NSAIDS – non steroidal anti-inflammatories are not nice drugs and should be viewed with distrust! A recent study in Denmark which involved 450,000 healthy people produced some very disturbing results.
The safest drugs.. that is ibuprofen (sold under various brand names, including Nurofen, Advil and Bugesic) and naproxen (including Naprosyn, Naprogesic and Aleve) were found to increase the risk of stroke by around 30%!!
The others.. Celebrex increased the risk by 69 per cent and diclofenac (including Voltaren, Dinac and Fenacby) by 86 per cent.
The article in which this information was published then went on to say that these figures actually aren’t really that bad.. when you consider the fact that if you are young and healthy, your risk of stroke is very low.. so increasing your risk by 86% doesn’t affect you much!! The risk of course was also associated with how much you took and over how long.
Apart from the effect on your cardiovascular system, NSAIDS also are very hard on the lining of your stomach and can set you up for indigestion and at the worst stomach ulcers.
In Denmark anti-inflammatories are only on prescription but here in Australia they are available over the counter.. and in this respect the potential for misuse is high.
Frankly if a drug increases the risk of this type of dramatic threat to your health – I would advise looking for other ways to reduce inflammation and pain in the body. Turmeric – curcuminoids have been found to have a very good effect on pain and inflammation – so consulting a health practitioner with experience in pain reduction through natural means is a great idea. It could save your life!
