ABC
The Guardian’s [UK] March 15, 2017 article, “Calls for ibuprofen sale restrictions after study finds cardiac arrest risk”, by Matthew Weaver draws attention to a recent study from Denmark which revealed a 31% increased risk of cardiac arrest from the use of ibuprofen and an even greater risk from the use of other over-the-counter NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) such as Diclofenac.
Advil and other NSAIDs claim to safely and effectively alleviate pain and reduce fever. They also come with a lengthy product monograph warning of the many risks involved with taking the products. In fact, in April of 2015, Health Canada released a Safety Alert warning consumers of the risk of heart attack and stroke at dosages over 1200mg per day drawing further attention to the inherent risks of using ibuprofen.
In contrast, statistics show that that Natural Health Product (NHP) pain relievers have an impeccable safety record. Health Canada continues with their war-like approach to regulating NHPs, treating them as potentially life threatening substances which should be regulated in the same way as drugs. At the same time, it conveniently ignores the repeated annual deaths caused by over-the-counter and prescription drugs.
“The current message being sent to the public about NSAIDs is wrong. If you can buy these drugs in a convenience store then you probably think: ‘They must be safe for me.’ “, Prof Gunnar Gislason of the University of Copenhagen states. The article goes on to state that, “The study, published in the British Medical Journal, used data for almost 10 million NSAIDs users from the UK, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany, who started treatment between 2000 and 2010. Overall, 92,163 hospital admissions for heart failure were identified among the group.”
Read Shawn Buckley’s October 2016 Discussion Paper on how Natural Health Products may soon be regulated in Canada
See Ron Law’s analysis from Health Canada’s 2004 statistics showing drugs far exceeded NHPs in risks to health
