Regular Chiropractic care helps the U.S. Men’s Olympic Water Polo Team…

N’uff SAID about NSAIDs

Often, patients enter a chiropractic office in extreme pain and as their last resort.  As many Doctors of Chiropractic know, these pain-filled and inflamed patients have waited far too long to seek chiropractic care and as a result, they have introduced  many toxins into their bodies for relief.  Its okay though, pain interferes with our decision-making.  Regarding toxins for symptomatic relief, Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs will be the base of this discussion.  What if I told you that you could experience the effects of NSAIDs without the dreaded “D” for Drugs; would you use them more often???….consequently we will soon change the abbreviation to NSAIA (“N-say”).

Without delving into the pharmocodynamics (what the drug does to the body) of NSAID’s, lets state the overall goal:  Reduce Inflammation.   Because the main goal when using a NSAID is for symptomatic relief; the suggested use, according to the Physician’s Desk Reference 2011  is for the following conditions:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Inflammation from the following conditions:
  • Psoriatic Arthritis
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Ankylosing Spondylitis
  • Reiter’s Syndrome
  • Acute Gout
• Menstrual Cramps
• Metastatic bone pain
• Headaches
• Migraine
• Post-operative pain
• Mild-to-moderate pain due to inflammation and tissue injury
• Pyrexia
• Ileus
• Renal Colic

The unwanted effects of NSAIDs are dose-dependent, and in many cases can be severe enough to pose the risk of ulcer perforation, gastrointestinal bleeding, and death (1). Rest assured, there is a greater alternative to that seemingly difficult twist-off top.  A recent study shows that chiropractic adjustments provide the same benefit by allowing your body to heal as it was designed.  SEE BELOW FOR RESULTS…

Sixty-four asymptomatic subjects were assigned to a Test Group (receiving adjustments) or a Control Group (receiving sham manipulation or venipuncture).   Inflammatory response was measured by blood and serum samples that were obtained from subjects before and then at 20 minutes and 2 hours after an intervention.   Over the study period, a significant amount of sham and control patients demonstrated progressive increases in the synthesis of tumor necrosis.  Conversely, the patients receiving the adjustments demonstrated that INFLAMMATION decreased gradually.  Within 2 hours, the control groups, without an adjustment, experienced a significant increase in inflammation.  In contrast, a significant  reduction of proinflammatory cytokine secretion was observed in cultures from subjects receiving spinal adjustments.

What are you waiting for?  Go get under chiropractic care and get some NSAIA (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Adjustment)….100% Natural.  You are not only getting symptomatic relief, but as a whole, your body will be functioning at a higher level than without being adjusted.

The info below is from 1998 and NSAID distribution and use has only increased when compared to today, which is most likely due to pharmaceutical marketing campaigns and population growth.

(1) 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 for all NSAID users would be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is generally under-appreciated. 

• Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Gastropathy”, The American Journal of Medicine, July 27, 1998.

RESOURCES:

Physician’s Desk Reference. 2011

JMPT. “Spinal Manipulative Therapy Reduces Proinflammatory Cytokines”. Volume 29, Issue 1, Pages 14-21 (01/2006)

Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Gastropathy”, The American Journal of Medicine, July 27, 1998.