Health
It’s much more than just a headache killer
Aspirin is a bit of an overachiever. Besides easing your headaches, the magical over-the-counter med can enhance your health, appearance, and even your hair. Here are five surprising uses for the popular pill.
5 Surprisingly Awesome Uses For Aspirin
Saturday, April 30, 2016
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It’s much more than just a headache killer
Aspirin is a bit of an overachiever. Besides easing your headaches, the magical over-the-counter med can enhance your health, appearance, and even your hair. Here are five surprising uses for the popular pill.
Clear Pimples
Aspirin’s primary ingredient, salicylic acid, helps beat
zits by breaking down the offending clog and reducing inflammation, the root of
redness, says Kavita Mariwalla, M.D., a dermatologist in West Islip, New York.
To treat your pizza face, crush one pill and stir in 3 tablespoons of water.
The consistency should be like milk, not mayo. Rub the mixture on your blemish
before bed to help shrink the spot while you sleep. Try this trick on mosquito
bites, too—it reduces itching.
Cut Cancer Risk
Cancer cells can glom on to clotted blood platelets, but by
making platelets less sticky, aspirin makes them less likely to clot. So the
odds of clingy cancer cells lingering in your arteries drops. In one study from
the University of Oxford, people who took a low daily dose (75 milligrams) of
aspirin for five years were 20 percent less likely to die of cancer than those
who didn’t pop the pill. They were also 8 percent less likely to die of any
cause over the next 15 years.
Soften Calluses
Help eliminate these tough patches on your hands and feet by
mixing three crushed aspirin tablets, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 2
tablespoons water. Rub the paste on each callus and cover it with a Band-Aid
overnight. The lemon juice is an astringent, says Dr. Mariwalla, and with the
aspirin, it will penetrate the skin and break down the tough spots. Repeat the
process for a few days and your calluses should be soft enough to grind away with
a nail file.
Cure Dandruff
Salicylic acid fixes more than just pimples; it’ll take care
of dandruff, too. (It’s the secret weapon in Neutrogena’s T/Sal shampoo.)The
acid skims the dry skin from your scalp, so the flakes land in the drain and
not on your jacket. Try this: Crush two aspirin tablets and mix in just enough
shampoo to form a nice lather. Leave it on your hair for at least 30 seconds,
and rinse as usual, Dr. Mariwalla says. Do this two or three times a week to
stay flake-free for life. Related: Everything You Need to Know About
Dandruff—Including How to Get Rid Of It
Beat Depression
People who popped aspirin regularly over a 10-year period
were less likely to experience symptoms of depression, a study in the journal
Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics found. According to Keith Souter, M.D., author
of An Aspirin a Day, the explanation may be linked to inflammation: In research
from Denmark, people with the highest levels were more likely to have
depression symptoms. Since aspirin eases inflammation, it can literally put a
smile on your face.
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