Natural Alternatives to Ibuprofen

Ibuprofen Taking Ibuprofen to relieve inflammation, stiffness and pain is hugely popular, and for a good reason, it works really well! Except that taking Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDS) comes with serious adverse reaction riasks and side effects including death!

Did you know that roughly 100,000 people die every year in the USA due to adverse reactions to correctly prescribed drugs? A statement from a July 1998 issue of The American Journal of Medicine states the following:

“Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone.  The figures of all NSAID users would be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is generally under-appreciated.” 

NSAIDs such as ibuprofen can cause ulcers, bleeding, or holes in the stomach or intestine. These problems may develop at any time during treatment, may happen without warning symptoms, and cause death. The risk may be higher for people who take NSAIDs for a long time, are older in age, have poor health, or who drink three or more alcoholic drinks per day while taking ibuprofen.

Natural Alternatives are Safe

In the last 30 years there has never been a death caused by a natural supplement. Most people don't know that most conventional medicines are inspired by natural sources. Pharmaceutical companies will run tests and studies on the efficacy of a natural substance for any given ailment. Once they learn whether the results are good, they will create a synthetic version of that same substance and patent it so that it can be sold. Sometimes the synthetic version will work faster, and if you have a very low quality version of the natural substance, the synthetic one may even work better. Of course there are additional health costs with using synthetic versions that may not be worth any small trade-off that may or may not exist. Nature provides us with many natural anti-inflammatories which can effectively deal with pain and inflammation without the risks and side effects.

Natural Anti-Inflammatories

White Willow - anti-inflammatory1. White Willow Bark: This herb was the original aspirin. It contains a substance called salicin which converts to salicylic acid when in the stomach. Salicylic acid is the main component of Aspirin and when used synthetically it has irritating effects on the stomach. White willow bark is very effective in relieving pain, inflammation and fever.

 

 

 

Serrapeptase - anti-inflammatory2. Serrapeptase (Serratia Peptidase): Often called the "Miracle Enzyme", Serrapeptase is proteolytic (protein digesting) enzyme manufactured from an enteric bacteria that lives in the silk worm moth. The silk worm uses this enzyme to digest it's way out of it's cocoon, by breaking down dead protein. It's amazing healing properties were first used by Dr Hans Nieper, a Cardiologist from Germany who successfully used Serrapeptase to digest arterial plaque in patients with very serious blockages of the carotid artery. It has since been discovered that it is an effective anti-inflammatory too. Serrapeptase acts like a pipe cleaner to break down and digest arterial plaque, scar tissue, blood clots  and cysts while at the same time, reducing pain and inflammation. Serrapeptase is the only enzyme that dissolves non-living tissue. Many people get amazing results in reducing arthritus pain. Learn More...

 


 Curcumin3. Curcumin: Also referred to as turmeric at times given curcumin is a component of the herb turmeric, and is known as a potent painkiller. It helps to block pain signals running to the brain. Studies have shown that curcumin is effective in relieving pain, even chronic pain and is effective when it comes to treating rheumatoid arthritis. Curcumin has also been found to be as effective as Prozac in treating depression, but comes with no nasty side effects. At Abaco Health we recommend the most absorbable form, Natural Factors Curcumin. Theracurmin is 300 times more bioavailable than regular curcumin powder, ensuring a therapeutically effective level in the blood. Laboratory research has confirmed that curcumin can reduce inflammation, provide antioxidant protection to cells, and reduce risk factors for chronic degenerative diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. Early clinical studies found that large quantities of curcumin had to be consumed because it is poorly absorbed and rapidly excreted, but Theracurmin offers markedly improved absorption to produce better clinical results. Theracurmin is a natural extract processed using proprietary dispersion technology to create microscopic particles (100 times smaller than normal curcumin powder) dispersed in a colloidal suspension. Its safety profile has been proven in both animals and through human clinical trials.

 

 

Capsaicin4. Capsaicin: This remedy is mainly used topically and is effective in relieving nerve, muscle and joint pain by interfering with a chemical in the body known as substance P which transmits pain signals to the brain. It is often found in gel or cream form and comes in a variety of potentcies. This remedy can be used three to four times daily. Since Capsaicin comes from chili peppers some first time users have reported a light stinging pain once initially applied. This does subside and often disappears with further use.

 



AOR Maxi-Boz5. Boswellia: This is also known as “Indian frankincense” and is available as a supplement and a topical cream. It contains anti-inflammatory properties which come from the boswellic acids extracted from the tree. They help improve blood flow to joints and prevent inflammatory white blood cells from entering damaged tissue. The suggested dose for pain is 450 – 750 mg daily for 3 to 4 weeks.

 



Fish Oils6. Omega-3 fatty acids: Research has shown that the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are some of the most effective natural anti-inflammatory agents available and are beneficial for people who suffer with arthritis, other inflammatory joint conditions and inflammatory bowel diseases. The biological basis for the effectiveness of fish oil in treating arthritis has been well documented with many positive clinical studies, when compared to traditional pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory agents. The suggested dose of omega-3 fatty acids such as fish oil is 1,000 mg daily of EPA and DHA combined together.

 

 

Ginger 7. Ginger, a relative of turmeric, can reduce inflammation and increase circulation, and is particularly helpful for joint pain. Powdered ginger can be taken in a capsule or brewed as tea. Ginger root is a wonderful addition to stir-fry, soups, desserts, and other dishes.