One result of my heart attack is that I now have a crap load of pills to take each day. There are two ways to look at this: on one hand I am very lucky I live in a time when science has brought us so many amazing medicines, and on the other hand I am a little freaked out by how many foreign substances I am putting into my system each day. On top of that, during my recovery I have done some reading and watched some documentaries that not only question the use of drugs but provide scientific evidence for natural ways to bring about the same positive results. What to do, what to do?

Here’s a little taste of what I swallow each day just for my heart:

• Plavix — Keeps the platelets in your blood from clotting to prevent blood clots after a recent heart attack or stroke.
• Carvedilol — Used to treat people whose hearts cannot pump blood well as a result of a heart attack. Carvedilol is a beta-blocker that works by relaxing blood vessels and slowing heart rate to improve blood flow and decrease blood pressure.
• Lipitor —  Used together with diet and exercise to reduce blood levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (”bad cholesterol”).
• Altace —  Used to reduce the risk of heart attack and to improve survival in patients with heart failure after a heart attack. Altace is an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor that works by decreasing certain chemicals that tighten the blood vessels, so blood flows more smoothly and the heart can pump blood more efficiently.
• Aspirin —  Used to prevent heart attacks in people who have had a heart attack in the past or who have angina. Also used to reduce the risk of death in people who are experiencing or who have recently experienced a heart attack.
• Warfarin — Used to prevent blood clots from forming or growing larger in your blood and blood vessels. Warfarin is also used to treat or prevent swelling and blood clot in a vein and it works by decreasing the clotting ability of the blood.

Last night I finished watching a documentary about Ray Kurzweil called Transcendent Man. Ray is the proponent of something called The Singularity, which he thinks will take place within the next 30 years. The Singularity is “a proposed advancement that will occur sometime in the 21st century when progress in genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics will result in the creation of a human-machine civilization.” Until this time, Ray is trying desperately to keep his biological body alive and as part of this process the man swallows more than 150 supplements per day. That seems like a lot of effort, but if you honestly thought it would extend your life wouldn’t you at least consider it? That’s sort of my conundrum with all the pills I’m taking. I definitely believe in science and my cardiologist is highly trained and has seen results with pharmaceutical treatment. I’d be stupid not to do what he says. I know there are some of you out there who think taking drugs is a scam and all the hype is just a way for big pharma to make money, but that’s easy to think until you are faced with a life or death situation. Mike Tyson used to say “everyone has a plan until they get hit.” That’s how I feel.

I will say this — I have made a pretty solid recovery in the seven months since my heart attack and I have to believe the reason for this is because I did the three things my cardiologist asked of me. I did cardiac rehab and continue to exercise regularly, I drastically lowered my intake of cholesterol, fat and sodium, and I’ve taken my meds. As much as it freaks me out to take all these drugs, it appears to have made an impact. Of course, if I follow this logic I will be on tons of drugs for the rest of my life. But at least I’ll have a rest of my life.