Drugs Really Do Work!

Robert W. Griffith, MD

With the growth in complimentary and alternative medicine - herbs, supplements, acupuncture, and the rest - one might think that traditional medicine is unnecessary. But when it comes to serious conditions (i.e. acute coronary disease) there's little doubt that pharmacological research has provided a rich collection of medications that produce effective results. This is borne out by a recent article in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It described a multinational study ( USA , Canada , England , Scotland , France , and Poland ) that included more than 44,000 adults hospitalized with the acute coronary care syndrome - heart attack, stroke, heart failure or sudden cardiac death.

Each patient was followed for more than 6 months after discharge from hospital. Results were compared for different periods between 1999 and 2005. The study revealed increased use (40% to 50%) of beta-blockers, statins, ACE inhibitors or ARBs, and aspirin or Clopidogrel® over the years. At the same time, there was increased use of cath lab procedures to increase coronary flow (e.g. placing a stent).

These changes were accompanied by these results: decreased in-hospital deaths, cardiac shock, heart failure, stroke, lung edema, and new or recurrent heart attack. The rate of hospital deaths decreased by about 25%

It's clear (to me, at any rate), that advances in traditional medicine and techniques have brought about greatly improved results from the treatment of acute coronary artery events. It's unfortunate that this progress has been paralleled by an increase in the consumption of alternative and complimentary medicine; when things get serious - i.e. a heart problem - people are happy enough to turn to traditional medicine. Please remember that, to get approved for sale, new medicines have to prove their effectiveness and safety according to strict guidelines. The advances in treating the acute coronary syndrome show that these medicines are clearly effective. The same cannot be said for most (not all) alternative medications and treatments.

Source
HealthandAge Blog

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