An urgent warning for NSAID users everywhere

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like naproxen and ibuprofen are easily some of the best selling medications on the market today. And many, many people pop these over-the-counter painkillers like they’re candy.

Which is exactly what makes the news I’m about to share so terrifying.

New research shows that NSAIDs also raise your risk of atrial fibrillation, or AF. This is the most common type of heart arrhythmia. And it can lead to stroke, heart failure, and sudden death.

It’s not a condition you should take lightly.

And yet, according to this recent study, people who take NSAID drugs face a higher risk of AF than those who don’t. By more than 75 percent. And after as little as two weeks of use, too.

And this isn’t the first time NSAIDs have come under scrutiny for cardiovascular-related concerns. As I’ve mentioned before, NSAID use has already been linked to heart attacks, heart failure, and stroke in the past.  And yet you can buy these drugs pretty much anywhere… without a single warning about these heart risks in sight.

Are you kidding me?! If a supplement did this, it would be yanked off the shelves so fast you’d probably feel the vacuum from where you’re sitting right now. But do you think we’ll be seeing NSAIDs disappear anytime soon?

I highly doubt it. So it’s absolutely critical for you to know the risks these drugs pose to your health.

I won’t bore you with every last detail of this study. But it was a large one involving over 8,000 people, with an average age of 68. And the results showed that ongoing use of an NSAID for 15 to 30 days was linked to a 76 percent higher risk of AF compared with non-use.

And by non-use, I mean never. Because even when you stop taking these painkillers, you’re at risk.

In fact, this study also found that NSAID use in the recent past— that is, within the preceding 30 days—was associated with a staggering 84 percent increase in AF risk.

Results also showed that this risk sets in shortly after NSAID treatment starts. And that it may resolve over time if you keep taking the drug for an extended period.

Still, I’d hardly call that reassuring… would you? For one thing, this observation points to an underlying addiction mechanism at work here. Which is disturbing enough on its own.

Second, extended use of NSAIDs comes with a whole other set of risks. So even if your AF risk goes down, you’re simply trading it in for other problems.

And perhaps most disturbing, this research indicates that “occasional” use of NSAIDs is just as dangerous. There’s no doubt that a whole lot of people are starting and stopping NSAID treatment on a regular basis. Whether it’s for recurring episodes of acute back pain, or nagging allergy headaches. And these people could be gambling with their lives without even knowing it.

This just adds to my list of reasons never to use NSAIDs.

But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through pain. There are plenty of strategies that can help alleviate your discomfort without stopping my heart in the process. Starting with my New Hamptons Health Miracle.

Cutting the sugar and processed junk from your diet is the first step toward combating the lethal inflammation that’s causing your pain to begin with.

There are also several nutritional supplements that can deliver pretty powerful pain relief even during acute flare-ups—which is why I always keep them at the ready.

I covered this topic in detail in the June 2012 issue of my monthly newsletter, Logical Health Alternatives. So if you haven’t subscribed yet, think about signing up today. I know I say it a lot—but its contents really could save your life.

Source:

“Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and the risk of atrial fibrillation: a population-based follow-up study.” BMJ Open. 2014 Apr 8;4(4):e004059.