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01/06/2005: "What Will They Think of Next"
It has been discovered that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, such as Cox-2 inhibitors Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex, lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. However, it turns out that these prescription drugs are not the only painkillers that should be avoided: The FDA has urged the public to limit the use of over-the-counter pain medications and to use them in strict accordance with the label directions.
Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers to be Wary Of
* Aleve
* Aspirin
* Ibuprofen
Aleve (made by Bayer) is the first non-prescription NSAID to be added to the list of painkillers associated with heart attacks and strokes. In fact, Aleve is so detrimental to one's health that those who have been taking the drug for nearly three years have been advised to stop using it, while those who opt to continue taking it should take no more than two pills a day for no longer than 10 days (unless otherwise advised by a doctor).
People taking the prescription version of Aleve, Naprosyn, are also being directed to take the drug with extreme caution.
Furthermore, a study administered to discover whether Aleve or Celebrex could prevent Alzheimer's disease showed that those taking Aleve had an estimated 50 percent higher risk of heart attacks and strokes than those taking a placebo.
So what can we do about pain?
This is an excerpt from Dr. Mercola,
"There are two steps that will help the vast majority of people with pain. That is to start a high quality fish oil (cod liver oil) at this time of year and to avoid sugar. Omega-3 fats are precursors to mediators of inflammation called prostaglandins. In fact, that is how Vioxx and other NSAIDs work -- they manipulate prostaglandins. However, when you do it in an unnatural drug way, there is frequently another price to pay, like side effects, which can lead to death. Further, when you use natural methods like omega-3 fats and stopping sugar, the side effects are good health.
Sugar and grain avoidance for most people will lower insulin levels. Elevated insulin levels are one of the most important reasons why inflammatory prostaglandins are produced. That is why stopping sugar and sweets are so essential to controlling arthritis pain and other types of chronic degenerative illness.
Most people were using Vioxx for osteoarthritis and other types of pain. But for those that were using it for the less common rheumatoid arthritis, it is important to know that optimizing vitamin D is one of the most important physical measures one can take to treat RA. Sun exposure is clearly the best way to achieve this however at this time of year the only alternative to a month's vacation in the Caribbean that most of us can't do is to consume healthy vitamin D from cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is clearly the safest form of vitamin D supplementation as contains vitamin A, which can balance against absorbing too much vitamin D. "
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