The Serious Side Effects of Aspirin: Beyond Itching, Irritation, and NauseaElizabeth Renter Aspirin has been linked to numerous health risks. It seems that there are new studies being released on a monthly basis on the dangers of aspirin. Still the American Heart Association and doctors everywhere recommend it for heart disease prevention and more, all while serious side effects of aspirin permeate the body. As described by GreenMedInfo.com, the inspiration for aspirin was nature, but like so many other traditional medications, science certainly didnt improve on the original. A bitter powder extracted from willow bark was used for everything from fevers to aches and pains as far back as the 5th century BC, when Hippocrates also wrote about it. Native Americans used the same bark for the same reasons. This powder is called salicylic acid and is found in many plants where it works as a hormone. Because of this, people who eat plant-based diets naturally have more of this compound in their blood, and likely reap the many benefits of the natural pain reliever. But, when turning it into medicine, science may have got some things wrong. Aspirin is a synthetic form of salicylic acid and while it may very well have the nice anti-inflammatory properties of the real thing, it has side effects that the natural form simply doesnt. The chemical modification of natural salicylic acid with an acetyl group results in the acetylation of hemoglobin, essentially chemically altering the natural structure-function of our red blood cells and subsequent hemodynamics. In essence, aspirin, a semi-synthetic compound, makes the blood tissue itself semi-synthetic. If you take aspirin for heart attack preventiontry changing your diet instead. Using aspirin for this reason is a little like putting a bandage on your hand so you can play with razor blades, it doesnt make much sense. Eat right, get regular exercise, and treat your body well. These are some alternative solutions so that you dont need to experience the nasty side effects of aspirin. Additional Sources: This article first appeared at Natural Society, an excellent resource for health news and vaccine information. 