I imagine we all know someone who has been affected by heart disease.

Heart disease is a leading killer in the United States and is not always preventable or easily diagnosed.

However, modern medicine is constantly changing, and with the help of research, we are finding new ways to stop the onset of this serious illness, diagnose it earlier and lessen the damage when it does strike.

Currently, some of the researchers at UC Health are looking at new and inexpensive ways to help those who have heart troubles.

In 2009, researchers at the University of Cincinnati found that applying capsaicin cream, an over-the-counter topical medication used for temporary pain relief, to specific skin locations in animal models caused sensory nerves in the skin to trigger signals in the nervous system, activating cellular “pro-survival” pathways in the heart and protecting the cardiac muscle during a heart attack.

Clinicians want to see if those same pathways are triggered in patients with angina, or chest pain with exertion.

This study, which only involves a treadmill test and minimal time for participants, could be the first step in finding a safe, beneficial, cost-effective treatment for patients experiencing a heart attack while they are in transit to the hospital or waiting for surgery.

Research is an important component to patient care, and yet, many patients are afraid of participating in clinical trials for fear of being a “guinea pig.”

Sometimes, findings from clinical trials lead to results that create a new and better standards of care.

The University of Cincinnati and UC Health have thousands of clinical trials going that could benefit patients who are not being helped by conventional treatments. These studies could help researchers make important discoveries to improve treatments and may even find cures to some of nature’s mysterious diseases.

Although enrollment for clinical trials has been possible at UC Health University Hospital for years, enrollment also is taking place at UC Health West Chester, making it more convenient for you to participate.

If you are interested in finding out more about a cardiac clinical trial, call (513) 558-2273 or visit www.uc physicians.com/clinical-trials to learn more about the clinical trials offered.

It is safe and easy. Not only are you helping yourself but by participating, you are helping others.

Faisal Khan, MD, is a UC Health cardiologist who sees patients at UC Health West Chester. He is also the principal investigator on the capsaicin clinical trial. If you have chronic uncontrolled angina, please call (513) 558-2273 to find out more.