How do deal with controversies...?

[kristina]

Bruising appears to be a common side-effect of taking a low-dose of Aspirin regularly.
Looking at this external bruising, I wonder what is happening to other organs?

I am also aware that bleeding can occur externally due to the Aspirin...
and again, I wonder if this occurs internally as well?

I have surfed the Internet about this
& there are sites which go into detail about how certain foods
can act similarly to thin the blood.

Some people say they can avoid a low dose of Aspirin
by modifying their diet using the right food.

I have never heard the medical profession talking about this.
Has anyone had any thoughts/experiences about this?

The taking of Aspirin regularly seems to be a new controversy
& whilst patients are wondering where they stand,
doctors seem baffled by the recent controversial results
of monitoring patients on long term Aspirin...

Has anyone had any thoughts on this?

Thank you, Kristina.

[greg10]

..
Some people say they can avoid a low dose of Aspirin
by modifying their diet using the right food...
Has anyone had any thoughts on this?

Thank you, Kristina.

Aspirin is salicylic acid, the name derived from the common willow tree, also found in abundance in many plants and vegetables.
Some common foods are olives, tomatoes, mushroom, green pepper, dates, cantaloupe, raisins, guava.  You have to eat many pounds of these foods in order to get the equivalent of 1 tablet of 81 mg aspirin.
http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-fi27.htm

[Restorer]

The thing with foods (and most herbal "supplements" too) is that it's not standardized or tested. Two fruits from the same tree (or two separate herb plants, and so on) might have different levels of the active compounds in them. It's very hard get a reliable result from them. Also, foods might have multiple active components that might interact with each other in hard-to-predict ways, or might metabolize differently in different people.

As far as aspirin goes, it's more the effect of blood thinning than side effects of the aspirin itself that causes bruising and longer bleeding. Even if you get the same blood thinning from food, you'll still have the possibility of easy bruising and longer bleeding.

[RightSide]

Fish oil supplements may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, due to a variety of effects, including mild blood thinning.

But guess what, fish oil can cause bleeding effects too.

So can Plavix, a medication commonly prescribed to fight cardiovascular disease.

I guess it goes with the territory.

[calypso]

..
Some people say they can avoid a low dose of Aspirin
by modifying their diet using the right food...
Has anyone had any thoughts on this?

Thank you, Kristina.

Aspirin is salicylic acid, the name derived from the common willow tree, also found in abundance in many plants and vegetables.
Some common foods are olives, tomatoes, mushroom, green pepper, dates, cantaloupe, raisins, guava.  You have to eat many pounds of these foods in order to get the equivalent of 1 tablet of 81 mg aspirin.
http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-fi27.htm

Aspirin is actually acetylsalicylic acid, similar to but not exactly the same as salicylic acid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylic_acid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin

[Jean]

I take Plavix and a baby aspirin a day. Oddly, when I have blood drawn or whatever, there is not any leakage afterwards, but, when I get a bruise, boy, it is just huge and sometimes grows even larger after I first notice it.

[kristina]

Thank you all very much for your kind replies, it is very much appreciated.

The reason why I am asking is because I have been taking Aspirin 75mg/day since suffering a stroke in 1991
& I have noticed for quite a few years the frequent bruising, but what concerns me more
is the frequency and ease of nose-bleeds and, what one might call unpredictable and sudden bleeding of the skin.

As you can imagine I naturally wondered what was happening inside my body if these Aspirin-effects
were so visible on the outside? And, because of my frail kidneys I wondered if there was any association
with the decline of my kidney function in the context of my taking Aspirin?

My blood pressure is controlled on Antihypertensives and has remained so for many years.

Thanks again from Kristina. 

[jbeany]

The bruising might result from the decline in kidney function, aspirin or not.  It might also be a side effect of the bp meds as well.  Low hemoglobin levels, low iron levels, and all the other side effects of barely functioning kidneys can do some pretty nasty things to the body without any help from pills at all.

My neph believed the aspirin would help my kidneys, not harm them. 

[Hemodoc]

Thank you all very much for your kind replies, it is very much appreciated.

The reason why I am asking is because I have been taking Aspirin 75mg/day since suffering a stroke in 1991
& I have noticed for quite a few years the frequent bruising, but what concerns me more
is the frequency and ease of nose-bleeds and, what one might call unpredictable and sudden bleeding of the skin.

As you can imagine I naturally wondered what was happening inside my body if these Aspirin-effects
were so visible on the outside? And, because of my frail kidneys I wondered if there was any association
with the decline of my kidney function in the context of my taking Aspirin?

My blood pressure is controlled on Antihypertensives and has remained so for many years.

Thanks again from Kristina.

Bruising can have many causes among them aspirin use.  As in all issues, if this is a new complaint, you should definitely discuss this with your medical team.  There are several relatively simple tests that doctors order to see if there are other causes to consider.

For those with cardiovascular risk factors and prior events, aspirin can be life saving.  Aspirin usage is not at all a new controversy and there have been many, many studies performed to answer these questions on what is the risk, benefit and  alternatives to aspirin.  Plavix works on a different principle than aspirin and is associated with more risk of bleeding and other complications that aspirin in most patients.  Plavix is only by prescription while aspirin is over the counter.

On a personal note, I have noted easy bruising while on aspirin as well that diminished when I stopped.  It is actually one of the more common side effects of aspirin therapy, but once again, you should always discuss these sort of issues directly with your medical team.

[greg10]

Aspirin is actually acetylsalicylic acid, similar to but not exactly the same as salicylic acid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salicylic_acid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin

Yes, you are right.  However, the in vivo half-life of aspirin is quite short; hydrolysis to salicylic acid is complete in a few minutes and it is the salicylic acid that is thought to be responsible for most of the anti-inflammatory response.

[Bruno]

I had to come off Aspirin because I developed an allergy...facial swelling. Also it used to cause stomach bleeding (black crap!) if I forgot to take it with food. Now I take Plavix. Never had bruising though.

[kristina]

Thank you all once again.
 
From what I have read, it would to be a good strategy
to treat Aspirin like a prescription medicine and
both proceed with caution, and to check-up very carefully.

Kind regards and thanks again from Kristina.