Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Pillsbury for Town Meeting

I'm officially on the ballot for Pr 6 Town Meeting. I'm open to hearing what the voters expect from Town Meeting this year. Lots to consider

Accupuncture and Asprin.. try one, stop the other

Our beloved aspirin takes a trip down reality lane. The daily aspirin thing we all did years ago, and still today, because we were told to, as a preventative measure, is now a dead end.

I would hope those readers in the categories listed, consult your tribal medicine man immediately.

From the WSJ,

Aspirin Advice

Doctors have been scaling back their aspirin recommendations for people who don't already have heart disease. Here are the current guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Aspirin recommended for:

* Some men 45 and older with risk factors for heart disease, assuming no history of ulcers or other bleeding dangers.
* Some women 55 and older with risk factors for stroke, and no history of bleeding danger.

Aspirin not recommended for:

* Men younger than 45, and women younger than 55.
* Anyone 80 and older.

What Aspirin Does

Aspirin's effects in the body can have good and bad implications.

* Blood thinner: It inhibits clotting, which helps reduce the risk of heart attack and ischemic stroke but increases the danger of bleeding.
* Inflammation reducer: It lessens pain and fever by preventing production of the hormone-like substances called prostaglandins. But this can also deplete a protective layer in the stomach and increase the risk of ulcers.

What You Can Do

If you want to figure out if the newest guidelines recommend aspirin for you, here's where to check:

* At ahrq.gov, type 'aspirin and prevention' into the search box, and the new guidelines will come up in the results. Click on 'clinical summary' for a table that explains what people of different ages should do, and includes links to online calculators to help you figure out your risk of heart attack or stroke. You should also speak to your doctor.
* An analysis published in the British journal the Lancet, which reached somewhat different conclusions.
* A letter from the task force responding to the Lancet authors' findings.

As an advocate for alternatives to western medicine, I can personally attest to the benefits of acupuncture. I've been a big fan for almost two years and I do say categorically, it does work for me and is not approved by the FDA as a drug, so it's real safe to use.

from the WSJ... In a study of 150 clinically depressed pregnant women who weren't previously taking antidepressants, got either acupuncture for depression, acupuncture not specifically designed for depression, or message for 8 weeks. Some 63% of the women who were in the acupuncture-for-depression group responded to treatment, compared to 44% in the other groups.

SO.. if anyone is pregnant and depressed, try this out, before you take pharmaceuticals which pass through your unborn child. It may help.