Aspirin – Helpful or Harmful?

There may be no drug more embedded into the fabric of modern medicine than aspirin. It’s a staple in nearly every medicine cabinet, handed out in hospitals and homes alike, praised as a “miracle drug” for everything from headaches to heart health.

But here’s the real question that few ever stop to ask:

Is aspirin truly helpful? Or have we overlooked the deeper harm it may be doing?

At Elite Upper Cervical, we always aim to ask the questions others don’t—looking past the surface to uncover the truth about health, healing, and what your body really needs to thrive.

The Global Footprint of Aspirin

The numbers are staggering. Approximately 100 billion aspirin tablets are produced and consumed annually.

Americans alone swallow 34 billion of those tablets each year, which equates to $350 million in annual sales.

Over the past century, it's estimated that more than one trillion aspirin tablets have been consumed worldwide.

What’s more, projections estimate that 10 million more Americans will be encouraged to begin daily aspirin regimens in the next ten years.

Aspirin is so widely accepted that many people assume it must be completely safe. After all, how could something so common, so inexpensive, and so accessible be harmful?

But the real story behind aspirin is far more complex than that.

How Does Aspirin Actually Work?

To understand whether aspirin is helpful or harmful, we must first understand what it does inside the body.

When a cell is damaged—by injury, illness, or stress—it releases prostaglandins, which act as chemical messengers. These messages tell the nervous system there’s a problem, initiating a cascade of responses that launch the body's natural healing process.

Aspirin works by blocking the production of prostaglandins. Without these messages, the nervous system doesn’t receive the signal that repair is needed. You may not feel pain, but that doesn’t mean your body is healing. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

By disrupting this communication, aspirin slows the healing process. The pain relief is temporary, but the problem lingers.

This was highlighted in a review of flu studies, where researchers found that people who took aspirin or other anti-fever medications were sick an average of 3.5 days longer than those who didn’t take anything (Plaisance, 2000).

• Participants who didn’t take aspirin: flu lasted 5.3 days

• Participants who did take aspirin: flu lasted 8.8 days

That’s a 66% increase in duration—just from trying to feel better faster.

Reference 1: Plaisance K. “Anti-fever drugs may prolong flu.” Pharmacotherapy, Dec 2000, 2:1417–1422.

The Trade-Off: Relief Now, Problems Later

Suppressing pain may feel like relief, but the cost can be far greater than discomfort. Aspirin and other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) come with a laundry list of serious and often overlooked side effects.

1. Gastrointestinal (GI) Damage

Prostaglandins don’t just transmit pain—they protect the stomach lining. When aspirin inhibits prostaglandins, it removes this protection. This leads to:

• Stomach irritation

• Ulcers

• Internal bleeding

The FDA estimates that NSAID use accounts for:

• 200,000 cases of gastrointestinal bleeding

• 107,000 hospitalizations

• As many as 20,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone(Source: Bystrianyk, 2002)

  
  

Reference 2: Bystrianyk, R. Health Sentinel, Oct 30, 2002.

That’s 20,000 deaths every year—linked directly to “harmless” over-the-counter drugs.

2. Kidney Damage

A 2001 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that regular aspirin users were 2.5 times more likely to develop chronic kidney failure

And those taking 500g+ of aspirin per year (about 4 tablets daily) had a 3.3 times greater risk than non-users (Fored, 2001)

This isn’t just about taking high doses. It’s about consistent use over time—something millions of people do daily, thinking it’s safe.

Reference 3: Fored CM. “Acetaminophen, aspirin, and chronic renal failure.” New England Journal of Medicine, Dec 20, 2001; Vol 345, pp. 1801–1808.

3. Pregnancy Complications

According to widely available consumer drug information, aspirin use during the final trimester of pregnancy may cause:

• Bleeding in the fetus

• Increased length of pregnancy

• Prolonged labor

• Severe bleeding in the mother before, during, or after delivery

Reference 4: Drug Information for the Consumer, p. 1037.

That’s not minor. It’s a serious risk to mother and child, yet aspirin continues to be marketed as a low-risk, everyday solution.

Pain is Not the Enemy—It’s the Messenger

Here’s the shift in perspective that can change everything: Pain is not the problem. It’s a signal.

Pain is your body’s built-in warning system. It lets you know something needs attention.

Covering up that signal doesn’t fix the issue—it just lets it worsen quietly, beneath the surface.

Imagine putting a piece of tape over your car’s “check engine” light. You may not see the problem anymore, but it’s still there—and now it’s more dangerous.

This is what we do every time we pop a painkiller without addressing the cause.

NUCCA Chiropractic: A Smarter, Safer Alternative

So what should we do instead?

At Elite Upper Cervical, we take a radically different approach—one based on restoring function, not suppressing symptoms.

That’s where NUCCA chiropractic care comes in.

What is NUCCA?

NUCCA (National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association) is a highly specialized technique that corrects subtle misalignments in the upper neck, specifically the atlas vertebra.

This area is crucial because:

• It protects the brainstem

• It affects posture, balance, and neurological function

• It’s the gateway for communication between the brain and the rest of the body

When the atlas is misaligned, it can interfere with brain-body communication, impacting everything from pain perception to organ function.

By restoring alignment gently and precisely (no cracking or twisting), NUCCA care helps your body function the way it was designed to—without drugs.

Function Restored, Healing Unleashed

Here’s what many of our patients report after starting NUCCA care:

• Decreased headaches and fewer migraines

• Better digestion

• Improved sleep

• Increased energy and focus

• Less overall inflammation

• Improved mood and reduced anxiety

• A sense of mental clarity and calm

And best of all? These results come without the risks of aspirin or other NSAIDs.

Because we’re not masking symptoms. We’re helping your body heal from the inside out.

Why Don’t We Hear More About These Risks?

If aspirin carries such serious risks, why is it still recommended so frequently?

The answer is, unfortunately, a familiar one: profit.

The pharmaceutical industry spends billions of dollars annually marketing drugs like aspirin, funding studies that support their safety, and lobbying healthcare organizations to endorse them.

Meanwhile, natural and drug-free approaches—like chiropractic care—receive little support because they don’t fit into the profit model.

The result? An overwhelming cultural belief that drugs are the first, best, and safest solution—when often, they are not.

Reclaiming the Definition of Health

At Elite Upper Cervical, we believe true health isn’t about silencing pain. It’s about:

• Clear communication between the brain and body

• A nervous system free of interference

• The body functioning as nature intended

• Energy, strength, focus, and resilience

Aspirin may help you feel better temporarily. But NUCCA chiropractic helps your body work better consistently.

Let’s Compare: Aspirin vs. NUCCA

Feature	Aspirin	NUCCA Chiropractic
Approach	Symptom suppression	Root cause correction
Mechanism	Inhibits chemical signaling	Restores structural alignment
Side Effects	GI bleeding, kidney damage, pregnancy risks	None
Healing Impact	Delays healing	Supports and enhances healing
Long-Term Use	Risk increases	Safety and benefits improve over time

So… Is Aspirin Helpful or Harmful?

Let’s recap:

✔️ Does aspirin reduce pain? Yes, temporarily.

❌ Does it support healing? No.

❌ Does it carry serious health risks? Absolutely.

✔️ Are there safer, more effective alternatives? Yes—especially when it comes to structural and neurological causes of pain.

So the answer is: Aspirin may be helpful in isolated emergencies, but over time, it’s more harmful than helpful—especially when used habitually or without understanding the cost.

Pain is not the enemy. Dysfunction is.

What You Can Do Instead

If you’re tired of masking symptoms and you’re ready to experience what your body is capable of when it’s functioning fully, it’s time to consider NUCCA chiropractic care.

Here’s how to begin:

1. Schedule a NUCCA assessment at Elite Upper Cervical.

2. We’ll take specific neck x-rays that we will precisely measure to find out your misalignment.

3. A gentle correction is applied to restore alignment to your upper cervical spine.

4. You’ll receive a personalized plan based on how well your body holds the correction and how you respond.

5. Watch your symptoms decrease—not because we masked them, but because we removed the root cause.

Final Thoughts

We’ve been conditioned to think that taking a pill is the fastest path to health. But often, that path leads us away from healing and into dependency.

It’s time to challenge the norm.

Choose to work with your body—not against it.

Choose solutions that support healing—not ones that delay it.

Choose clarity, function, and long-term wellness—not temporary comfort at a long-term cost.

Ready to learn how NUCCA chiropractic can help you feel better—naturally?

Schedule your assessment today!

Because when the spine is better, the body works better. And when the body works better, you feel better.

No aspirin required.

References

1. Plaisance K. “Anti-fever drugs may prolong flu.” Pharmacotherapy, Dec 2000, 2:1417–1422.

2. Bystrianyk, R. Health Sentinel, Oct 30, 2002.

3. Fored CM. “Acetaminophen, aspirin, and chronic renal failure.” New England Journal of Medicine, Dec 20, 2001; Vol 345, pp. 1801–1808.

4. Drug Information for the Consumer, p. 1037.