Pain is an all too common concern and struggle for Americans.
Recently, the FDA has changed Tylenol warnings to the following:
1. Lowering the maximum daily dose of nonprescription acetaminophen for adults (the max is currently 4,000 mg, and there was no word on what the lowered dose might be)
2. Reducing the maximum single adult daily dose from 1,000 mg to 650 mg
3. Switching the 1,000 mg OTC dose to prescription-only status
4. Eliminating prescription acetaminophen combination products (such as painkillers Vicodin and Percocet, which contain acetaminophen). It’s unclear whether this recommendation suggests banning the drugs altogether or simply eliminating the acetaminophen from the drugs.
It is well known that acetaminophen causes liver toxicity, maybe due to its depletion of glutathione, a potent antioxidant. One solution, even conventially recognized, is to take the supplement NAC to increase glutathione. In ERs they use NAC for acetaminophen over dosages.
As an Integrative practitioner, I would be interested in not just preventing damage from the medication, but addressing the cause of the pain. My Naturopathic and Functional medicine background allows me to find the cause using conventional, integrative testing. and case history. Some common underlying issues I have seen with pain are inflammation, food sensitivities, hormonal, and chronic stress. Once these are addressed and natural anti-inflammatories are used, I have seen that people do not need to rely on these pain medications and therefore, the concern for liver toxicity becomes a mute point.
Sources:
Dr. Mercola: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/21/FDA-Changes-Tylenol-Warnings-But-Doesnt-Tell-You-How-to-Take-it-Safely.aspx
Times: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1908408,00.html?iid=digg_share
The latest vote is in:
“The FDA advisory panel voted 21-16 Tuesday to lower the maximum daily dose of nonprescription acetaminophen, which is currently 4 grams – equal to eight pills of a drug such as Extra Strength Tylenol. The panel was not asked to recommend another maximum daily dose.
The panel also voted 24-13 to limit the maximum single dose of acetaminophen to 650 milligrams. The current single dose of Extra Strength Tylenol, for instance, is 1,000 milligrams.
The panel also voted 26-11 to make the 1,000-milligram dose of acetaminophen available only by prescription.”
They denied any other recommendations.
Full article at: http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/06/30/fda-advisers-urge-smaller-doses-of-acetaminophen.html
Hi Dr. Sarah,
Would you be willing to share some of the natural anti-inflammatories, that you mention above, that you use in your practice?
I’ve had an MRI, have L4-5 large herniated disk, nerve compression and pressing on the thecal sac, sciatic pain, and motor loss in my left leg/foot (can’t push up with my big toe, though I have some improvement since the acupuncture).
I pursued a course of oral steroids which greatly reduced the inflammation and brought the pain back to a manageable level after an acute incident. I ice constantly. Use a hot tub weekly. I see a chiropractor/applied kinesiologist weekly and have been taking a high quality Omega 3 Fish Oil, a collagen formula, adrenal support. I also take a muscle relaxer and have been taking acetaminophen and ibuprofen (which my MD’s office says offers more relief as a “cocktail” than one of the two alone would and I think I found that to be true). But it’s not my nature to take either ibu or aceta. I had been on oxycodone during the height of my pain.
I’m also pursuing a course of acupuncture which has helped with the pain and using an herbal patch from the acupuncturist in the area of the disk problem. I’ve used the homeopathic hypericum perforatum for nerve pain, too. I recently got a sample of an anti-inflammatory blend from New Chapter that includes turmeric, ginger, among other things. I did not have an immediate change from that but I’ve finihed my sample and need to resupply.
So, that’s what I’ve been doing to get the inflammation down in the hope of eliminating the nerve compression and pain and reversing the motor loss. Doing some exercises to strengthen my core.
I do eat a little bit of wheat ~3X/week. But my kids are wf, cow dairy free, soy free, corn free. I have small amounts, if any, of those items as well.
Any other suggestions for natural anti-inflammatories would be greatly appreciated in my quest to avoid back surgery and permanent nerve damage. I’m a homeschooling mother to twin 6 yo boys and I’m just not the capable parent (or partner) I need to be with my back problem.
Thanks!