , and muddled further by profit motives.
Consider also the research suggesting an increase
in pancreatic cancer
(http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24993) with aspirin use, and Dr. William's claim that it increases
the risk of macular degeneration. http://www.drdavidwilliams.com/order/new_health_breakthroughs/page_7.asp
I recently came across some facts about the
original research done on aspirin which reinforces these facts. The authors of
the 1988 report concluded by saying that the public should not start
taking aspirin to prevent heart disease. Anybody hear about that
conclusion? I don't think so! Why? Because the results were
incompletely reported in the Press, and the large manufacturers of aspirin began
immediately to capitalize on them.
What the Press omitted from their
reports:
1) Male physicians who had already
had a heart attack or stroke or cancer were excluded from the study,
as were those already taking aspirin, or intolerant to it.
2) The study group was not representative of the average American
male: for example, 29% of American men smoke, but only 11% of those
in the study did.
3) 2 newspapers left out the finding that more strokes
occurred in the treatment group. Only 2 news stories in all
warned readers of the consequences of aspirin use, i.e. stroke,
gastrointestinal problems and bleeding. Nowhere did they
mention a New England Journal of Medicine article where
British Doctors found that aspirin had noeffect on
heart attacks, but increasedstrokes.
In fact, you might say, don't take aspirin,
drink cocoa! Or
dark beer! - http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3266819.stm
Dr. Norman K. Hollenberg, of Harvard Medical School in Boston,
reported that Kuna Amerinds, an indigenous group residing in isolated islands
off the coast of Central America, have a high salt intake but do not experience
increasingly high BP with age. However, when Kuna natives migrate to urban
areas, they develop hypertension that is unrelated to obesity.
It turns out that indigenous Kuna consume an average of 5
cups of relatively unprocessed cocoa per day. The renal plasma flow and GFR,
as well as urinary nitrate-to-nitrite ratio, are higher in indigenous Kuna than
in their counterparts who move to urban areas, a pattern consistent with nitric
oxide synthase action.
Dr. Hollenberg's team tested cocoa levels in residents of
Boston and found that renal plasma flow and GFR increased following consumption
of the flavonol-rich cocoa.
Further supporting the vascular effect of a nitric oxide
mechanism were the findings reported by Dr. Carl L. Keen of the University of
California at Davis. His team's research, presented for the first time here at
the AAAS, compared the effects of low-dose aspirin and a flavonol-rich cocoa
drink. The reduced platelet aggregation was similar in both test arms.
"We saw lower concentrations of lipid peroxides and
malonaldehyde after subjects drank the cocoa," Dr. Keen told Reuters
Health. "These findings suggest that flavonol increases the body's
oxidative defense, and does so with a mechanism different from that of
aspirin."
Or consider the research on an extract of fermented soy
called nattokinase. It
would appear that persistent inflammation (triggered by viruses, bacteria and
even toxins) causes the formation of a protein called FIBRIN,
which is implicated in blood clots. A Dr. Sumi, in Japan, has recently made
the discovery that an enzyme in a food called NATTO can block this
process, and actually resolve thrombi. It also decreases the viscosity
of the blood, and of course, thicker blood means higher blood pressure and
more work for the heart. It goes without saying that this cannot be
used by people with bleeding problems, and only under the care of a health
professional if you are already on blood thinners.
Now let's look at a study funded by the
manufacturers of the drug Celebrex (Celecoxib). This study is designed to
prove that Cox2 inhibitors are safer than NSAIDS, and it appears to do just
that. The 8000 odd patients who were taking part in the trial were allowed to
continue using aspirin for cardiovascular protection.
The result? Patients using Celebrex +
aspirin had a 450% INCREASE in gastrointestinal complications. Patients
using NSAIDS + aspirin had a 335% increase.
The kicker? The authors of the study noted
“no difference was noted in the incidence of cardiovascular events between
Celecoxib and NSAIDS, irrespective of aspirin use ." (Lynn: my
italics). I am grateful to Dr. Mercola for this information, and would like to
add his comment: “although this study seems to show that Cox-2 inhibitors
cause less GI complications, even more clinically important is that fact that
this study shows both the dangers of aspirin use AND its ineffectiveness in
preventing heart disease. “ Dr. Mercola’s newsletter can be found at www.mercola.com.
Since then, it has been discovered that the
data in this study was misleadingly presented, and Celebrex is no safer than
aspirin as far as stomach bleeding and ulcers are concerned. Dr.
Mercola's comments about greed are particularly apt.
Researchers in
England ( the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield) analyzed 4
international trial involving 48,000 subjects, and concluded the
following
While taking aspirin reduced the risk of a
first time heart attack by one third, it raised the risk of
gastrointestinal bleeding and hemorrhage by 70%. They recommend analyzing
a person's risk for heart attack, and if it falls in the 5 to 15% range over a
10 year period, aspirin therapy might be worthwhile. But for those whose risk
is below 5%, aspirin is not only not recommended,
but might do more harm than good. It is more
effective for such people to avoid smoking and adjust their diet to include
more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Sounds startlingly like common sense!
Consider also the problem of aspirin
resistance .Anywhere from 5 t0 40% of those using aspirin are
"resistant" to its effects in blood clotting. This is not
tested for by most Doctors, and it should be - because the consequences of using
it when you shouldn't are pretty dire. Studeis show that resistamt people
using aspirin have a HIGHER RATE of heart attacks and strokes than non-aspirin
users.
So, which would you
rather have?
A heart attack or a stroke?
A researcher at Duke University finished a study of 51,000
+ women and 44,000+ men in 2005, none of which had previously had a heart
attack. They were given either aspirin or a placebo.
Men - less heart attacks but more
strokes
Women - fewer strokes but more
heart attacks.
PLUS - aspirin increased the risk
of "major bleeding" - from potentially life-threatening
stomach or intestinal ulcers -- by 70% for both men and women.
Conclusion? (Theirs, not mine )
At the cost of a small but potentially life-threatening risk of "major
bleeding events" -- mostly stomach or intestinal ulcers -- men and women
each get a small but potentially life-saving benefit from daily aspirin.
Back to where we started: for those of us
who are disinclined to fool around with the stuff that turns the baby red, why
not take care of the elbow with Natto, Garlic, tomatoe**s or Fish Liver
Oil, or Ginkgo— all natural substances that have additional benefits,
rather than risks.
** A 2004
Australian study of 20 adults with type 2 diabetes, ages 42 to 82, found
that drinking a cup of tomato juice daily for 3 weeks had a blood-thinning
effect, reducing the stickiness of platelets--the matrix of blood clots--by
27 percent. Prevention
Magazine - http://www.prevention.com
Keywords:
blood thinner cocoa, blood thinners, aspirin natural blood thinners,
bromelain platelet aggregation, cocoa platelet aggregation, cocoa
hypertension, natto k blood thinner, nattokinase blood thinner, the
vitamin lady writes about natural blood thinners
Vioxx
and Congestive Heart Failure - http://intapp.medscape.com/px/medlineapp/getdoc?ord=11&searchid=1&have_local_holdings_file=1&local_journals_only=0&searchstring=vioxx+chf
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