Mailbag! This Pill TRIPLES Your Heart Attack Risk

By Natalie Moore Posted February 9, 2017

Dear Living Well Daily Reader,

You’ve got questions…

We’ve got answers!

In the midst of cold and flu season, we get many questions in the mailbag about how to stay healthy and beat these nasty bugs. Today, we are going to address a common cold and flu symptom remedy that could lead to a severe heart attack.

Let’s dive in…

Hi Natalie,

I’ve been taking ibuprofen and aspirin as fever reducers for years because that’s what the pharmacist suggested. Recently, though, I heard it’s dangerous to take these types of drugs when you have the flu. Is this true? Why are they dangerous?

Thanks,

 Jim K.

Thanks for such an important question, Jim.

Yes, using these drugs while having flulike symptoms can be very dangerous.

According to research from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen and aspirin can increase your risk of fatal heart attack if taken while you have flulike symptoms like fever, headache and respiratory infection.

In fact, after taking a closer look at the medical records of about 10,000 patients who had experienced a heart attack, they found that folks who took NSAIDs during an acute respiratory infection increased their risk of heart attack 3.4-fold.

That’s right — TRIPLE the risk, and none of these patients is being warned.

Even worse, the risk of heart attack shot up 7.2 times when the patients were receiving NSAIDs through an IV.

So if you want to reduce your flulike symptoms without increasing your chances of suffering a heart attack, you should skip the NSAIDs.

Instead, you can opt for a natural solution like holy basil.

Revered by Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years for its ability to fight fevers, respiratory issues and infection, holy basil has more recently been recognized as a powerful adaptogen that can help your body fight colds and viruses.

You can get holy basil in tea or supplement form from natural health retailers or through online stores like vitacost.com at the cost of around $20 for a three-month supply.

Do you have health questions? Drop me a line: feedback@livingwelldaily.com.

Live well,

Natalie Moore
Managing editor, Living Well Daily

Ed. Note: Please send your feedback: feedback@livingwelldaily.com – and click here to like us on Facebook.

Written By Natalie Moore

Natalie Moore is a dedicated health researcher with a passion for finding healthy, natural, and science-based solutions. After a decade of direct healthcare experience in western and natural medicine, she was involved in public health research before joining Living Well Daily.

View More By Natalie Moore