Not logged in
New study pushes aspirin for all
By Dr. William Campbell Douglass on 12/25/2010
Let's get real here: No matter what you've heard, there's no sane reason to take an aspirin every day -- and the latest headlines don't change that.
Researchers are giddy over a new study that shows aspirin might reduce cancer deaths. They've even pronounced it a "miracle drug" and "the most amazing drug in the world," which ties in quite nicely with Bayer's "wonder drug" ad campaign.
Miracles and wonders? Get real. That's not medicine -- that's sideshow hucksterism if I've ever heard it.
And the "most amazing" part of this isn't that aspirin can lower cancer risk -- it's that all this excitement is over an analysis of studies that weren't even designed to measure cancer risk.
Nope!
But let's play along here for a moment: In an analysis of eight trials designed to measure the effects of aspirin on cardiovascular risk (see?), researchers found that patients who popped the pills every day had a 21 percent lower risk of cancer.
And the longer they swallowed those pills, the lower the risk. Five years of aspirin therapy appeared to lower the risk of cancer death by a third. It even seemed to lower the risk of cancers of the digestive tract by 54 percent, according to the study in The Lancet.
More aspirin insanity
The docs aren't sure WHY aspirin seems to protect against cancer -- but, oh heck, let's throw out words like "miracle" and "amazing" and urge people to take it every single day anyway.
Why get hung up in the details, or worry about the side effects -- from severe bleeding to hemorrhagic stroke -- that send thousands of aspirin users to the hospital each year?
When pressed, the researchers say they THINK aspirin's powers might come from its anti-inflammatory properties... but they're not too interested in exploring that one further, and here's why: You can reduce the inflammation that causes disease, right now, without drugs.
My Great Grandma Bell -- Dr. Lucy Bell to the rest of the world -- was on to the secret generations ago when she recommended four spoons of cod liver oil a day.
Now, it's more commonly sold as fish oil capsules, which I guess sounds a little more pleasant than cod liver oil. They're also a lot easier to swallow than Great Grandma Bell's dreaded spoons-o-fish -- and modern research confirms that these essential fatty acids are among the most powerful anti-inflammatories in nature.
And, yes -- miracles and wonders! -- studies have linked fish oil to lower cancer risk.
Printer-friendly versionAbout the author
William Campbell Douglass I.I., M.D. has been called "the conscience of modern medicine."
You can sign up for his "Daily Dose" at DouglassReport.com.
Email this Article
Comments
RDK
Dear Dr. William Campbell Douglass,
"Fish Oil" and "Aspirin Insanity"
In your article "New study pushes aspirin for all", you suggest that Cod LiverOil is the same as "fish oil". It is NOT. Each has some benefit but they are different substances.
Moreover, your article seems to be rather unbalanced and I am concerned that you appear to reject the results of a study that was carried out over an extended period of time with a large population and extensively peer-reviewed and published in The Lancet which btw, is a highly respected publication even on this side of the pond.
Please accept that there is a role for drugs - especially one that provides such substantial benefits at such low doses and please state facts, (How many people have been admitted with "severe bleeding and hemorrhagic stroke" after taking 80 mg aspirin a day?) rather than scary hypothesis. This does nothing to promote the sensible use and benefits of natural substances.
Don't get me wrong, I detest the ways that most drug companies operate as much as anybody else but please don't reject sensible research just to knock them; besides the patent on aspirin expired many years ago and so Bayer is unlikely to benefit from the results of this research.
Please be so kind as to let me have your response to my posting.
Kind regards,
Bertold
"to unsigned" "Bayer is unlikely to benefit from the results of the research" ???? please give me a break. Just google who sells most "Aspirin" in the world today.
Anonymous
I took aspirin for one and a half months and lo and behold, i was diagnose with leukemia afterwards and is now under alternative treatment
Lori
To RDK: bleeding is a true side effect of aspirin therapy, as is stroke risk (with all non-steroidal anti-inflammatories). At even 80 mgs a day, aspirin can destroy the stomach lining. The point is that we can achieve the same results without aspirin. It's hardly natural...go for white willow bark if you want aspirin. You also might consider reading a book written by a couple of MD's titled "Know Your Chances". They talk about how drug studies and drug ads manipulate numbers to their advantage. Staying on a drug forever to reduce this or that risk does not allow the body to maintain homeostasis, nor heal itself (as it is "programmed" to do), not to mention the fact that all drugs create a rebound effect. Choose an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle - it's much safer.
Post new comment