About one-third of American adults—more than 50 million people—take aspirin to prevent heart disease. That’s a stockpile of aspirin taken on a daily basis.

Even though aspirin is a century-old drug that can thin the blood and sometimes dissolve blood clots, it is not without its own risk factors. Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding, and can result in strokes (hemorrhagic) caused by bleeding.

If you’re having a heart attack, taking an aspirin could possibly save your life. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently came out with new recommendations on aspirin use for the prevention of heart attack and stroke.¹ In response, Dr. Mark B. Johnson, president of the American College of Preventive Medicine, issued a statement saying that self-prescribing a daily aspirin is unwise and that it’s important to recognize the risks, as well as the benefits.

It’s important to know exactly where you stand, and the best way is to consult with you health care practitioner about whether taking a daily aspirin outweighs the risks.²

But please keep in mind that there are safe and effective proven alternatives to aspirin that help support cardiovascular health. Here are three of the best:

Fish Oil

In a new study of the effects of omega 3 fatty acids, researchers say that fish oil is so effective at supporting cardiovascular health that individuals without an underlying heart problem should take at least 500 mg a day of a supplement containing EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Patients who have been diagnosed with coronary heart disease should take at least 800 to 1000 mg a day.

Barry Sears, Ph.D. author of several books including The Zone and The Omega Rx Zone: The Miracle of the new high-dose fish oil (HarperCollins Publishers), recommends dosages up to 2500mg of combined EPA and DHA, which seem to support even more beneficial results.

The study, which appears in the August ’09 edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reviewed data on four trials involving 40,000 participants that showed the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, in the treatment after a heart attack, and in heart failure patients.3

Scientists believe that the fatty acids EPA and DHA work by getting into the membranes of cells and improving the heart's electrical activity, its vascular tone, plaque stabilization, and blood pressure.

Garlic

Garlic has been used for centuries to protect the heart and clear the arteries. Extensive research has been done on its active ingredient allicin, which has been found to: scavenge free radicals, protect membranes from damage, and maintain cell integrity. It also provides cardiovascular protection by lowering cholesterol, blood pressure, anti-platelet activities, and thromboxane (a type of fat) formation, thus providing protection against atherosclerosis and associated disorders.⁴

Calcium disodium EDTA

Calcium disodium EDTA is an amino acid that is used to remove calcium and other harmful minerals from your arteries that promote blood clotting and atherosclerosis. It also helps protect cells and tissues from free radical damage.

According to Dr. Gordon, the father of chelation therapy, congestive heart failure patients have recently been reported to have 22,000 times more mercury and 14,000 times more antimony in their hearts than healthy individuals.

Numerous clinical reports suggest the beneficial effects of chelation therapy for the treatment of atherosclerosis.⁵ 

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