Arthritis and Pain Relief Medications

Almost everyone is familiar with pain relief formulas. Over 30 billion over the counter tablets and 70 million prescriptions are sold annually just in the USA . Known as 'Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs' (NSAIDs), a few commonly known names include Aspirin, Ibuprofin, Advil, Motrin as well as prescription products like Celebrex, Vioxx, Daypro and more.

Here's something you might 'not' know about common pain relief…

'Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for non-steroidal 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.'

-American Journal of Medicine, July 1998-
'It has been estimated conservatively that 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur among patients with rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis every year in the United States .

This figure is similar to the number of deaths from the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and considerably greater than the number of deaths from multiple myeloma, asthma, cervical cancer or Hodgkin's disease.

If deaths from gastrointestinal toxic effects from NSAIDs were tabulated separately in the National Vital Statistics reports, these effects would constitute the 15th most common cause of death in the United States . Yet these toxic effects remain mainly a 'silent epidemic,' with many physicians and most patients unaware of the magnitude of the problem.

Furthermore the mortality statistics do not include deaths ascribed to the use of over-the-counter NSAIDS.'

- New England Journal of Medicine-
The Food and Drug Administration suggests even higher figures, estimating NSAID use accounts for 10,000 to 20,000 deaths per year in the United States alone. In spite of this knowledge, little has been done to notify the public. There has been no large scale public alert and pharmaceutical companies still market and promote worldwide sales of these products.

It is important to note that most people have no warning signs that these drugs are causing internal damage before they end up in the hospital in serious condition. As the death toll rises annually, consumers are slowly learning the toxic effects of these medications and turning to Mother Earth to seek natural and less toxic alternatives to find relief from pain.