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Gout Drug Benefits Heart

A very old drug used to prevent gout may have impressive power to protect the heart. Allopurinol, also sold under the brand name Zyloprim, has been used for more than four decades to lower uric acid levels in the blood. Excessive amounts of uric acid can crystallize and cause excruciating joint pain. Allopurinol was tested in a placebo-controlled trial to see how well it protects the heart from exercise-induced angina. Subjects suffered from chronic chest pain. They were given either allopurinol or a placebo pill and were put on a treadmill. Those taking allopurinol walked 25 percent longer than those on placebo. The Scottish investigators point out that allopurinol has a good safety record and is also very inexpensive.
[The Lancet, June 8, 2010]

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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