You know I am all about focusing on solutions and how we can continue to work with nature to heal ourselves and take care of each other.
Every once in a while though, I have to dredge up the dismal news. It helps us remember why we work to create a nourishing kitchen culture and use herbs and spices to shore up our family’s health.
So even though it’s dismal, I think you want to know what the FDA says. This warning is STILL not common knowledge! Really, I feel like it has been just swept under the rug!
This is information that EVERYONE needs to know about, please check it out and share it.
I mean it; everyone needs to know what is going on. Mostt people do not know about this warning.
If you are like many people, taking an Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or Aleve for cramps, headaches, joint pain, every day aches and pains is just what seems normal, I mean everyone else is doing it……..
And the advertisements make it look like it’s the best thig to do to take care of yourself………
Oh, you mean this stuff can be life-threatening? It does what???
Well, the FDA has warnings about these over the counter drugs.
The labeling requirements for these painkillers say:
“The risk of heart attack or stroke can occur as early as the first weeks of using a NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory). The risk may increase with longer use.”
So here’s what the FDA also says: Take the minimum effective dose for the least amount of time”
Click here to read it straight from the FDA
Break it down, that means, try not to take them. If you have to take them, don’t take very much and don’t keep taking them.
Again, a big difference in messaging compared to what you see on the screen ads.
Turns out they’ve known about this risk for a while. Since these over the counter medications are so widely used, they decided that the public needs to be aware of the downside of taking these anti-inflammatory medications. I am sure things had to get pretty bad for them to be forced to put out this warning.
Of course this warning doesn’t address the dysregulation of the gastro-intestinal flora that happens when you take these over the counter medications. Much less how disrupting the gut flora increases inflammation in the body….. But let’s leave that conversation for another time.
Right now, let’s just grock it. Medication can save lives and it has a tremendous capacity to increase the quality of life in certain situations.
However, let’s not teach our kids that over the counter medications are the first thing to reach for when it comes to every day common ailments.
And, let’s develop a ‘get to the root of the problem’ approach to our health instead of quick symptom suppression that it turns out has the potential to take us down a much more slippery path…
This is why we study herbal medicine and invest in learning to build our home herbal apothecary!
Share this information with the people you love. SO many people still do not know about these warnings and the risks.
Thank you so much for this article! So I rarely use any of these I occasionally do. Once or twice a year at the most. But now I just see no reason to use it at all!!
Kami,
Thank you for your post, and while these medications are not “safe” for anyone. If they are saying anything now, 2024, it’s to distract the public from what’s really going on. A distraction from what’s truly causing the heart and stroke increase we are seeing. It is adverse reactions to the recent jabs people have taken or were forced to take to keep their jobs. Heart issues (myocarditis), stroke (blood clots), bells palsy, etc, and even death. I no longer trust the medical establishment or any main stream media publishing their messages.
Absolutely 💯 in agreement!
Hello
I so appreciate your post I have shared the warnings to close friends, I always knew these over the counter pills 💊 would kill you, I have stopped taking these pills years ago years ago Amen 🙏🏼 I am livid that the medical community puts down Medicinal Herbs 🌿 that cure our ailments! Pharma out to kill us 😩 what could we do better as Herbalists Kami?
Maria,
Just keep going. Do what you are called to do. Work with the plants, let the plants and the needs of your community be your guide.
Thank you for this article. This needs to be “preached” on a regular basis. Some pharmaceuticals are needed to save a life, but most OTC meds should not even be made. This article came at a perfect time for me. Thank you
In the words of Dr Banerji….when you take any prescription drug, you have to recover twice….Once from the ailment and also from the drug.
So, what can we include in our diets that will counteract inflammation and/or pain?
Supporting your digestion is one of the very best things you can do. I have many blogs that have digestive tract supporting tips and tutorials, here is one: https://kamimcbride.com/make-happy-tummy-honey/
It’s a lot about what not to eat! Our modern foods are inflammatory. Sugar, wheat, grains, dairy, night shades for some. Additives, chemicals, food and environmental. It’s a tough, but rewarding road!
It is a tough road, as you say, but I agree it is the only one. There is a lot of information out there from Kami and others like her. It is our responsibility to seek out the truth and educate ourselves.
I have known about this since each one came out. I have tried to tell people but they did not want to hear me. If I must take something for pain and have no other choice, I take a sprin. If a person is having a heart attack and they can swallow, give them an aspirin. That can save their life. I am a retired RN.
I don’t have any of these products in my house. Quite a few years ago, my physician suggested taking 2 Aleve for severe spine issues. Two is the prescription strength of Naproxen (Aleve medication). I did and it worked, but after about five weeks, a routine blood test showed “chronic kidney disease” just shy of kidney failure! My physician suggested we monitor that annually. Not me! I stopped taking Aleve and in 6 weeks, blood test showed no kidney disease!!
I am always suspicious about anything the US FDA says, I am of the opinion that ALL their motives are ulterior. In this case they are telling the public one thing and the medical system another, For doctors to prescribe steroids instead, as the profit margin for their buddies in the pharmaceutical is much greater.
The FDA is not my favorite…and I am surprised that they are finally admitting to this. So this is a step in the right direction, in other words working towards a solution to the Pharmaceutical problem, good for the FDA. Now if they could continue this as we know this is not the only over the counter drug that creates more harm than good. I am not even talking about prescription drugs which kill much quicker. The FDA needs to be accountable instead of being in bed with Big Pharma.
Do medications like Tylenol – or acetaminophens – also have similar risks…? Kami, do you know of any FDA news on that that you’ve seen..?
Tylenol is very hard on your liver, and can cause hearing loss if taken for a long period of time. These warnings are on the package inserts, but so few people read them.
Yes, and the problem is that sometimes taking them gives immediate relief from such things as SI joint issues and bursitis that keeps you awake at night. So far golden milk isn’t helping, unless my one cup a day isn’t enough. Finding holistic guidance isn’t easy when you’re insurance is for modern practices (Tricare for retired military). Their solution is to send me to a pain management specialist that resorts to injections that only last a few months. It’s tough to navigate natural medicine in the modern treatment environment.
Ask to try the Alpha Stim thru physical therapy. The VA is starting to use it and prescribed it for my joint and hip pain instead of drugs. It seems to work well. I’ve found an herbal oil blend of boswelia, pine, st John’s wort and mimosa works quite amazing too. I made it into a salve for easier application. I do not use essential oils. I hope you find relief!
I have fibromyalgia and when I’ve been doing a lot of work and know I will get inflamed I take 2 turmeric, and a SAM-e. They work great together, but SAM-e is good alone too as my husband can’t tolerate turmeric.
I’ve heard more than a decade ago that NSAIDs are counter-recommended for the elderly. It appears not to be common knowledge among doctors who are treating the elderly. My husband who is 75 just got an NSAID recommendation from his doctor for the sore throat he had from the flu. Acetaminophen is recommended. Unfortunately elderly may have chronic pain conditions and medicine is the primary thing recommended.
I have just read that all of the pain medicines actually inhibit healing. My husband, even in post op pain, decided to use as little as possible. He is healing incredibly well and practically over the post op pain, which was quite severe. He is taking Quercetin and an anti inflammatory tea that I make with cistus incanus (it grows profusely where we live) cinnamon stick and coriander. We are both prone to inflammation, so I make this tea most days.