Dangers of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

Having just attended a weekend seminar on injury, pain and inflammation, this seemed like a good time to refresh the information regarding the adverse effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications  (NSAIDS). You may remember that in 2004, only 5 years after its approval by the FDA, Merck withdrew Vioxx from the market due to between 88,000 and 140,000 cases of serious heart disease due to the drug. It also increased the risk of stroke significantly.

However, Vioxx is not the only NSAID with serious side effects. Many drugs that are commonly used to control arthritis pain have a serious downside.  Some of the more common medications include aspirin, ibuprofen (marketed as both Advil and Motrin) and naproxen.

The side effects are actually life threatening; each year 103,000 people are hospitalized for the side effects of NSAIDS and 16,500 of them die. (1999 figures, which are higher now)

These side effects include: indigestion, leaky gut syndrome, gastrointestinal bleeding, kidney damage, cardiovascular effects, liver effects, blockage of fracture repair and degradation of joint cartilage due to the inability of the body to synthesize new cartilage. NSAIDs destroy vitamin C, an essential component of cartilage repair and decrease the availability of sulfates in the body, which prevents the synthesis of a key component of cartilage — GAGs (aka glycosaminoglycans, formerly called mucopolysaccharides). And, severe reactions can often occur without any warning.

The good news is that there are alternatives to taking these dangerous drugs. These include essential fatty acids in the right balance, quercetin, resveratrol, boswellia, magnesium and zinc, which are co-factors to essential fatty acid pathways.

I have a variety of products in my pharmacopia to combat inflammation. To find out which one is best for you, schedule an appointment so that I may test your response to the different options.

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