Combining outrage and health In tomorrow's e-Alert I'll look at the six most important health tips of 2007. In the meantime, here's an item that qualifies as both an outrage and a health tip. In March, a new study revealed that the regular use of aspirin and other painkillers may boost blood pressure in men. In a report on Good Morning America, ABC Medical Editor Dr. Tim Johnson began by noting that "we know" high doses of these painkillers cause salt retention. REALLY? We know that? I expect that most of the people out there who unfailingly avoid salt in their diets to avoid HBP would be surprised to learn that their daily aspirin - taken to avoid heart disease - might be adding to their blood pressure problem. Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School followed more than 16,000 middle-aged men who had no history of blood pressure. After four years, when aspirin intake was singled out, subjects who took aspirin six to seven days each week increased HBP risk by 28 percent. Similar use of acetaminophen was found to increase HBP risk by 34 percent. "Do a Little Dance"
http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealerts/ea200703/ea20070307a.html
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