Aspirin

The latest news out about aspirin is that it may have a new miracle added to its list of reasons not to throw it out. (Or to relegate it to the garden shed as a root growth enhancer only, which of course it is. Even here, if no aspirin is available, willow bark will do fine to help start cuttings. Aspirin is made from willow bark.)

Aspirin, once used for every headache, toothache, and fever reducer in children, had a set back years ago when Tylenol made its entrance. It quickly became the new miracle drug, was welcomed, and took over as the safest means of treating children and adults for minor aches and pains.

No one, it seemed, took aspirin any more. New and better pain killers came on the market and aspirin was on its way out. Its reputation had been ruined by Reyes' syndrome in children, Parents were warned against aspirin. Too, known for its blood thinning properties, it was blamed for bleeding ulcers and for interfering with coumadin and other such medications to reduce the possibility of heart attacks from blood clots.

Not so fast, some medical entrepreneur realized, if this lowly, cheap drug has such potent blood thinning possibilities, why not use it as a heart attack preventive. It jumped back into medicine cabinets and baby aspirin was relabeled and sold to adults as a daily aid to ward off heart attacks. It is recommended that anyone suspected of having a heart attack, get to the aspirin bottle immediately. This alone has rescued aspirin from extinction.

Recently, just the other evening during the six o'clock news, the NBC commentator and their medical consultant discussed the latest possible miracle credited to aspirin, a possible breast cancer retardant. Those weren't the words used, but that was the gist of the talk. On that one, we ill have to watch and wait.