"Aspirin -It's History and Why It Continues To Be so Effective"

But why is it so effective for so many uses? On this page I answer those questions and give an overview of its history, how it works and what conditions it treats.

In the 1700s, the English clergymen Edward Stone was the first to discover the analgesic action of salicylic acid after chewing on a piece of willow bark.

He had heard an old wives tale stating that a brew made from the bark was "good for pain and what ever ails you."

By the year 1827, the active ingredient in Willow bark was first isolated and named salicin, which was taken from the Greek word for Willow.

11 years later, in 1838, salicylic acid was produced from salicin which was used to treat rheumatic fever and gout, but had some unpleasant side effects.

Furthermore, in 1897, a chemist named Felix Hoffman, who was employed by a German company called Bayer, synthesized a compound called acetysalicylic acid from salicylic acid.

Acetysalicylic acid became the first truly synthetic medication, paving the way for today's modern pharmaceutical industry.

Soon afterwards, the process of mass production of aspirin was patented, and this medication began to be sold, initially available by prescription only.

By 1899, the Bayer company was distributing aspirin powder to give to physicians, and it soon became the number one drug worldwide.

It was first manufactured in the United States in 1915, the same year it became available without a prescription in tablet form.

In 1948, Dr. Lawrence Craven, a California physician, noticed that the 400 men he'd prescribed it to hadn't experienced any heart attacks. Subsequently, he began to recommend to all of his patients that they take one tablet daily, to minimize the risk of having a heart attack.

1952 saw the introduction of Children's Chewable Aspirin and in 1969, Bayer included their pain reliever in the medication kits of the Apollo astronauts.

Why is aspirin so effective? It works to inhibit the physiologic processes involved with pain and inflammation.

It does this by inhibiting the production of prostaglandin, a chemical produced by the body that causes pain and inflammation. This mechanism of action was only discovered in 1971, some 70 years after its introduction.

By winning the Nobel Prize for his research, John Vane demonstrated that aspirin suppresses the production of prostaglandins.

Prostaglandin are found in most tissues of the body, but they also regulate the aggregation of blood platelets.

By suppressing the prostaglandins in blood platelets, you suppress the risk of developing blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.

Furthermore, taking one tablet can reduce the risk of death if a heart attack is imminent.

According to the Food and Drug Administration taking 1/2 of a regular strength aspirin (160 mg) can reduce the risk of death as much as 23% when taken if the onset of a heart attack is suspected and continued for 30 days.

If it is taken as a heart attack is occurring, it may also lessen its damaging effects.

In The Physicians' Health Study of 22,000 healthy American doctors,they discovered that taking one tablet a day can cut your risk of having a heart attack by 50%.

It can also minimize your risk of thrombosis and strokes. Thrombosis refers to the development of a blood clot in the blood vessels.

The American Heart Association recommends their use for those individuals who had previously had a heart attack or have unstable angina.

In one study, it reduced the risk of having a second heart attack by 33% in individuals with unstable angina. It can also prevent a first heart attack and/or a stroke in individuals with angina.

Long-term use of this medication can reduce a man's risk of developing colorectal cancer.

Additionally, regular use can reduce the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study done by researchers at UCLA.

They studied 579 men and women, of which half had Parkinson's, and they discovered that women taking aspirin decreased their risk of developing Parkinson's by 40%.

In a study published by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, it was suggested that taking it may decrease the development of asthma in adults.

Aspirin is considered a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and could be used to treat numerous conditions, including:

• Ankylosing Spondylitis
  
• Arthritis (both osteo- and rheumatoid)
  
• Bursitis
  
• Fever
  
• Menstrual Cramps
  
• Systemic Lupus
  
• Tendinitis

and other musculoskeletal disorders.

Researchers from the Mayo Clinic have announced that taking certain NSAIDs could reduce or delay the risk of developing an enlarged prostate by 50%.

When taken for a heart attack and stroke prevention, the FDA recommends taking lower doses, such as 75 mg.

When taken to relieve pain, the recommended dosage is 275 to 300 mg every 6 to 8 hours. You should not take more than three doses in a 24 hour period.

They are contraindicated in individuals taking blood thinners such as Coumadin, due to the increased risk of bleeding when taking them.

Individuals with asthma may experience difficulty breathing after taking it.

They can also alter levels of uric acid in the blood, and should be avoided by individuals with gout.

They should not be taken by children and teenagers, as there is an increased risk of developing Reye's Syndrome, a rare, but sometimes fatal disease, that is characterized by swelling in the liver and brain.

Additionally, they can also increase the effect of medications used to treat diabetes, causing abnormally low blood sugar levels.

They should also be discontinued 10 to 14 days before undergoing surgery, as they have a tendency to interfere with blood clotting.

Aspirin should not be taken by pregnant women or nursing mothers.

They should not be taken when consuming alcohol.

They can also interact with various medications, so consult with a medical practitioner to see if it is right for your particular circumstances.

Most individuals taking this medication do not experience any side effects. Usually, when this happens, it is usually dose-related, so, whenever possible, you should use the lowest effective dose. However, some common side effects include:

• Abdominal burning
  
• Cramping
  
• Gastritis
  
• Internal bleeding
  
• Nausea
  
• Ringing of the ears (if you experience ringing of the ears, this indicates you need to lower your dosage)
  
• Ulcers

Aspirin's future encompasses more than just pain relief and heart attack prevention, it has the potential to treat diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

It is one of the most widely studied medications in history, and is considered very effective and safe when used across a wide range of dosages. In fact, under some circumstances, it could be a valuable life saver!

However, I hope that you never have to use it for that reason.