For many, taking an aspirin is a no brainer, a simple way to protect against cardiovascular disease.

The problem is that aspirin causes many uncomfortable and possibly dangerous side effects.

In addition, a little known phenomenon called aspirin resistance means that, for some people, aspirin provides no protection at all.

There is no single laboratory test for aspirin resistance and the estimates of how many people are aspirin resistant vary widely from as low as 5.5% to as high as 60% according to a recent study in Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Aspirin belongs to a class of drugs called “nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs” NSAIDs.

They work by inhibiting the enzymes that make prostaglandins, chemicals that promote inflammation, pain and fever, and are necessary for blood clotting.

People often think of aspirin as a completely benign substance.

It is not.

Here are some of its side effects which may surprise you:

• Gastrointestinal bleeding.  In the US, about 103,000 hospitalizations and 16,500 deaths occur every year from gastrointestinal bleeding related to NSAIDs, including aspirin.
• Dyspepsia.  This condition, which is characterized by pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, is reported by 12% of users of aspirin and other NSAIDs.
• Gastroduodenal lesions.  In a study of arthritic patients taking NSAIDs for pain, 30% developed painful gastroduodenal lesions or sores in the stomach and/or small intestine.
• Cataracts.  Prolonged aspirin use can increase risk for cataracts (hardening and clouding of the lens of the eye) by 55%, according to a study in Ophthalmology.

NSAIDs can also interfere with the treatment of high blood pressure.

NSAIDs are among the most commonly used drugs for osteoarthritis and other painful conditions.

“Traditional” NSAIDs are a central part of pain management and include Advil, Medipren, Motrin, Nuprin, Aleve, Anaprox, Naprosyn, and COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex.  All of these agents have potentially serious side effects.

NSAIDs can cause gastrointestinal toxicity and life-threatening gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

More recently, it was discovered that COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex increase the risk of heart attacks, and the Food and Drug Administration now considers “traditional” NSAIDs such as ibuprofen also capable of increasing heart attacks.

NSAIDs also can worsen heart failure and can cause kidney disease in susceptible people.

As to high blood pressure, many studies have found that NSAIDs increase blood pressure in people who already have hypertension.  In some cases, blood pressure is extremely difficult to control in the presence of NSAIDs.

Do NSAIDs interact with all antihypertensive drugs?

The answer is yes, but there may be some differences.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) and diuretics appear to be particularly susceptible to the effects of NSAIDs.

Although some evidence suggests that calcium channel blockers (such as verapamil and diltiazem) are not affected as much as ACE inhibitors, ARBs and diuretics, people who use antihypertensives should assume that all blood pressure lowering drugs interact with NSAIDs.

To your good heath & longevity.

Ira Marxe
“The Good Health & Wellness Guy”

Copyrighted © 2009 – All Rights Reserved

Of the millions of people who have HBP, about a third have no idea they have the problem, as they either do not have symptoms or do not recognize the symptoms they have. Only a blood pressure test will confirm whether or not they have HBP.

If you do have HBP, then the major causes such as; clogged arteries, congestive heart failure, diabetes, kidney disease, over indulgence in alcohol (regularly more than one or two drinks a day), and certain food allergies need to be explored.

If food allergies are the cause, then the major culprits are…usually the nightshade vegetables. Nightshades are potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers including paprika, cayenne pepper, tobasco sauce, papinos, and pimentos.

The problem with the nightshade plants is that they contain solanine. In large amounts, solanine is toxic. It can affect heart rate and blood pressure. It can also cause drowsiness and sweating. In smaller amounts solanine can cause headache, nausea, and a gastrointestinal upset that can last several days.

Green tomatoes and the green “eyes” and green skin of potatoes contain the most solanine. In potatoes, solanine is created when a harvested crop is exposed to light. Light stimulates the production of chlorophyll. Solanine is a byproduct of this process. Solanine can be avoided in potatoes by simply paring away the “eyes” and green skin if any.

High blood pressure is not to be scoffed at. It is a serious condition.

Most traditional doctors will tell you that HBP is not curable. Your blood pressure will come down when you take the medication they prescribe and will go right back up again when you stop taking these drugs — unless you change your lifestyle, which most doctors will not tell you about.

It is just not in their training to take a nutritional route to cure you of HBP.

According to statistics, high blood pressure, also called hypertension, is the most common cardiovascular disease in the world today. It affects more than 20% of the adult population worldwide. That is a huge number.

When left uncontrolled and untreated, HBP could lead to several major health problems including stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.

• High blood pressure is the number one cause of stroke.
• More than 80% of people with HBP are likely to have a stroke.
• More than 70% of people with HBP are likely to have a heart attack.
• Nearly 75% of people with HBP are likely to have congestive heart failure.

At a time when we had fewer heart attacks and strokes and less blood pressure medication then we do today, the accepted threshold blood pressure measurement was 140/80.

Now that we have more heart attacks and strokes, and the drug companies have more BP drugs to sell that make them billions of dollars, the medical profession obligingly lowered the threshold to 120 so they can get more people on to BP medication and everybody makes more money except you and me.

As scary as this may sound, for the vast majority, to make the problem go away, all you need to do is start eating a healthy diet.

No soda or power drinks. Moderate alcohol intake. No fast foods or processed foods. Minimize your sugar intake. Drink lots of pure water. Filter your tap water if you wish but do not drink bottled water. Eat as much organic as you can.

Eat at least 50% raw food, lightly steamed vegetables, whole grains, fish, some chicken, and some lean beef. Lots of raw mixed greens and fruits and take good nutritional supplements. Start a regular exercise program.

Follow this advice and you are guaranteed to have a healthy body with your weight under control.

To your good heath & longevity.

Ira Marxe
“The Good Health & Wellness Guy”

Copyrighted © 2009 – All Rights Reserved

Due to this misconception, while having a heart attack, women tend to react differently than men. They tend to delay emergency treatment as they find it hard to believe that they are having a heart attack.

If you are a woman, there are some very important things you should know about heart problems and what you should do in case of an emergency.

Studies show that women, on average, are about ten years older than men when they have a heart attack. What this means is that…they are likely to have several other health problems like high blood pressure, diabetes, and congestive heart failure.

In other words, a heart attack, for a woman, is a lot more serious problem than it is for a man. So, it is very important for women to seek emergency treatment as quickly as possible in case of a heart attack.

The symptoms and causes of a heart attack are something that everyone should be aware of. Heart disease is the number one killer of people across the country today and it is true even more so in the case of women.

More women die of heart disease than do men. The following symptoms should be taken very seriously.

Classic Symptoms of a Heart Attack:

Squeezing chest pain or pressure; Shortness of breath; Sweating; Tightness in chest; Pain spreading to shoulders; neck or arm; Feeling of heartburn or indigestion with or without nausea and vomiting; Sudden dizziness or brief loss of consciousness.

Symptoms More Likely in Women:

Indigestion or gas-like pain; Dizziness, unexplained lightheadedness, possible blackouts. nausea or vomiting; Unexplained weakness, fatigue; Discomfort/pain between shoulder blades; Recurring chest discomfort; Anxiety–unusual nervousness, sense of impending doom; Fluttering–rapid heartbeats, palpitations; Feeling of heaviness, such as pressure-like chest pain between the breasts that may radiate to the left arm or shoulder.

In the year 1900 the cause of death from heart attacks were less than 8%. Today, heart attacks are the leading cause of death at 45%.

One of the main factors that will initiate a heart attack is the buildup of abnormal plaque, in the arteries, plaque that gradually hardens through calcification. Blockage most often occurs in the large arteries feeding the heart or the brain.

Inflammation (C-reactive protein) will usually also cause blockages. In fact, a new view of coronary artery disease is that it is an inflammatory process, characterized by cycles of irritation, injury, healing and re-injury inside the blood vessels.

This inflammatory response is actually a defense mechanism that helps the body heal but when the inflammatory process goes awry, plaques may rupture, provoking clots that lead to heart attacks.

Lifestyle of bad eating habits, smoking, excess alcohol consumption, soft drink consumption and lack of exercise — which lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity — are your major causes of plaque build-up and are leading causes of heart attacks.

It has been proven, however, that your risk of having a major heart attack can be minimized or eliminated—without the use of drugs—by lifestyle changes that will rid your body of inflammation and plaque build-up.

A healthy diet that will alkalize your body, drinking lots of good plain water, taking natural nutritional supplements, and exercising, will, within a few short months, bring your body back to a healthy state.

In conclusion: Until such time as your body is again in a healthy state, we offer the following caution.

If you are experiencing symptoms that could be signaling a heart attack or if you see someone else with these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately and summon an ambulance.

Do not attempt to drive yourself as only paramedics and trained fire department personnel have the necessary equipment to revive you if your heart has stopped beating.

If she or he stops breathing, start CPR.

Above all, get to the hospital as quickly as possible because the longer a heart attack goes untreated, the more badly damaged your heart will be.

To your good heath & longevity.

Ira Marxe
“The Good Health & Wellness Guy”

Copyrighted © 2009 – All Rights Reserved