Cardiovascular disease still the number one killer
EVERY 12 minutes in Australia, one person dies from cardiovascular disease. Despite significant advances in the management of our commonest killer, more needs to be done to stop the ongoing carnage.
Orthodox medical therapy such as coronary artery bypass grafting, coronary stenting, statin drugs to lower cholesterol, antihypertensive therapy, antiplatelet agents, along with a whole host of treatments aimed at salvaging or protecting the heart muscle have significantly reduced the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease.
But, orthodox medicine also comes with a downside. It is estimated that there are over 100,000 deaths on a yearly basis in the United States alone from the inappropriate prescription of pharmaceutical drugs. Two thirds of these deaths are related to blood thinning medications and diabetic treatments.
It is also estimated that well over 50% of invasive coronary angiography has been deemed unnecessary when the indications were assessed by independent bodies. Coronary angiography not only is expensive but also does carry a small but significant risk. Thus, orthodox medicine certainly has strong benefits but may also cause significant side-effects and complications.
There is, however, little attention paid by conventional doctors to the importance of integrative cardiology - combining the best practice orthodox techniques with evidence based complementary medicine.
To be continued next week...