IMPORTANT SUPPLEMENTS
If you are over 40, there are several things you should be taking every day to help to maintain good health.
ASPIRIN
We have known for years that a low dose of aspirin every day will reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack in patients considered to be at high risk. Only recently has it been shown beyond doubt that low-dose aspirin will also reduce everyone's stroke and heart attack risk by perhaps as much as 40-50% according to some studies.
Even "normal" people can sometimes form small blood clots attached to the walls of blood vessels. These clots can gradually enlarge, then suddenly break off and be carried to the brain or the heart where they can obstruct a small vessel and block off blood flow to something vital. Aspirin works by interfering with the mechanism responsible for producing these clots within blood vessels. It does not significantly interfere with other clotting mechanisms such as those triggered by a cut in the skin.
I recommend that you take one aspirin tablet every day for the rest of your life. Actually a Baby Aspirin (1/4 of an adult aspirin) is enough to do the job; but baby aspirin is very expensive; and most people can take one adult aspirin daily without any stomach upset. It should be the cheapest generic aspirin you can find; but it cannot be an aspirin substitute such as Tylenol or Advil.
It is important to understand that there is no cumulative benefit from taking aspirin. The protective effect we want lasts for about 48 hours, and then it's completely gone. You could take your aspirin faithfully every day for a year; but if you were then to go on vacation and "not bother" taking the aspirin while traveling, after a couple of days your risk would be the same as if you'd never taken an aspirin in your life. Think of your aspirin like you do your seat belt -- you must use it faithfully, every day; or it won't be there that one time when you really need it. Conversely, if you take your aspirin faithfully, you'll never know it when the day comes (and goes) when you "dodged the bullet"... because nothing happened.
Some people should not take aspirin. Be sure to check with me if you have any doubt.
VITAMINS
For many years it was thought that the "antioxidant" vitamins Vitamin C, and Vitamin E, and Folic Acid could help to reduce the risk of heart attack; so I recommended that my patients take these vitamins daily.
Recently, however, evidence has been mounting that these vitamins may not reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke and in some patients may actually reduce the heart-protective effects of cholesterol-lowering medicines such as Lipitor, Zocor, Pravachol, etc. On the other hand, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Folic Acid are thought to have other beneficial effects such as reducing cancer risk and slowing aging; so be sure to discuss your vitamin regimen with me..
What about the mineral Selenium? There is convincing evidence that Selenium 200mcg daily may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 50%; so it's probably a good idea for men over age 40 to take Selenium daily.
CALCIUM
Women over 40 should take 1,500-2,000mg. of calcium every day to minimize the risk of developing osteoporosis (brittle bones) in later years. Men over age 40 should make certain that they are receiving at least 1,000mg of calcium in their diet every day.
Ask your pharmacist to recommend which of his generic calcium preparations gives you "the most bang for the buck" (check the fine print on the label - what you're interested in is the amount of "available" or "elemental" calcium). Your body will absorb calcium better if it is divided into several doses taken at different times of the day. It's also a good idea to take 400units of Vitamin D every day; since that helps your body to use the calcium more effectively.
Two TUMS tablets have 600mg of available calcium. There is a new orange-cream flavored, sugar-free TUMS tablet that's really quite tasty. The easiest way for women to get their 2,000mg of calcium a day is to keep a candy dish of TUMS on the kitchen counter and simply grab and chew up a couple of them several times a day.
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