In addition to its traditional uses, aspirin is used increasingly to ward off heart attacks and strokes. According to the American Heart Association, up to 10,000 lives could be saved in the United States every year if more people took aspirin at the onset of chest pains or other symptoms of a heart attack. Aspirin combats the formation of the blood clots that clog blood vessels and cause attacks and strokes. Such versatility explains the con-tinued popularity of aspirin. Some researchers believe that scientists have discovered only of a fraction of the drug's benefits to the body.
Studies are currently underway to determine if aspirin reduces the risk of some cancers.
In its century of existence, aspirin has outlasted all the patent medicines and trendy remedies and stands alone as the pain reliever against which all others are compared.