Ibuprofen- a Dangerous Drug
A friend tells someone at the gym that she thinks she has tendonitis. The "someone" -- a professional athlete -- recommends exercises and advises her to "take Ibuprofen for the pain and swelling."Sound familiar? Unfortunately, advice like this is given out every day by "professionals" who are unaware of the drug’s adverse side effects.
In this instance, the advice was given to a person who has a history of asthma -- a contraindication for Ibuprofen -- and hypersensitivity to the drug. The last time she took a 600-mg dose, she says, she started itching all over and had a spaced-out feeling that lasted for hours.
People like this aren’t stupid, just misled. Everywhere we turn, we’re encouraged to pop pills for pain. When Ibuprofen originally hit the market, first as prescription Motrin(TM) and later as several different over-the-counter drugs, people were amazed by its anti-inflammatory effects. It’s easy to see why unpleasant side effects get forgotten.
Ibuprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) belonging to the group of proprionic acid derivatives, which includes Naproxen, Anaprox, Ketoprofen, and a few others. Ibuprofen works by inhibiting an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (si-klo-OX-suh-juhn-ays). This enzyme is responsible for the production of prostaglandins, hormone-like substances that are involved in local tissue inflammation and repair.
Ibuprofen also inhibits the production of a prostaglandin that protects the stomach lining. Ulcers develop in about 20% of people who regularly take NSAIDs like Ibuprofen. Ulcer warning signs include stomach or abdominal pain and dark, tarry-looking stools from gastrointestinal bleeding. But ulcers can develop with no symptoms. In rare cases, prolonged use of Ibuprofen can disrupt normal kidney function. Risk for these conditions increases with age.
As with other "quick fix" symptom-management drugs, a great danger exists in at least one high-price side effect: the masking of underlying health conditions. In the above story, the woman with tendonitis is fortunate. Her body refused the "quick fix" and now she’s seeking appropriate treatment. But the athlete isn’t so fortunate. Her painful conditions worsen while she ignores her body’s cry for attention. Her solution is to take two Ibuprofen every morning and evening.
Four Ibuprofen a day?
"People have no idea how Ibuprofen inhibits the body’s ability to heal," says Marion Hauser, M.S., R.D., Executive Director of Caring Medical & Rehabilatation Services, a natural medicine and Prolotherapy clinic. Ross Hauser, M.D., cofounder of Caring Medical and specialist in physical medicine and rehabilitation, is writing a book on treating sports injuries. Here’s a glimpse of what he has to say about Ibuprofen:"NSAIDs have been shown to delay and hamper healing in all the soft tissues, including muscles, ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. The key question regarding the healing of a sports injury is ‘What exactly does the therapy do to the fibroblastic cells that actually grow ligament and tendon tissue?’ Treatments that stimulate fibroblast proliferation will cause ligament and tendon repair and will help the athlete heal. Treatments that kill or hamper fibroblastic growth will be detrimental.
Studies show that Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs inhibit fibroblastic growth. For example, in one study of the treatment of tendon injuries, it was found that all doses of Ibuprofen used in the study decreased the strength of flexor tendons undergoing repair by 300% at four weeks. Flexor tendon analysis showed that the peak force of the tendons of the control group was 12.0 newtons, whereas in the Ibuprofen group, it was an average of 2.5 newtons. Extensor tendon analysis showed similar results."
You might ask why, then, are most physicians, including sports medicine specialists, recommending Ibuprofen and other NSAIDs?
Dr. Hauser says, "They seem to have forgotten that inflammation is necessary for healing. Local inflammation at the site of an injury is the key to achieving complete healing. Whether it’s a recent injury or one that occurred 30 years ago, an injury will always heal by inflammation. There is no other way to heal the injury"
NSAIDs may decrease pain, says Dr. Hauser, but they do so at the expense of hurting the healing of injured tissue. He explains, "Immediately after an injury and for about the next seven days, appropriate treatment is the key to complete healing. This is the inflammatory phase of healing, when circulation to the area is increased and cells that are stimulated to repair the area start secreting growth factors, causing fibroblasts to proliferate."
The next time someone recommends Ibuprofen for an injury, remember Dr. Hauser’s advice: "Do not anti-inflame your pain to stay!"
For acute injuries, find healthcare practitioners who offer alternatives to NSAIDs and effective methods to promote healing. There are any number of effective, nontoxic approaches to healing injuries: nutrition, light therapies, acupuncture, homeopathy and various physical therapies.
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