You Asked: Are Pain Relievers Safe?

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend!

Today I'd like to answer a great question, sent by Karen:

1) What would you recommend for pain relief as a substitute for ibuprofen? Doctors say it's safe, along with acetaminophen. What harmful effects do you know about?"

This is a great question, Karen! I have personal experience with NSAID's like Ibuprofen, because I ate them like candy before starting the Maker's Diet. I had headaches my entire life, and never left the house without a white bag of Ibuprofen.

As I got older, the Ibuprofen did nothing to me, and I had to rely on Excedrin, which I hated, because of the caffeine. Fortunately, once I started the Maker's Diet, my headaches have virtually disappeared. (Unless I get extraordinarily tired, like when I have a newborn in the house!) And they don't ever last for days and days like they used to.

Anyway, there is absolutely nothing safe about NSAID's like Ibuprofen or Aspirin, or even Tylenol. They cause bleeding in the liver, (I heard from one Dr. that this occurs every single time you take one) are harmful to the kidneys and GI tract, can cause ulcers ( I believe my use of NSAID's is why I had an ulcer, and I'm sure contributed to my severe stomach problems) and can even cause miscarriages.

Tylenol is marketed as being "different" from NSAID's, but studies have linked it to kidney failure as well.

Check out this great article from Dr. Mercola about the danger of NSAID's and acetaminophen. You can do further research on the topic by typing "NSAID" into Dr. Mercola's search field.

As far as what to use in place of harmful drugs like Ibuprofen & Tylenol, I recommend natural anti- inflammatories such as Garden of Life's Wobenzym, cod liver oil, and homemade chicken broth. (The gelatin in chicken broth is a powerful anti-inflammatory!)

For rare headaches, I take Garden of Life's Living Calcium, which is very high in magnesium. Magnesium is incredibly effective at reducing inflammation in the body. I find that taking it straight, in its powder form, hurts my stomach. I do much better with Garden of Life's gently absorbed form, since it's from whole food sources.

I hope this answers your question, and helps give you safe relief when you need it!