I have always tried to limit the amount of pain medication that I take for any of my aches and pains. Even for headaches, I try to get adjusted, massage or use acupuncture before I try an Advil or Tylenol. I have a belief that the body can heal itself. You just have to give it a little direction sometime.
The interesting fact shared in the lecture by Dr. Walter Schmitt was that according to a study done in 1996 by the American Pharmacology Association, 16,500 deaths a year are atrributed to NSAID's.That is a very scary statistic. But why is that happening? Improper use of this over the counter drug. People assume because it is not a prescription medication, there are no harmful side effects. Just like with anything, moderation is the key.
One of the ways the human body deals with pain is with something called prostaglandins. The body has created a series of pathways that help produce prostaglandins that can help faciliate inflammation. Inflammation is not a bad thing. Inflammation is the way the body heals itself. It becomes a problem when your body loses its ability to control it.
NSAID's work in a specific way to control that inflammation. Many of you have probably heard of COX-2 Inhibitor,like Vioxx, that helps reduce inflammation. Those prostaglandins create an enzyme, COX -2, that increases inflammation. COX-2 inhibitors help to decrease the inflammation. This is one of the ways that NSAID's work.
Above is a diagram as to how inflammation is regulated in your body. If you stop one side of the path, you get a build up on the other side. It is a like a garden hose, if you put a kink in one part of it, you get a back up. If you put too much in the system, you will cause an explosion in the opposite direction. People who take NSAID's on a regular basis, do just that.
I am not saying not to ever take aspirin or ibuprofen, but think about it next time before you start taking it on a more than regular basis. NSAID's can actually interfere with the absorption of your fish oils, which many take to decrease inflammation. This is why so many people are taking a look at dealing with pain using nutrition. The American diet is a high inflammatory diet, which means that your body is constantly in an inflammatory state. So for an every day person this is the cycle of NSAID's
1. Patient is currently in hyper-inflammatory state due to poor diet.
2.Patient wakes up with back pain
3.Patient takes NSAID's and gets some relief
4.NSAID's inhibit absorption of the 'good oils' and increases inflammatory agents in the body.
5.Patient wakes up with back pain
Repeat steps 2-4
Stop the cycle by taking control of your diet and educating yourself on pain relief.
