Medications

Why you should always have aspirin on hand

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This old standby may not be your first choice for pain relief, but it still has an important role in disease prevention and first aid.

We have a lot to thank aspirin for. It's cheap and plentiful. It does a good job of relieving pain and bringing down fevers. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and colon cancer. It can even stop heart attacks and strokes in their tracks. In fact, if you're in your 50s or 60s, you may want to think about taking a low-dose aspirin every day.

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