At Doctors Health Press, we don’t exactly stand up and applaud our friends in the drug industry. We recognize the valuable research they perform, and certain drugs that are irreplaceable, but overall, as our readers know, we focus on natural remedies, food cures, alternative therapies and the like. That said, it’s high time all women consider the humble aspirin. The evidence seems too strong to ignore.
It is well-established now that experts suggest that women use aspirin on a daily basis to lower the risk of heart disease. Yet, aspirin is underused in women. A new study investigated self-reported aspirin use in women for the prevention of cardiovascular events — and to see if there was any change in use from 2004 to 2009.
RECOMMENDED: Our past story about aspirin’s role in saving women’s lives.
They researched 127 healthcare centers in the U.S. Survey questions included information on heart disease risk factors, the presence or absence of any form of heart disease or diabetes, and medication usage, including daily aspirin.
Out of nearly 218,000 women who responded to the survey, nearly 30,000 were recommended to take aspirin, based on current guidelines. But, the study found that less than half of women who might seriously consider a daily aspirin actually take one. The translates into 41% of those who need to prevent primary cardiovascular events, and 48% of those needed to prevent secondary events. The main factors that favored aspirin use were a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol. Although aspirin use for secondary prevention did not change between the years 2004 and 2009, there was a significant increase in aspirin use for primary prevention.
The study confirms that the majority of women for whom aspirin is recommended for preventing heart disease do not follow such guidance. This is a significant issue, as heart disease is the leading cause of death among women.
The authors concluded that improved educational programs are needed to increase awareness of the benefits of aspirin use to prevent heart disease among women. So, this is why we’ve published this story. Aspirin can be a relatively inexpensive and significant protective shield for your heart.
In fact, the painkiller’s link to alternative medicine is not too vague. Aspirin, one of the first big-time drugs, was based on the actions of a natural supplement culled from the bark of the white willow tree.