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Bharat Savur

... you can take garlic and amla to keep your heart healthy and safe. What's more, they can be delightfully delicious to your taste buds too.

Remember the 1990s when aspirin hit the headlines? The plain-Jane painkiller was crowned `life-saver'. Researchers discovered that it inhibited blood-clotting. The thinned blood flowing normally through the arteries meant no heart attacks. Many doctors gladly prescribed a daily preventive dose to patients with potential heart problems. Recently, however, there's been a re-think. In a study, 55,000 candidates at moderate risk of having a heart attack took aspirin daily. The results were disappointing. The assessment: Out of every 1,000 patients, 14 could stave off heart attacks; two could suffer strokes; and up to four could have fatal gastrointestinal bleeding. And a new panel of experts appointed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) felt there wasn't sufficient evidence that the benefits to the heart outweighed the risky side effects of stomach-bleeding.

Their revised think: Aspirin is still good for those who've had an attack. But, not to be recommended as a preventive to patients at moderate risk. Is aspirin really such an enemy of the stomach? "It is synthetic acetylsalicyclic acid," points out Dr Michael Nossis, a GP turned alternative medicine therapist. "And acid does burn the stomach." Our digestive tract, he says, teems with fungi, molds and yeasts. These fermented substances should not reach toxic levels. So, the stomach produces a gastric enzyme — ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase) — to destroy the excess. When we swallow aspirin, its acid retards the ADH's enzyme action.

Since the fermented toxics remain in our stomach, we get acidity in the short term and set ourselves up for bleeding ulcers in the long run. The tragedy is: to quell the acidity brought on by aspirin, we take antacids-cimetidine or ranitidine.

These further suppress the ADH — a double blow to our digestive system. Enzymes are a body-friendly group that keep metabolism moving at the right speed to sustain life. When our enzymes weaken, we become vulnerable to food poisoning, constant indigestion and feel lethargic, fatigued, weak, and are unable to concentrate.

First things first

What precautions should we take if our doctor says we must have aspirin? Dr Nossis advises, "Don't take aspirin soon after a meal. Take it two hours after you've eaten. This allows the ADH in the stomach to destroy the fermented toxics."

Second, cut down sugar, yeast (bread, cake, alcohol and white flour), salt and grease from your diet. Sugar and yeast preparations produce fermentation in the stomach. Salt increases blood pressure that could lead to heart disease. Grease introduces fats and cholesterol into the arteries.

Third, exercise regularly. A combination of cardiovascular workouts and high-volume weight-training are great heart-strengtheners, metabolic-stimulators and cholesetrol-busters. Cardio-workouts can be cycling, swimming or walking for half-an-hour. High-volume weight-training means: five exercises of 20 repetitions each-a total of about 100 movements that will take 15 minutes. It means exercising 45 minutes per session thrice a week. Sounds like a lot of laborious changes? Not really.

Dr Nossis observes, "To practise unhealthy habits, we put in a lot of work and energy. By giving up unhealthy habits, we decrease our work-load and conserve our energy for good habits that in a short time make us healthier, more alert and energetic."

Once we've created a safe nutritional inner space by eating whole, natural foods, fruits and vegetables and promoted a healing inner environment by exercising, we are free to live with confidence. And, if required, explore alternatives to aspirin.

Of alternatives there are two.

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