TV commercials carry testimonials of people swearing they lived through a heart attack because they chewed aspirin as soon as the attack began. While you may find these claims difficult to believe, it turns out the claims can be supported. Some of the best research hospitals in the country, including the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic and UCLA Medical Center, include aspirin in their therapy protocols for patients afflicted with heart disease, as well as patients having or who have had a heart attack.
Lower Cost, Fewer Side Effects
Aspirin acts as a blood thinner, and in the case of a patient who needs a blood-thinning medication, doctors can prescribe aspirin as a lower-cost alternative to expensive blood thinners such as clopidogrel. Also, patients are often more comfortable taking a common over-the-counter medication than a prescribed drug with numerous side effects.
Slippery Cells
Because aspirin thins the blood, blood cells are less "sticky" and flow easier through the arteries and veins. When blood isn't sticky, it can't clump together and form clots, thus lowering your risk for heart attacks, strokes and even blood clots in the legs.
Reducing Pain
Because aspirin acts as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, it reduces the inflammation and pain in the heart caused by the production of prostagladin, the main function of which is to alert the brain that the body has suffered an injury by sending a pain signal through the nervous system.
Life Saver
You can't get a better benefit from a medication than saving your life. Aspirin's blood-thinning benefits are immediate upon entering your bloodstream, and if you chew it, it immediately begins the metabolic process in your mouth. If your doctor does not have you on a chewable baby aspirin, you can still chew a regular aspirin as long as it's not coated, if you are experiencing heart attack symptoms.
Warning
Even though you may be taking a blood-thinning medication, it does not replace a good healthy diet, regular exercise and optimal lifestyle choices such as not smoking. Without these good health practices in place, you set yourself up for health complications in other body systems.
While taking aspirin, you must also watch for signs of increased bleeding. Other than the obvious cut that won't stop bleeding, look for nosebleeds, easy bruising, nausea and dark stools, which can indicate intestinal bleeding. If you notice any of these symptoms, notify your health care provider immediately.
