Ibuprofen has been on the market for decades as a leading over the counter painkiller. It has been used regularly by professional athletes to help them work through injuries and to help them perform at their best. And we have been told for over a generation that it is safe for anyone in the right dosages.
But over the past few years, new research has been coming to light that reveals Ibuprofen is not the wonder drug we have always believed it to be. More and more doctors and scientists are calling for new laws, tighter restrictions, and sterner warnings to be used to protect people from a drug they are saying is far more dangerous than suspected.
In July of 2015, the FDA took steps to do just that. They required drug manufacturers to alter the labels on Ibuprofen and other non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs).
Despite being widely trusted, drugs like Ibuprofen cause approximately 1,600 deaths each year from gastrointestinal bleeding. That is to say, the drug eats a hole in the wall of the intestines or stomach large enough to cause death from internal bleeding.
1,600 is a small number in a country of over 300 million people. But subsequent research on the drug has shown that taking Ibuprofen and drugs like it make a person three times as likely to die from heart attacks and strokes. The risk factor increases by an estimated 20 to 50% of a potentially deadly cardiopulmonary event over that of a person who does not take Ibuprofen.
What’s most frightening about these findings is the fact that the increased risk of heart attack or stroke does not need to build up over time. You incur a 20 to 50% greater risk of dying from a stroke or heart attack the first time you take Ibuprofen.
It is estimated that as many as 30 billion of these pills are taken every year in the United States alone. That means on average, every person in the U.S. takes about 75 Ibuprofen every year.
What we have here is an over the counter drug that raises the risk of heart attack or stroke up to 50% at the first dose, and it’s being taken by virtually everyone in the country on a weekly basis. That is truly staggering.
Ibuprofen and the other NSAID drugs do more than just cause heart attacks. They are also associated with kidney failure and liver damage. The liver has roughly 500 functions that are vital to your health, and of course, when the kidneys are damaged our bodies cannot properly eliminate waste. That means the damage done by this drug could be far greater than anyone previously suspected.
One of the biggest reasons people take Ibuprofen is to decrease pain from arthritis. But it has been found that the drug actually hastens the rate at which cartilage erodes. That means the more Ibuprofen a person takes, the faster and more intensely they will experience chronic joint pain. Chronic joint pain is a condition that afflicts millions of people and there are many treatments- but few real cures.
The good news is that there are lots of great alternatives to drugs like Ibuprofen. Applying ice is still a great way to safely reduce pain and inflammation. There are a number of herbs that naturally reduce inflammation and are completely safe. Among them are willow bark, curcumin, ginger, and basil. When taken together, perhaps in the form of a tea, these herbs have powerful anti-inflammatory benefits.
And don’t forget the old home remedy of soaking in Epsom salts, which reduces pain while raising beneficial magnesium levels. Of course, regular, low impact exercise is an important way to reduce inflammation as well.
Inflammation is the cause of so many conditions that afflict human beings that it could be said to be a leading cause of illness. Ibuprofen is an irritant that causes more inflammation in the long run. Sure, it may chemically reduce inflammation in the short term, but the damage it causes to tissues throughout the body will lead to more inflammation down the road.
We should all be wary of drugs that only treat the symptoms while ignoring the cause, and be mindful of the fact that a painkiller is never more than a way to cover up your best indicator that your body needs help.
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