Newsflash: Ibuprofen has now achieved rock star supplement status!
A new “study” planned for presentation at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting in April 2011 suggests that those who use ibuprofen may reduce their risk of Parkinson’s disease by close to 40%.
Here’s the kicker: those who took the most ibuprofen tablets on a weekly basis had the greatest protection from this dreaded neurological disease!
Before you run out and buy a case of Motrin and add a tablet or two to your morning breakfast routine, consider the disclaimer at the end of the article:
The study’s results don’t establish a direct cause-effect relationship between ibuprofen and Parkinson’s disease. Ibuprofen, like other NSAIDs, can cause gastrointestinal bleeding and affect the kidneys. The researchers conclude that more study is needed to determine whether ibuprofen can offer prevention against Parkinson’s.
Do most people read this far into the article?
Unfortunately, no they do not. This blatant prostitution of WebMD for the benefit of increasing sales of ibuprofen is all about the power of the headline.
Not surprisingly, there is no mention of who funded this “study” either. My guess would be, hmmm, that’s a hard one – a pharmaceutical company that makes ibuprofen?
The marketing geniuses working for Big Pharma know that most folks will read the headline and that’s it. They won’t bother to read the entire story and see that there really is no cause and effect relationship between ibuprofen use and reduced risk of Parkinson’s disease. Nor will they read the fine print to see the incredible downside to taking ibuprofen on a frequent basis for years on end.
When I told my husband last evening about this study, he laughed and said, “Yeah, the folks who took all that ibuprofen had a lowered Parkinson’s disease risk because they died of something else before they contracted it!”
This sarcastic and humorous comment made us both giggle, but it is exactly on target. NSAID use can indeed trigger serious health issues if used frequently over a long period of time and even the mercenary study above indicated as much.
Reduced risk for Parkinson’s in exchange for your kidney health? I don’t think that’s a very good trade at all, thank you!
Another very serious side effect of using ibuprofen is that it decimates beneficial gut flora and stimulates grown of haemolytic (iron loving) forms of bacteria and Campylobacter in the gut. An overgrowth of these iron loving bacteria brings along with it mild to severe anemia e,specially pregnancy anemia, which is not easily rectified by eating iron rich foods or supplements.
Anemia is not something to be taken lightly: it brings with it a constant feeling of tiredness, lack of concentration and ability to learn/complete tasks as well as an overall lack of energy and stamina for daily living. It sucks the life out of your life. Even if there was a direct relationship between taking ibuprofen and a reduced risk of Parkinson’s (which there is not), it would not be worth the compromise to gut health and all the associated risks for many, many very serious autoimmune disorders such as MS, cancer, lupus, and the list goes on and on.
Unfortunately, the attention grabbing headline that ibuprofen use “may” reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease is all that will stick in the minds of most folks who come across it. Those who are skeptical and read between the lines will quickly discount the ridiculousness of this assertion, but the majority will not. And, for those who are not able to see through the propaganda, sales of ibuprofen will increase.
Big Pharma mission accomplished.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Source:
WebMd, Ibuprofen May Reduce Risk of Parkinson’s
Sarah, can you explain what refined carbs are to newbies like me? Thanks.
What do you suggest for pain relief of menstrual cramps as well as a migraine that goes along with it? I have taken Tylenol and aleve and have noticed that sometimes these don’t help at all, for either symptom. ( I don’t like taking them either, but want and need relief to function and don’t know of anything else.)
Thanks.
Hi Rosana, the best way is to get rid of the menstrual cramps entirely by changing one’s diet. I used to have debilitating cramps and have ZERO cramps for years now by simply getting off sugar and refined carbs – and also pasteurized milk is a bad one too. Cramps are from inflammation pure and simple and changing one’s diet works spectacularly well for eliminating this problem. It is important to fix this problem as it can lead to endometriosis, fibroids, very heavy periods (around age 40) and other problems that can lead to surgery. In the meantime, you may have to rely on ibuprofen which is a terrible choice but there may be no other until you get rid of the inflammation by changing your diet.
Hi Sarah! I have changed my diet to a traditional one and it’s been almost two months now. I just got my period and like the last it is excrutiatingly painful. I caved and ended up taking 3 bayers in order to go back to sleep. I feel so guilty now. I was doing so well and feeling so great! I woke up with diarrhea in the morning and I know it has to be the bayer because I’d been suffering from constipation since the diet switch. Since my very first period I have always had debilitating mens. cramps so I hope my new diet will help with that! Anyway, is traditional aspirin the way to go? Or are all pain relievers bad?
Nevermind… Bayer is an aspirin. lol =)
They do this all the time. Do you remember a few months back when there was a very, very preliminary study done about breast cancer on some type of animals? It concluded that a particular therapy appeared to make a small difference in the cancer treatment (I wish I could remember more details). Anyway, it was reported as “Scientists cured breast cancer!” Ugh, seriously, people? No one pays attention to details, ever. And MSM just wants whatever’s most sensational, accurate or not.
I”m curious about your mention of haemolytic bacteria. My 85-year-old mom was being treated for anemia and then suddenly had septic shock and almost died on Valentine’s Day. She is still in the hospital, still on IV antibiotics. I hope to have her home in a couple of weeks and will concentrate more on Kefir and bone broths and will be curious to see if that has an effect on her hemoglobin level.
I also applaud you. I have learned volumes since starting to read your blog and then ordering Nourishing Traditions. Thank you!!!
M1ss Diagnosis – I have never seen “The Doctors”, but somehow I knew it was a show that didn’t follow my philosophy at all – probably by the previews. What horrible advice! Give your child gummy bears to make a sore throat better. What utter nonsense!!!
Sarah – thanks for this article, I sure hope people read this and wake up! I know many people who pop these over-the-counter drugs like candy, and it’s so sad they think they are actually helping themselves by taking them. These drugs are dangerous and they cause liver damage long-term as well as can cause the development of end-stage kidney failure.
WebMd is a joke anyway! Their breastfeeding “directory” is sponsored by Gerber (Nestle) and when you do a search for breastfeeding the top “ads by Yahoo” are for Similac. They’re in the pockets of big corporations and are anything but objective. This, of course, completely overlooks the fact that they’re healthy eating information is completely incorrect.