Medicinal Compound (Aspirin Enteric Coated)

Name: kenjohn

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Product:	Aspirin Enteric Coated
Date:	02/02/01 (561 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Helps arthritis. Helps prevent strokes and heart attacks

Disadvantages: Can cause stomach upset in rare cases

~ ~ I bet there’s one over the counter medicine that’s in most of your bathroom cabinets.
I know for sure that it’s in mine, because I use it every day of my life.
It’s the simple, straightforward aspirin, which has been around now for over a hundred years.
But this medicine that we all take so much for granted is actually useful in ways that I’m fairly sure none of you have ever even imagined or considered.
In fact, so many and varied are its therapeutic benefits, that doctors are now starting to consider it as the wonder drug of the old 20th century.


HISTORY
~~~~~~

~ ~ Aspirin as we know it today was invented in 1897 by a German chemist called Felix Hoffmann, who developed it as a treatment for his father’s chronic arthritis.
But it’s history could actually be said to have started in the fifth century B.C., when Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, reputedly used ground willow bark for the treatment of aches and pains.
The bark of the willow tree contains salicin, which is the base ingredient of the class of drugs called salicylates.
By the latter half of the 19th century, salicylates had become the commonly used drug for the treatment of all forms of arthritis, but unfortunately they caused severe irritation to the stomach and digestive system.
It was this that prompted Hoffmann to develop a less-irritating medicine for his father, and led to the discovery of synthesised acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and aspirin came into existence.


HOW IT WORKS
~~~~~~~~~~~

Arthritis

~ ~ Aspirin is still used today for the purpose for which it was originally invented, namely the treatment of all kinds of arthritis, and is recognised as one of the most effective and least expensive forms of treatment for this extremely common illness.
There are in fact well over a hundred different known variations of arthritis, but the most common two a
re rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis , or degenerative joint disease, is the one that affects most people. It is caused when the cartilage that usually cushions bones becomes worn down over time, thus causing the bones to rub against each other, resulting in severe pain, swelling and restricted movement.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease that can affect a person’s entire body, with acute inflammation of the joint membranes resulting in severe shooting pains, swelling, and stiffness.
The exact cause of both these forms of arthritis is not yet fully known, and although age is obviously a factor, it is also a disease which can affect the very young.
What aspirin does is to reduce the pain and swelling, and even today, over 100 years after it was first used for this purpose, aspirin is one of the most commonly prescribed remedies for this illness, and a boon to millions of people world-wide.
This is the first reason I take aspirin daily, as I suffer from osteoarthritis in my elbows, wrists and hands, caused by over forty years spent tramping the golf fairways of the world.
I find it an effective remedy, and coupled with a magnetic bracelet that I wear on my right wrist, I am able to continue playing the sport I love so much.

Heart Attacks

~ ~ This is the second common illness that aspirin is prescribed for, and it is in fact the ONLY over-the-counter medication proven without doubt to help people either avoid a heart attack altogether, or to prevent a second attack in people who already suffered one.
There is a lot of medical jargon that goes into great detail on how aspirin actually achieves this, but in laymen’s terms, what is does is to thin the blood and prevent clots (a common cause of heart attacks) from forming in the first place.
The Federal Drug Authority approved its use in 1996 for use by patients who displayed the classic first signs of a heart attack. It is suggested that
the person be given 162.5mg (half an ordinary tablet) at the first onset of symptoms, and then taken immediately to seek professional attention.
Recent figures show that if this is done, and continued for a thirty-day period, then the risk of death reduces by an incredible 23 percent.
It is also commonly used to prevent the formation of platelets which clog the arteries of the heart, and taken regularly can often prevent many people having to go through the now commonly practised heart by-pass operation.
If you travel by plane on a regular basis (especially long haul flights) then this can be a very effective way of ensuring you don't become a victim of the newly discovered problem of blood clotting, from which a number of travellers have actually died.

~ ~ A study carried out at Harvard University in 1988 among 22,000 male doctors discovered that those who took a 325mg tablet of aspirin every other day had a 44 percent fewer heart attacks than those who did not.
This study was originally designed to be carried out over an eight year period, but so convinced were the researchers of aspirins benefits, that they published their findings after only four years, as they believed it to be unethical to withhold the benefits of aspirin from those in the control group who had been taking a placebo tablet. (New England Journal of Medicine, 7/4/88)
As a smoker (I know, I know!) since my early teens, this is the second reason I take aspirin on a daily basis, as smoking is now recognised as being a major contributor in causing heart disease.

Pain Relief

~ ~ This is still probably still the most common purpose aspirin is used for.
When used properly, aspirin gives quick and effective pain relief for injuries, such as muscle strains, headaches, toothaches, etc.
It achieves this by blocking the bodies’ ability to produce a substance called prostaglandins, which are the building blocks of pain.
It is estimate
d that over 90% of people suffer from at least one severe headache a year, usually stress related.
Again aspirin is one of the most effective types of treatment, as it reduces the swelling in the head and neck muscles, thus removing the cause of the pain.
Next time you reach for that heavily advertised headache or pain remedy, check its actual contents on the side of the box. Many are purely and simply aspirin under another brand name. (eg “Anadin”)



COST
~~~~

~ ~ This is probably one of the most inexpensive drugs on the market.
The price of proprietary brands will vary between €0.80 and €6.40, but most are available freely not only in your pharmacy, but over the counter in most small shops, garages, etc. and at your local supermarket. Just check the contents on the side of the box to make sure it is aspirin and not paracetamol that you are buying.
Up until a couple of years ago you could go into a chemist and ask for simple “Aspirin B.P.”, which was a non-branded product that sold for about €0.60 for 100 tablets. But obviously the major drug companies have caught on, and are cashing in on its popularity, as this has not been available for a good while now.
This is a bit of a rip-off, as you are paying way over the odds for the advertising and packaging on branded products, and getting exactly the same product.
The chemist will always tell you that the Aspirin B.P. is out of stock. But for TWO YEARS; come on!!!


CONCLUSION
~~~~~~~~~~

~ ~ As I was writing this article a song kept coming into my mind, which many of my older readers will possibly remember.
It was called “Lily the Pink”, released in the late 1960’s by a group called “The Scaffold” headed by Paul McCartney’s (The Beatles) brother.
The chorus to this song went;

“We’ll drink a drink a drink,
To Lily the Pink, the P
ink, the Pink,
The saviour of the human race,
For she invented, Medicinal Compound,
Proved efficacious, in every case.”

~ ~ For some reason it kept reminding me of aspirin, the little “wonder drug” that so many of us have in our homes, but which so few truly appreciate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


WARNING SECTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~ ~ Due to the number of potential risks and hazards associated with the taking of any drug, and as so many have been (rightly) pointed out to me in the comments section of the opinion, I am adding this section as a rider to the main article.
I shall add to this as necessary, in cases of anyone advising me of any further potential problems.

From kenjohn
It is advisable only to take aspirin on a daily basis after first checking with your family doctor, as it can cause stomach upset in some people. There is a “low dose” tablet available on prescription, which can avoid this side effect.

From nikkisly.
Aspirin can cause more than 'stomach upsets' - it can actually cause severe bleeding and should be avoided by people with stomach ulcers or any other 'bleeding' problems.
Aspirin should not be given to children under 12 in view of it's implication in causing Reye's Syndrome.

From sidneygee
One new point that you have not mentioned is the recently announced inadvisability of those who are pregnant taking any painkillers.

From flossy
Something you might not know is that a low dosage aspirin is often given to pregnant women with a history of miscarriage with very encouraging results.

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