This one innocent mistake could spike your risk of death or heart attack by 45%

Maybe that old twinge in your knee has popped up again. Or perhaps you have a migraine that’s threatening to split your head in two. So, you reach for the bottle of Celebrex or Advil, just looking for a little pain relief.

Unfortunately, according to the findings of one study, if you’ve suffered from a prior heart attack, along with that relief could come a staggering jump in your risk of suffering another—potentially deadly this time—attack.

Danish researchers looked at the risk associated with the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in adults who had already suffered from a heart attack over a 10 year period.

What they found was…frankly…pretty shocking.

NSAID pain relievers send heart attack risk skyrocketing!

The use of NSAIDs by those who have had a heart attack is associated with an overall 45 percent higher risk of death… or of yet another heart attack… within a week of using the drugs, according to the study published in the journal Circulation.

With three months of regular use, that risk shoots up to a staggering 55 percent!

Despite extensive warnings regarding the use of NSAIDs for anyone who has heart disease, doctors were apparently still handing out prescriptions for them with every office visit.

In fact, a full 42 percent of the 83,675 heart-attack survivors that the Danish researchers looked at had been prescribed at least one NSAID!

Meaning more than 35,000 patients were handed a piece of paper that could very well be a death warrant.

If you’ve had a heart attack ditch the NSAIDs

If you’ve had a heart attack, do yourself a favor and wean yourself off of NSAIDs as quickly as possible. Doing so may very well save your life.

And if you’re on the NSAID diclofenac (brand names: Voltaren, Cataflam, and Voltaren-XR), cold turkey might be the best approach. Diclofenac users were found to be three times more likely to die, or have another heart attack, within a week of use.

For pain relief there are a number of natural options you can try, including

ginger: eat more fresh ginger or take two 500 mg capsules up to twice a day,
capsaicin,
devil’s claw: 600 – 1,200 mg of the liquid extract or 100 – 250 mg capsules 3 times a day,
curcumin: 500 to 1,000 mg of turmeric per day,
fennel,
essential oils,
magnesium (orally or as an Epsom salt soak for aches and pains),
evening primrose oil,
MSM (methylsulfonylmethane),
and cowfoot leaf.

Or give progressive relaxation or meditation techniques a try.

To find an integrative physician in your area who can help you design a personalized, safe, pain-relief program, contact the International College of Integrative Medicine.

Remember that while it’s true that every man dies we certainly don’t have to make it a race to the finish line

Reference:
“Duration of Treatment With Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Impact on Risk of Death and Recurrent Myocardial Infarction in Patients With Prior Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Cohort Study.” Circulation, 5.9.2011

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