Course Overview

Cardiac drugs as a class are the most commonly prescribed drugs in the US. Lipitor, a statin drug to treat cholesterol is the most commonly prescribed drug. Several hypertension drugs are also in the top ten prescribed. This seminar examines major cardiac drugs and the dangers Chinese medical practitioners need to be aware of when combining with herbs and acupuncture.

We will look at various types of biomedical treatments for hypertension, arrhythmia, high cholesterol, and coagulative states. Herb-drug acupuncture-drug interactions will be explored for each type of drug. Each of the following drug classes will be explored: antihypertensive agents, anti-hyperlipidemic agents, anti-arrhythmics, and anticoagulants.

Course Objectives

• Understand how cardiac drugs and herbs interact.
• Identify the most common cardiac drugs with potential for drug-herb interactions.
• Explore how major cardiac drugs act on the body.
• Protect oneself from potential medico-legal issues arising from interactions.

Course Outline

0 hrs - 15 minIntroduction.

15 min - 1 hrsIntroduction and description of areas of concerns for drug-herb interactions.

1 hrs - 2.5 hrsDiscussion of individual cardiac drug classes including functions, mechanisms of action, adverse drug reactions, red flags, Chinese medical affects, and specific drug-herb interactions.

2.5 hrs - 3 hrsSummary.