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Knee Replacements, NSAIDs & Inflammation
A friend asked me recently, "What should I take for a headache?" My response was, "We've got to find out the root cause for the headache." Especially if headaches are recurring. Infrequent headaches can usually be remedied by drinking more water. Dilution is the solution!
Inflammation is defined as swelling, heat or pain due to injury, trauma, infection or toxins. One important rule I like to remind my patients is: Where there is pain, there is always inflammation; but pain does not always accompany inflammation. A great example of inflammation without pain is arterial placquing.
Did you know? A side effect of aspirin and other NSAIDs is that they inhibit cartilage repair and accelerate the destruction of cartilage (Journal of Rheumatology 1982). This is important to note since aspirin is one of the most commonly prescribed drugs for osteoarthritis, a degeneration of cartilage. NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Aleve, Advil, and Motrin may help suppress symptoms, but in the long run they may possibly make the condition worse by preventing the formation of new cartilage and increasing the rate of cartilage destruction. I don't know the statistics, but it sure seems like knee, hip and shoulder replacements are becoming more and more common.
Aspirin and NSAIDs also increase the probability of intestinal permeability ("leaky gut") problems. Please refer to my eNewsletter last week on gluten sensitivity. Acetaminophen is another drug that relieves pain, but not inflammation. See my eNewsletter of June 4, 2009 on "Acetaminophen & Liver Failure".
The next time you reach for a natural pain killer or an anti-inflammatory product, try a couple that I highly recommend from Nutritional Direction's dispensary: Inflammatone and Pro-Infla-Zyme. These products naturally help the body eliminate inflammation and pain. They may be superior even to selective COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx and Celebrex. These drugs affect platelet aggregation increasing the potential of cardiovascular risk.
"But it is still my consolation, and I rejoice in unsparing pain, that I have not denied the words of the Holy One." Job 6:10
Isn't Job an amazing study in faith and perseverance? God can use suffering (inflammation) to purify the righteous! I pray that you are consoled by the Holy One during your time of pain and suffering. Jesus said that in this life, there will be suffering - not if, but when.
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