Popular over-the-counter painkiller medications from the
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) class, which includes
ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB), have been found in a new large-scale
international study to significantly increase the risk of heart attack,
stroke or dying from cardiovascular disease.
Researchers found
that people who regularly take ibuprofen or aspirin (Bayer, Bufferin,
Excedrin) have about a 33% increased risk of suffering a major
cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, compared to people who
don’t use these drugs. Based on their dangers, NSAIDs are now considered
to be as “equally hazardous,” say researchers, as COX-2 inhibitor drugs
like Vioxx, which was pulled off the market in 2004 after killing
thousands of users.
Published in The Lancet, the eye-opening paper out of Oxford
University looked at the results of 639 unique randomized trials
involving more than 300,000 people. The team gathered extensive data on
the patients involved, including hospital admissions for cardiovascular
or gastrointestinal disease associated with NSAID use.
Focusing specifically on how NSAID use affects patients over the long
term, the team found that chronic pain sufferers who take high-dose
painkillers for long periods of time have the highest risk. This
includes folks who take 150 milligrams of diclofenac (Voltaren) or 2,400
mg of ibuprofen daily for many weeks or months.
“Long-term high-dose use of painkillers such as ibuprofen or
diclofenac is ‘equally hazardous’ in terms of heart attack risk as use
of the drug Vioxx, which was withdrawn due to its potential dangers,”
warns Reuters about the study’s findings.
Cannabis: a truly safe and effective pain reliever that renders deadly pharmaceuticals obsolete
As you may recall, the Vioxx scandal reached a bitter end only after
roughly 30,000 users suffered heart attack or sudden cardiac death from
the drug. Its manufacturer, Merck & Co., actively conspired with the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to keep silent about these extreme
dangers for years, only to reluctantly pull the drug from the market
after it was abundantly obvious that Vioxx was deadly quack medicine.
Now, it’s clear that ibuprofen
is equally as hazardous, and yet we don’t hear any politicians calling
for pain pills to be banned “for the sake of the children” like they are
for harmless cannabis. The hypocrisy here is striking, especially as it
becomes increasingly evident that natural substances like cannabis are
powerful pain relievers without deadly side effects.
“I was amazed at how effective and safe marijuana is for a lot of
chronic conditions that have doctors wringing their hands in
frustration, like fibromyalgia or spinal cord injury,” said Dr. Doug
Smith, a rehabilitation specialist from New Brunswick, Canada, who is
among a growing number of doctors switching to cannabis rather than painkiller drugs as their recommendation of choice for patients.
“It’s a very safe option for pain management; there has never been an attributable death,” he added, as quoted by Leaf Science.
Meanwhile, prescription opioid painkillers are killing more people
than ever — more than the number of people who die from heroin and
cocaine combined! So nearly everything that’s “legal” for treating pain
can kill you, but “illegal” plants and herbs like cannabis that are
completely safe remain off limits in many parts of the country and
world.
“It’s not the majority of people who use cannabis for medical
purposes,” added Dr. Arnold Schoichet, medical director of the Medicinal
Cannabis Resource Center, Inc., in Canada, which has helped more than
2,000 patients gain authorization to use cannabis. “But the ones that do
[use cannabis medicinally] gain so significantly that their care should
be a priority.”
Sources:
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/049914_medicinal_cannabis_ibuprofen_pharmaceutical_painkillers.html#ixzz3brC6h0UR
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment