Charles Shiflett Column April 3, 2005

Government Bans Aspirin!

Did the title get your attention? Billions of aspirin tablets have been consumed over the
years for treatment of everything from fevers to arthritis, so of course the FDA wouldn't dare
ban it… would they? Not yet.

However, a quick glance at the possible side effects of taking aspirin reveals a long list of
serious health concerns. Aspirin may cause erosion of the stomach lining with silent
bleeding; kidney damage; hepatitis with jaundice; Reye's Syndrome; allergic reaction; bone
marrow depression; vomiting; constipation; nausea; and heartburn. Scary huh?

Author Mike Fillon, in his book Ephedra: Fact or Fiction, claims that between 2000 and 2003
as many as 48,000 people died from problems associated with aspirin use.

OK, next time you need pain relief or have a fever you can just reach for the acetaminophen
instead... right? Not so fast my friend, the FDA reports 56,000 visits per year to hospital
emergency rooms and 100 deaths annually can be attributed to acetaminophen overdose.
Acetaminophen has its share of serious side effects too.

Fillon also states in his book that 137,000 people die each year just from correctly taking
their prescription medications. This number doesn't include deliberate abuse of medicines
or accidental overdose.

A quick perusal of my trusty Guide To Prescription Drugs 2004 reveals that virtually every
one of the hundreds of medications listed can cause serious side effects. These drugs
have been reviewed by the FDA for safety and access to most of them is tightly controlled
by the medical community, but the dangers are real.

Despite all the health problems and even deaths caused by prescription medications, it is
rare when the FDA or a pharmaceutical company pulls a drug off the shelves. The recent
voluntary removal of Vioxx from the market may ring a bell.

So where am I going with all this? I'm sure you've heard the old saying, "with risk comes
reward". Every time you take a prescription drug, you are weighing the risks of side effects
against the benefits. Depending on your health condition, most of the time the risks are
justified.

It's all about freedom of the individual. Nothing is more sacred than being able to take care
of your medical needs in the way you feel is best for you. Want to try acupuncture,
chiropractic, or nutritional therapy? I have no problem with reasonable government
standards to ensure safety, but no one should stand in your way even if the method is
outside the medical mainstream.

So why did the U.S. government ban ephedra last year? This herb has been safely used for
centuries for relief of nasal and sinus congestion. I've used a natural ephedra tea myself for
just this purpose, but I can no longer buy it.

Seems that ephedra has been blamed for 130 deaths… not in one year, but over the past
ten years. So for an average of 13 deaths a year, most of which were from deliberate
abuse, ephedra has been banned. Seems that some weight loss drug manufacturers
crammed ultra high levels of ephedra in their products.

Taken in high doses, ephedra speeds up the body's metabolism, which is helpful when
trying to shed excess pounds. Taking high doses of ephedra has also been linked to heart
problems. Taken in reasonable quantities however, ephedra is very safe. One could argue
that it is much safer than many FDA approved prescription drugs on the market.

You may remember numerous news stories last year extolling the dangers of ephedra, but
when is the last time you saw a story on the dangers of aspirin?

So instead of reaching for some all-natural ephedra tea to help clear up a recent sinus
problem, I was forced to purchase an OTC nasal decongestant and eventually a
prescription antibiotic to take care of the infection that developed.

Instead of a $5 box of ephedra tea, I shelled out $15 for a doctor visit co-pay plus the cost of
the prescriptions. Not much of a plan for reigning in healthcare costs.

Aspirin is cheap, widely available, and doesn't require a prescription… seems to be the
perfect candidate for a government ban some day. Better stock up.