inflammed by medical marketing

INFLAMMED BY MEDICAL MARKETING

The Jupiter study made numerous headlines in November of 2008; most saying that taking a statin drug (Crestor) could lower their risk of a heart attack by 50%.

I know marketers do what marketers do but the facts are far different than the headlines.
The study was of 17,802 people with normal cholesterol levels but with elevated CRP, a blood test indication inflammation. Half were given a placebo and half were given Crestor 20 mg daily, after two years there were 157 cardiac events in the placebo group (1.8%) and 83 events in the treated group (0.9%), a real and actual reduction of 0.9% or less than ½ percent per year.
That would mean that 180 people would have to be treated for two years at a cost of $3.95 per day to prevent one cardiac event.
Since both LDL cholesterol and CRP went down no one can say that it was not the lowering of inflammation that was responsible for the small benefit.
When your Doctor started you on cholesterol lowering medications they did not tell you that there was only a 1 in 180 chance that you would benefit from the drug.
Marketing has trumped medicine, unduly influencing your Doctor, the FDA and NCEP (National Cholesterol Education Program) ignoring better solutions.
Since the last few years has produced massive amounts of evidence that inflammation is the root cause on Heart disease as well as many other chronic diseases let’s focus on ways to eliminate and correct the inflammation that is reducing the quality and quantity of our lives.

Weight Control
Overloaded fat cells produce chemicals that directly cause inflammation in our arteries. As little as 10% reduction in weight can correct the problem.

Baby aspirin
The original anti inflammatory has been proven to be more effective than drugs to prevent heart attack.

Avoid Soybean and corn oil

These oils, which are in every prepared food, and which we have been told to consume instead of animal oils, contain Omega 6 fatty acids which in excess amounts cause inflammation and heart disease.

Take a fish oil supplement

Omega 3 from fish oil is nature’s most effective anti inflammatory. Demonstrated in large studies to drastically reduce heart attack and death. Most of us do not eat enough fatty fish and need to supplement.

Be physically active

Recent studies have shown that the active muscle cell produces anti inflammatory compounds and releases them into the blood stream.