Aspirin remains popular for helping improve blood circulation and heart health, and there are many scientific studies which show that aspirin helps prevent heart attack and stroke.
How Does It Help?
Aspirin helps to prevent blood clots occurring on the surface of ruptured plaque. These atherosclerotic plaques can form along the blood vessel linings and this is usually caused by high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and/or high blood sugar levels.
When platelets start to stick to the ruptured plaque, blood clot formation also begins. In turn, blood circulation is adversely affected. Therefore, the delivery process of oxygen-rich blood to areas of the body dependent on those blood vessels is impeded.
These blood clots can hinder healthy blood flow and may eventually cause heart attack or stroke. This is why a person may be prescribed to take aspirin daily or otherwise regularly, to prevent this from happening.
The ability of aspirin to prevent blood clot formation lasts up to 10 days. However, high-risk individuals are required to take aspirin every day to ensure that the clotting tendency of newly released platelets into the bloodstream are inhibited.
What Aspirin Works Fast?
Non-coated aspirin tablets have been found to work faster compared to enteric-coated aspirin. The non-coated aspirin prevent blood clot formation within minutes from the time of ingestion.
What are the Side Effects of Long Term Use of Aspirin?
In addition to heart attack and stroke prevention, some people are required to take aspirin to reduce inflammation, fever and pain.
However, regardless of how effective aspirin is, regular intake comes with several harmful side effects. This is true especially if you have to take aspirin for extended periods. Some of these side effects include kidney and liver damage, ulcers, tinnitus and Reye’s syndrome.
Some people who may face a higher risk of suffering from the dangerous side effects of aspirin are those people diagnosed with heart failure, stomach ulcers, asthma, diabetes, bleeding and clotting disorders.
If you want to avoid the side effects of aspirin, perhaps the following natural alternatives will interest you.
Natural Alternatives to Aspirin
Willow Bark
The main ingredient used in manufacturing aspirin tablets actually comes from willow bark. So, if you are looking for a natural alternative to aspirin, try willow bark first. The analgesic effects of willow bark is attributed to its salicin content.
Once ingested, the salicin content of willow bark is converted into salicylic acid which is the chemical precursor to aspirin.
Ginger
A study of 40 participants showed that the daily intake of ginger powder led to an 18% reduction of oxidation among the healthy (no coronary condition) participants.
By comparison, the participants diagnosed with coronary artery disease had a 23% reduction in oxidation.
Just like aspirin, the active properties in ginger act as a blood-thinner. This is why adding ginger to your daily diet can help prevent blood clot formation.
Ginger blocks the COX-2 enzyme which is known to play a role in promoting inflammation. Inflammation has been linked to several heart diseases and many forms of chronic illnesses.
Turmeric
Turmeric has been found to work just as effectively as aspirin in relieving pain. Its anti-inflammatory action blocks cytokines and the COX-2 enzyme which is the target molecule of aspirin and other anti-inflammatory and blood thinning drugs.
For the blood-thinning effects of turmeric to take place, you need to ingest high doses of turmeric. However, too much can cause gastrointestinal problems for some people, so make sure to consult your alternative medicine practitioner. Alternatively, you can take turmeric supplements.
Ingesting turmeric must be avoided if you are taking warfarin which is a blood-thinning drug.
Cherries
Researchers have revealed that the regular intake of cherries can lead to a reduction in inflammation. The participants of the study were asked to ingest cherries every day for 28 days.
The findings revealed a 25% reduction of C-reactive protein in the blood. C-reactive protein is marker of inflammation and having elevated levels of C-reactive proteins in the blood has been associated with an increased risk of stroke and heart disease.
If you decide to use any of these natural alternatives for aspirin, do so with caution, or at least consult with your doctor first, especially if you are currently taking any prescription blood-thinning drug.
In conclusion, regular aspirin intake can help reduce the severity of heart attacks or strokes, and also help prevent future heart attacks and strokes.
