Take two aspirin and call them from the morgue In much of the popular culture — including the media and
mainstream doctors' offices — ordinary, garden-variety aspirin has
been elevated to the status of "miracle drug" for the prevention of
heart attacks. This is nothing new. And according to these
"experts," aspirin fights heart attacks by making the platelets
(clotting agents) in your blood less likely to bind together in
clumps and clog up your arteries. But some recent research on the subject proves what I've been
saying all along — that aspirin may not be such a good thing when
it comes to protecting your ticker. Here's the scoop: The University of Maryland Medical Center conducted a study of
56 randomly selected heart patients who were engaged in "aspirin
therapy" for the prevention of heart attacks. Of these subjects, 14
exhibited EXCESSIVE platelet aggregation (clumping). But before
you conclude that 14 out of 56 isn't a bad ratio — after all, it's only
25% — consider this: Out of these 14, 9 (64%) had what their doctors considered "high
cholesterol." Why is this big news? Because what most doctors view as "high"
cholesterol is actually bordering on dangerously LOW levels of
this vital substance. If you've been reading my newsletter (or the
Daily Dose) for any length of time, you know that I'm a firm
believer in keeping blood cholesterol levels OVER 200 — because
your risk of stroke increases when it's lower. In fact, I'd ignore cholesterol altogether unless it gets up over 300! If the Maryland study holds true, it means that the effects of aspirin
on healthy, cholesterol-rich blood actually INCREASE the risk of
platelet "clumping" and heart attack! And this is not to mention the
heightened risk of deadly uncontrolled bleeding that comes with
excessive aspirin use... Bottom line: Take aspirin only when something hurts. And if
you're worried about heart attacks (who isn't?), do what I do —
take cod liver oil twice daily. It worked for my grandma, and it's
working for me... ***********************************************
The question to ask at your next check up: What's up, Doc? Is your doctor satisfied with his work? I know what you're thinking: I'm the one with the symptoms! Who
cares if HE'S satisfied? But your doctor's level of job satisfaction is important, and it can
affect the care you get in his office. Not because a frustrated
physician can't help you, but because doctors who feel like their
hands are tied — because of HMOs guidelines, needless laws, or
from a general paranoia of repercussions — can't give you the best
possible medicine… And they KNOW IT. Here's the proof. I read the results of a survey that revealed a
steady, rapid decline over the last few years in the satisfaction
many conventional doctors get from their work. And SURPRISE
— it's not because they don't make enough money... According to the survey's 12,000 respondents, it's because they feel
like they lack the independence to treat and cure their patients in
the best manner possible. What's this mean? It means that what I've
been saying all along is true: That today's doctors have less
freedom than most criminals — they live in constant fear of ruin at
the hands of an ever-
increasing bureaucratic and legal quagmire. But as lamentable as this survey's results are, there is a glimmer of
hope contained within: The notion that conventional MDs all
across the fruited plain are growing weary of the bloated,
ineffective system of mainstream medicine... That means there's hope that the safe, natural, drugless, untainted-
by-the-big-money-mainstream alternatives I've been touting for
years may yet become the medicine of first
choice for the physicians of tomorrow.... Dreaming of the day, William Campbell Douglass II, MD | 
