Miracle drug - yes or no??

Aspirin - are you as confused as I am?  About ten or more years ago, we were told that half and aspirin tablet a day would help protect against heart attacks and strokes.  Then four or five years ago, the advice changed, and was that, unless you had actually had a heart attack - in which case aspirin would indeed reduce the risk of a repeat - the disadvantages of taking it (potential stomach bleeding) outweighed the advantages.  Now the latest research is that it can help protect against cancer. For heaven's sake - do I take it or not??!!