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Posted November 15, 2012: by Bill Sardi
How much evidence will it take before modern medicine backs away from beta blockers? Beta blockers slow the heart rate by about 8 beats per minute and are most often prescribed in cases of high blood pressure. About 20 brands of beta blockers vie for 200 million prescriptions written annually. But evidence that beta blockers are of little value in reducing mortality from strokes or heart attacks goes back as far as 2004. In fact, there is evidence that beta blockers actually increase the relative risk for a stroke by 26%.
Now the most conclusive evidence against the use of beta blockers, a 3.5-year study involving almost 45,000 subjects says beta blockers do not work as intended. Another recent study shows there are other drugs that work far better than beta blockers. The New Scientist has written the best slamdown of beta blockers, which can be accessed here.
Beta blockers are employed to slow the heart rate and give the heart more rest between beats, but at the cost of inducing fatigue, impotence and breathing problems, and an increase in the risk of stroke and diabetes.
By comparison, a modest dose of daily fish oil (less than 1000 mg) has been found to reduce the resting heart beat by about 5 beats per minute without producing any of these side effects, and fish oil offers many other additional health benefits. – Copyright 2012 Bill Sardi, Knowledge of Health, Inc.
Posted in Dietary Supplements, Heart, Modern Medicine ; No Comments »
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