What+is+aspirin+and+how+does+it+relieve+pain?

__ Figure 1: This is a close up of Aspirin stopping pain. __
 * WHAT IS ASPIRIN AND HOW DOES IT RELIEVE PAIN **

Aspirin, or **acetylsalicylic** acid, is a locally working **analgesic** which is used to prevent pain. It works by sticking to **COX-2**, which is an enzyme that creates prostaglandins, and stops it from what supposed to do which is creating **prostaglandins**. Prostaglandins are made by damaged tissues by creating the enzyme known as COX-2. Aspirin enters your body by going into the stomach and then after that dissolving into the blood stream so it can circulate through the whole body. Although aspirin all over the body it will only do its job where prostaglandins are being made and does not work any place else in the body. The original creator of aspirin was Felix Hoffman who was ordered by his boss Eichengrun to create a substitute for salicylic acid. A very important job and likely job that aspirin is used for is to help stop heart attacks. Aspirin is a **salicylate** acid which is often used to treat small aches and pains. Hoffman’s effective treatment eventually led to the creation of the first ever heroin. An Egyptian medical script showed that bark of a willow tree was used for stopping inflammation and decreasing fever and pain. Aspirin has also been common as an **antiplatelet** and was used to stop the formation and creating of blood clots. It is given to patients in low doses for a long time to prevent the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Aspirin is not a prescription medicine andwas the very first made NSAID. A NSAID is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Aspirin, because of its ability to decrease pain is often used to treat some chronic problems such as arthritis.



__ Figure 2: This is Aspirin in the process of stopping pain. __

Advil is like aspirin and has the same purpose. Advil is ibuprofen which is a NSAID drug. Advil also has in it aspirin and naproxen sodium and is a safe pain reliever that does not include in it **acetaminophen**. Advil is trusted to deliver long lasting, fast relief and is used to stop acute pain.
 * Advil **

The medicine Plavix is used for the same thing as aspirin is used for. It possibly decreases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. If someone has already had a heart attack or stroke than an antiplatelet such as Plavix would maybe make the risk of another heart attack go down.
 * Plavix **

Acetaminophen: A crystalline compound used in chemical synthesis and in medicine to relieve pain and reduce fevers. Acetylsalicylic: The chemical name for aspirin. Analgesic: A remedy that relieves or allays pain. Prostaglandins: Any of a group of hormone like substances produced in various tissues that are derived from amino acids and mediate a range of physiological functions, such as metabolism and nerve transmission. COX-2: Either of two related enzymes that control the production of prostaglandins and are blocked by aspirin. Salicylate: A salt or ester of salicylic acid. Antiplatelet: Acting against or destroying blood platelets.
 * Glossary **

Brain, Marshall. //Marshall Brains How Stuff Works.// New York: Hungry Minds, 2001. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Print. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jones, Charlotte Foltz. //Mistakes That Worked.// New York: Doubleday, 1991. Print. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Analgesic." Compton's by Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2012. Web. 12 Sept. 2012. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Advil. “How Are Product works.” //Advil.// PfizerConsumer Healthcare, 2011. Web. Sept. 25, 2012. <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">IMS health and NPA plus. “Facts About Plavix.” //Plavix.// Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi Pharmaceuticals Partnership, 2012. Web. Sept. 26, 2012.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Citations **