This common Rx med could be your heart’s biggest enemy
Dear Reader,
You exercise regularly… eat healthy… take your supplements… and get plenty of rest.
But you could still be putting your heart in serious jeopardy… simply by taking a pain reliever that more and more doctors are now prescribing.
This med, called diclofenac, is a close relative of the long-recalled killer arthritis drug formerly sold under the brand name Vioxx – which was only on shelves for four years before its maker yanked it in 2003.
In that brief period of time, some experts believe it’s possible that this drug could have claimed as many as 500,000 lives.
So, could diclofenac be as deadly as Vioxx?
Researchers in Denmark decided to find out.
And they discovered something that ought to set off alarm bells around the world… and give you reason to take a good look at any pain meds in your home and switch to one of the drug-free (and very effective!) natural cures that Big Pharma doesn’t want you to know about.
There’s no doubt that pharma’s solutions to pain are some of the riskiest drugs you can take. We all know that opioids can kill, but what about other types of pain meds, like diclofenac (an NSAID just like Motrin, Advil, and aspirin)?
After looking at data of millions of Danish citizens, the researchers found that people on diclofenac (I’ll give you some of its brand names in a minute) were 50 percent more likely to suffer a “serious adverse event” than those who didn’t take pain meds at all.
How serious? Think a-fib, stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and “cardiac death.”
Diclofenac is marketed under a whole bunch of brand names, including: Cataflam, Voltaren, Zorvolex, and Dyloject, which is used in hospitals and can be especially risky.
If you’re given a prescription for one of these meds, you should flatly refuse it.
And if you’re going under the knife for any kind of procedure, make sure that you ask if they plan to give you a shot of Dyloject. If they do, insist on something else. This drug comes with a black-box warning for bleeding, heart attacks, and stroke, as well as potentially fatal “perforation of the stomach or intestines.”
But while diclofenac is especially risky, that doesn’t that the OTC varieties you can buy almost anywhere are in the clear. They aren’t, not by a long shot, which is why non-drug options for pain — such as acupuncture, chiropractic, physical therapy, and even massage — should always be your first approach.
If arthritis pain has got you down, arnica used as a topical cream or homeopathic under-the-tongue pill has been found to be particularly useful.
I know – it’s easy to pop a pill that will bring quick relief. But remember: You only have one heart.
Once it’s damaged beyond repair, there’s not a cure in the world that can bring it back.
To Keeping Your Heart Safe,
Melissa Young
