Dear Member,
A patient of mine brought me an article from the October 3, 2006 edition of The New York Times. I just finished reading it and thought I should pass it on to you. The basic message of the article is this: If you’re a heart attack survivor, your government is preventing you from getting certain kinds of follow-up care that may be critical to your survival.
The story tells how doctors in Italy routinely prescribe fish oil to heart attack survivors. They believe it’s effectiveness has been proved to the point that they would consider it malpractice to omit it from a patient’s recovery.
But don’t expect to get a prescription for fish oil from your cardiologist. Here in the US, thanks to the FDA, you can’t buy Omacor, the only prescription fish oil for use in heart patients.
That means that doctors throughout the country have their hands tied. Many are not even aware that fish oil is critical for heart patients. And even if they were, they don’t have the option of giving you a prescription for the one thing that might save your life. What’s more, even if your doctor did tell you about fish oil, your insurance wouldn’t pay for it.
Of course, American cardiologists are only too happy to recommend drugs and other high-profit items – everything from statins (cholesterol-lowering drugs) to implantable defibrillators.
The rules are so stringent; the first page of Omacor’s website asks you a question: “Are you an US citizen?” If you click “yes,” you’re taken to a page that does not mention anything about heart disease or heart attacks.
It still amazes me, that the drug companies have the power to wipe fish oil off the map in heart recovery. But that’s the power of money. Fish oil is also essential for the prevention of heart attacks and heart disease.
Fish oil contains good doses of the omega-3 family of fats including linolenic, eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids.
Omega-3s play a central role in protecting your cardiovascular system. A recent issue of Circulation reported how the heart uses omega-3s as protection.
Researchers found that the cell membranes of heart cells store omega-3 from fish oil. This storage prevents irregular rhythms, which can lead to sudden cardiac death. (Sudden cardiac death is responsible for 50% of heart-related deaths in the United Sates.)
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported a study showing that fish oil lowers triglyceride levels. Triglycerides are fats in your blood linked to heart disease. The participants took a fish oil supplement or a placebo. Those taking the fish oil had a decrease in triglycerides that reduced their chance of heart disease by 25%. The subjects taking the placebo showed no significant reduction.
In the New York Times article I mentioned above, they refer to a now landmark study conducted by Italian researchers. After giving just one gram of fish oil to heart attack survivors every day, they reduced the number of deaths by 20% and the number of sudden deaths by 40%.
With all this evidence, the FDA still refuses to make fish oil available to you by prescription. Of course, you can still get fish oil and take it yourself…
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD
P.S. – Fish oil isn’t the only life-saving secret mainstream medicine is hiding from you. In The Doctor’s Heart Cure, I expose the top 3 myths that are increasing your risk of heart disease.