It's an inevitable part of every life. As you live and breathe, at some point you will experience pain. But what you reach for may have severe side effects that negate your future health.
In the old days pain was treated a multitude of ways from the witch doctor excising bad spirits to the electric eels ancient Egyptians used to place on the painful areas of their patients. Today, we understand more of how the body functions and how it deals with pain, but today's methods may, in fact, be primitive compared to those ancient methods.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the first thing people reach for when they experience pain. Every medicine cabinet has them in abundance. They're the panacea for everything, from pain relief, reducing swelling, stopping fevers and preventing blood clots. Acetylsalicylic acid, commonly known as Aspirin is the most widely used and adds up to a whopping 40,000 tons consumed every year. Ibuprofen, also popular, is sold as Motrin, Advil and Nurofen. Naproxens, the third class of pain relievers, come under the names Aleve and Midol.
NSAIDs send some 76,000 people a year to hospitals and some 17,000 die from taking these over-the-counter medications every year.
NSAIDs should not be taken by children or pregnant women, especially if they are taken along with other drugs such as ACE inhibitors used to lower blood pressure, Probenecid to treat gout, Warfarin to prevent blood clots or Methotrexate used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.
NSAIDs inhibit what is known as cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes that control inflammatory reactions. If the COX is inhibited, then there are fewer pain clinic incidents. For those suffering from arthritis and other conditions, Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx are the first drugs of choice. While they avoid many of the effects of NSAIDs, they have been shown to increase heart attack risk, thrombosis, stroke and edema. Vioxx, the most famous, was pulled off the market in 2004 while Celebrex is mentioned in over 31,000 lawsuits to date.
Baby aspirin does show some promise in helping reduce the risk of heart attack, but too many take an adult aspirin every day without realizing that they are putting themselves at risk for severe gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney problems, ulcers and increasing the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
While Tylenol does not create gastrointestinal problems like Aspirin, it is not a safe alternative for children, despite what doctors may claim. It is responsible for more overdoses than what occurs from hallucinogenic drugs like cocaine, LSD or heroin have caused.
Considering these facts, it's hard to imagine why many would trade off pain relief for more serious problems in the future. But, of course, pain is hard to live with. It might, however, be better and safer to look at natural methods to relieve pain. And ne of the bast ways is to avoid pain altogether is by taking a look at the diet. Eliminating those foods that create inflammation can help to reduce painful flareups. The human body, in order to stay healthy, needs to have a more alkaline balance. Unfortunately, today's diet consists of more acidic foods.
As the old saying goes, prevention is the best medicine.