Day after day, we continue to hear nothing but bad news from the mainstream press about the coronavirus. But the truth is, since last spring, we’ve made a lot of progress and learned a great deal about how to prevent and fight this infection.
In fact, a brand-new study published in a very technical journal found that giving coronavirus patients a safe, simple, inexpensive, over-the-counter (OTC) drug helps keep them out of the intensive care unit (ICU) and off ventilators. Plus, it slashes mortality rate from coronavirus by a whopping 47 percent!
But before I get into that important, new study, let’s back up to talk more about this time-tested solution that derives from the botanical world…
Long history of safe use reducing pain and inflammation
Aspirin is an inexpensive, OTC, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). It originally derived from a natural, botanical ingredient in willow bark and meadowsweet grass called salicylic acid, which Native Americans used for centuries to combat pain, headaches, and more.
In 1898, aspirin entered the U.S. market as a drug—eight years before the forerunner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) even existed. Then, in 1938, the FDA “grandfathered” it in as an “existing” drug because of it already had a long history as a safe, effective medication.
Today, people use aspirin primarily as a safe, effective pain-killer. Plus, a wealth of studies show that taking a daily aspirin can also lower your risk of developing several different types of cancers—including colon, breast, and liver cancer.
Not to mention, millions of Americans also take daily, low doses (81 mg) of aspirin to prevent heart attacks and strokes. Its anticoagulant effects reduce the risk of blood clots, which are typically the final step in the chain of events that lead to heart attacks and strokes. And that point brings me back to the new study…
Aspirin seems to thwart deadly coronavirus blood clots
The new study published in Anesthesia & Analgesia involved more than 400 patients hospitalized all over the country for coronavirus infections. Of those 400 patients, about 100 of them received a dose of aspirin within 24 hours of admission to the hospital…or they took aspirin within seven days before admission to the hospital.
According to the study’s author, Dr. Johnathan Chow, M.D., he was sleeping in his office at the hospital at the beginning of the pandemic to provide around-the-clock care for his COVID-19 patients. He said many of his sickest patients died of blood clots related to the virus. So, eventually, it dawned on them to look at the data on aspirin use among COVID-19 patients.
He said, “we knew that aspirin—used to prevent stroke and heart attack—could be important for COVID-19 patients. Our research found an association between low dose aspirin and decreased severity of COVID-19 and death.”
It turns out, compared to COVID-19 patients who didn’t take aspirin, those who took aspirin with 24 hours of being admitted to the hospital (or who took it within seven days prior to going to the hospital) had a:
- 44 percent reduction in the use of ventilators
- 43 percent reduction in ICU admission
- 47 percent reduction in in-hospital mortality
All of these remarkable benefits came from taking a simple, affordable, safe dose of aspirin, ranging from just 81 mg per day (the low dose commonly taken to prevent heart attack) to a moderate dose of 325 mg per day (as taken for pain relief).
According to Dr. Chow, aspirin seems to reduce the risk of use of ventilators, ICU admission, and death because it blocks the formation of deadly blood clots we now know the coronavirus can cause. And—he says—aspirin seems to work within 30 minutes to three hours to prevent the platelets from clumping together. Best of all, aspirin gives the patient some lasting protection beyond the initial treatment.
Now, I should note that aspirin can increase bleeding risk—primarily in people with a family history. But that risk appears to be very low, if you take it as directed.
Overall, aspirin is certainly a lot safer and less costly than the prescription drugs doled out by the mainstream to reduce the risk of blood clots in the millions of people with cardiovascular diseases and heart abnormalities. Plus, it’s certainly a lot more accessible, well-studied, and affordable than other drugs used to treat COVID-19, such as remdesivir.
For more suggestions about what you can do right now to protect yourself against the coronavirus, check out my Pandemic Protection Playbook: How to become “immune ready” in every season.
And for more insight into natural ways to protect your heart as you get older, I encourage you to check out my Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Protocol. This innovative, online learning tool outlines the natural, heart-healing pathway to lower blood pressure, a stroke-free brain, and never having to take a dangerous heart medication again. To learn more, or to enroll today, click here now!
Sources:
“Aspirin Use Is Associated With Decreased Mechanical Ventilation, Intensive Care Unit Admission, and In-Hospital Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019.” Anesthesia & Analgesia, April 2021; 132(4): 930-941. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000005292
“Taking low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19, study says.” CBS News, 3/19/21. (cbsnews.com/news/low-dose-aspirin-reduce-risk-severe-illness-death-covid-19/)