Do you know what class of drugs causes the most drug related deaths every year? Does your mind go to street drugs like heroin, or possibly super stimulants like crack, crank, and cocaine? Some of you know I tend to be tricky, so you are probably considering toxic meds like cancer drugs or heart medications. You are getting closer, but the answer is something you probably all have used and most still use on a regular basis.
The vast majority of drug related deaths come from over-the-counter pain killers and prescription pain killers. We are talking about Aleve (ibuprofen), Tylenol (acetaminophen), Advil, Excedrin (aspirin), and some of the prescription variations like Vioxx and Celebrex, as well as drugs like Norco, Codeine, and Vicodin. Pain is a serious problem obviously, but the meds they use to fight pain will often kill you.
Take Vioxx for example. It is estimated that Vioxx killed over 55,000 people from congestive heart failure during the few years it was available. Celebrex has been found to be no better. Opiate drug related deaths have been climbing rapidly over the last few years and is now considered the highest priority drug abuse issue currently facing America.
How about everybody’s favorite, the NSAID drugs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs)? These are all the over-the-counter pain relievers we use every day. The worst of this bunch is acetaminophen, which destroys your liver. In fact they put it into Vicodin specifically to discourage people from overusing it to get high. The acetaminophen makes overdosing on Vicodin deadly, far more than the opiates in it.
Gastrointestinal complications are the most common problems with NSAID medications. The result is bleeding of the stomach and small intestine. About 107,000 people are hospitalized each year for this and over 16,500 arthritis patients die each year because of this. Arthritis patients are specifically a target, because they use these meds on a daily basis week in and week out. The chances of these drugs causing a problem when taken only once or twice a month for a headache or muscle pain is quite small, but when you take them all the time for a chronic pain, the chances of death go way up. About 48/1000 people a year die from this.
So we are looking at a real chance of GI trouble (about 40% of patients) with a chance of bleeding ulcers, kidney damage, liver damage, congestive heart failure, strokes, and brain damage. Why is this?
NSAID’s are classed as COX 2 inhibitors. COX 2 is a kind of hormone called a prostaglandin. Prostaglandins are responsible for regulating pain and inflammation in many parts of the body. There are many different prostaglandins that are all designed to be in harmony and balance. These drugs inhibit just one prostaglandin – COX 2. This seems to be their weakness. We don’t see the nasty side effects when several of the prostaglandins are all decreased equally – COX 1, COX 2, and 5-LOX.
I mention this because a new product just introduced to me works through this mechanism. It uses something called Flavocoxid that reduce all three pathways to reduce pain without kicking up a bunch of side effects. It also combines two different bioactive collagens to help rebuild joints and improve skin elasticity 30%. It is called Arthroben. Clinically it has been shown to have the same level of pain fighting ability as Naproxen, without destroying your liver, kidneys, and GI tract. I have 5 jars in the office now in a powder form you add to water before breakfast.
What else can we do to relieve pain that is not going to kill us? For particularly chronic pain situations, like osteoarthritis that need regular support, we can use enzymes to control swelling and inflammation such as Purozyme or Fibrenza . I also make my anti-inflammatory chocolate containing curcumin and resveratrol, as well as carrying
the liquid Turmero and a new liguigel super bioavailable curcumin/turmeric root extract – Curcum-Evail. All three of these contain the turmeric extract that has been found in many studies to work better than NSAIDS and prescription arthritis meds. We have been getting some especially good feedback about the new Curcum-Evail concerning significantly less joint pain allowing better sleep.
For a different approach to joint pain control we can use counterirritant gels and sprays. The brain listens to the nerves in the skin more than the deeper joint nerves. So if we annoy the skin with a cooling or warming substance, it will block the deeper joint pain. A popular brand is Biofreeze.
Curiously, exercise has been shown to be one of the best remedies for osteoarthritic joint pain. You don’t want to do things that bang the joint around with sudden impacts, but gentle movement is a big help.
Tai Chi has had numerous studies showing how well it helps arthritis pain, as has Yoga. Swimming, walking, and cycling are all good exercises for arthritis. Strangely, slow motion weight lifting has been shown to be great for joints.
Obviously a good non-force Chiropractic adjustment works wonders, as does a good massage from a therapist that really knows what they are doing. Acupuncture also has a good track record with joint pain.
A newly available option for pain of many types is the use of CBDs (cannabinoids). Our brain and body has a whole system of receptors for internally made endocannabinoids, which help control pain. Up until recently to get these from external sources we had to use marijuana. CBDs are the medically useful part of marijuana, while THC is the psychoactive part. But now strains of commercial hemp have been bred that are high in CBDs without any THC content. This means they are legal and can be found even on Amazon. You don’t have to have a special license for these pain killers. Purchase Here
The last method of pain control is the use of the mind directly. Pain perception is not a black and white process. The part of the brain that registers pain has a volume knob that goes from 0 to 100. Your brain uses this knob to control how much you feel pain. It can completely shut off the pain if it needs to, while you run for your life from a threat. Hypnosis can tap this knob and turn off pain. More commonly many studies have demonstrated that we can control much of our pain perception through the use of meditation and present awareness. This approach is being widely taught at hospitals now as the basis of pain management classes.
Pain is no fun, and there are many things we can do to control pain besides using dangerous drugs. The first step is to clean up your diet. It is well established that eating sugar and vegetable oils (omega 6 oils) increase inflammation and pain. Only eating as much as you can easily digest is equally important. Getting a good night’s sleep is critical for pain control. Past these basics we have many options. Most all of them involve more participation than the dangerous drugs require, but that is true of everything in life – the less you participate, the greater the chances of serious consequences in any part of life.
Knocking down pain is a challenge. It can be done successfully. It is a journey of discovery that will reveal many unintended blessings along the way.