Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been the cornerstone of pain management in patients with osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions. Examples include Naproxen (Aleve), Ibuprofen (Motrin/Advil), Celecoxib (Celebrex) and Rofecoxib (Vioxx). In the United States an estimated 5% of all visits to a doctor are related to prescriptions of NSAIDs and they are among the most commonly used drugs.
In January of 2011 the British Medical Journal published a study that analyzed the cardiovascular risks caused by NSAIDs. This study included 116,429 patients with more than 115,000 patient years of follow-up. They concluded that little evidence exists to suggest that NSAIDs are safe in terms of cardiovascular health. Cardiovascular death accounted for 46% of all deaths in those evaluated in the study. NSAIDs were found to increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death. The authors in this study concluded that "all non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular adverse effects." In 2004, Vioxx was withdrawn from the market because it increased the risk of cardiovascular events.
In comparison, a 2003 study published in Spine found that chiropractic care was better than 5 times more effective that NSAIDs at improving neck and back pain, caused no side effects, and had a stable therapeutic benefit a year after care.
Consider Chiropractic. For your Heart's sake.
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