Every morning some 50 million people pop a low dosage aspirin in their mouths with the hope that it will prevent them from getting a heart attack or stroke.

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

How many times have you heard a story about a person who just had a medical checkup and was declared 100% healthy and suddenly died from a heart attack or stroke?

And in shock you wondered why?

They died because of a growing epidemic called the “silent killer” known as blocked arteries which is considered the leading cause of coronary heart disease with symptoms ranging from high blood pressure, chest pain (angina), blood clots, atherosclerosis to shortness of breath and fatigue.

Arterial blockages from plaque build-up, in areas such as your carotid artery, can unfortunately start at an early age such as your teenage years.

Statistically 13 million Americans, if not more, have some form of heart disease. In addition, it is estimated that…annually 1 million Americans have a heart attack with almost 50% of the victims resulting in a fatal outcome.

The leading cause of blocked arteries is an unhealthy lifestyle and when your arteries become clogged your blood flow and oxygen to your heart, as well as all other organs in your body such as your brain (which can cause a stroke), are restricted.

You can live an active lifestyle and prevent your risk of blocked arteries by recognizing the symptoms to avoid painful alternatives such as coronary bypass surgery, angioplasty, side-effect causing statin and cholesterol lowering drugs and drug therapy treatments if at all possible.

Prevention of blocked or narrowed arteries can include:

• Controlling your blood pressure….
• Checking your C-Reactive protein and homocysteine levels…
• Checking for Type II diabetes which is closely related to lifestyle issues…
• Stop smoking which is a major risk to coronary artery disease…
• Controlling your fat percentage and maintaining a healthy weight…
• Eating healthy and organic foods and avoid processed foods…
• Implementing an exercise program that meets your needs…
• Managing your stress levels by practicing deep breathing and muscle relaxation…
• Taking quality nutritional supplements to provide your body with the nutrients it need to help heal itself and prevent disease…

The bottom line to avoiding blocked arteries is to take a proactive stand to your over all total health program.

The alternative solutions are easy to implement without taking drastic steps if you just take the time to educate yourself because you don’t what to be a statistic or to die early because you thought you were healthy and didn’t avoid the “silent killer”.

To your good heath & longevity.

Ira Marxe
“The Good Health & Wellness Guy”

Copyrighted © 2009 – All Rights Reserved

A lot of women are under the impression that the risk of heart disease is higher for men. But it is not so. Women are more vulnerable than men when it comes to heart disease.

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