The Harms of Pain Killers

What do you think pain is about?

I know our society thinks pain is something to be suppressed.

That pain is a nuisance.

But pain is the body giving an important signal to let you know something is going on or needed.

The problem is how pain is viewed though, leading to people popping pain killers at will without any thought.

Aside from the thousands of deaths (16,500 deaths per year) because of NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), there are other issues as well.

For instance, every year there are over 100,000 hospitalizations from long-term NSAIDs use.

People assume that since they are sold over the counter, they must be safe.

And instances of someone needing kidney dialysis after a few uses of ibuprofen are considered solely anecdotal and couldn’t possibly reflect the detriment NSAIDs can cause.

What are some of the top NSAIDs people use?

• Advil
• Ibuprofen
• Motrin
• Aspirin
• Aleve
• Midol

So the problem is two fold…

1. The pain signal is there for a reason and isn’t being addressed.
2. The thing being used to suppress the pain causes all sorts of other additional health problems.

A study published in the American Gastroenterology Association journal states that small intestine injury from NSAIDs use is visible within 90 days of usage.

This can range from small erosions to severe ulcers.

Indigestion, stomach pain, and stomach ulcers were also found.

Further listed side effects of NSAIDS include:

– Diarrhea / bloating / constipation / nausea / vomiting
– Kidney dysfunction, edema and high potassium levels
– Cardiovascular thrombotic events – heart attack or stroke
– High blood pressure, congestive heart failure, palpitations
– Asthma attacks, fatigue
– Bleeding, low neutrophil levels
– Hives, vertigo, seizures, headaches, insomnia
– Reye’s syndrome (life threatening where liver and brain swell – mostly reported w/ aspirin use in young children)

So you can see how this is a problem…

I mean, for example, many people take NSAIDs for a headache… but they can cause headaches…!??!?

But what can we do instead?

It really depends on the situation, for example:

• Menstruation pain – try a castor oil pack on the abdomen
• actually, that also goes for painful joints, tight muscles, and to support the liver and other organs
• Headaches, injuries – willow bark tea or Terry Naturally Curamin Pain Relief
• Toothache – try oil pulling with a drop or two of clove oil in the carrier oil

The above are in the moment type of options.

But it’s important that we don’t lose sight of actually handling the problem.

Do you get headaches often?

Why! That’s not normal. Typical is not necessarily normal.

Do you get horrible period cramps? Why? That shouldn’t be happening either.

I realize this is going into root cause which will take time, but all the pain symptoms are your body asking for you to help.

The typical root causes I see on a daily basis include needing a chiropractic adjustment, toxicities (heavy metals, toxic chemicals, mold, parasites, EMFs), nutrient deficiencies, lack of sleep and rest…

So next time you feel a pain, ask yourself why that would be there…

And how can you help your body so that the pain signal isn’t needed anymore (aka, health).