The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona
by James Bogash
Prescriptions for Chronic High-Dose Cyclooxygenase-2 Inhibitors are Often Inappropriate and Potentially Dangerous
How much MORE apparent does it have to be that physicians are not reading their own literature? We’ve learned that the COX-2 class of drugs is very expensive, has minimal benefit over other NSAIDs and has significant cardiovascular risk, and yet there’re STILL being used inappropriately!! Good to know that the drug reps are earning their commissions…
by James Bogash
Risk of Death or Reinfarction Associated With the Use of Selective COX-2 Inhibitors and Nonselective NSAIDs After Acute Myocardial Infarction
Let’s just clear this up. You’ve had a heart attack. You’ve got some neck or LBP so you decide to pop some pain meds. Probably not a good choice.
All NSAIDs in this study were found to increase risk of death or second heart attack. So, all us chiropractors should soon see referrals pouring in from the cardiologists actually read medical journals and don’t want their patients to die off sooner….
by James Bogash
Association between SSRIs and upper gastrointestinal bleeding
I must admit that this interaction never occurred to me, but it makes sense since platelets use serotonin for proper functioning. With the inhibition of the transporter that platelets use to pick up serotonin, this would affect platelet function. By themselves, the risk is not great, but add aspirin or NSAIDs into the mix, and the risk skyrockets.
by James Bogash
Myocardial infarction in patients taking COX-2 inhibitors or conventional NSAIDs
Well, one thing we can say about the debacle of the selective COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx and Celebrex is that they have brought to light a rather startling discovery. ALL these anti-inflammatory drugs increase risk of heart attacks.
So, with the extremely high use of this class of drugs, just how many heart attacks out there have been a direct result of taking typical NSAIDs like ibuprofen? The number is probably incredibly high.
by James Bogash
Indomethacin inactivates gastric peroxidase to induce reactive-oxygen-mediated gastric mucosal injury and curcumin protects it by preventing peroxidase inactivation and scavenging reactive oxygen
I guess this is “long title” week.. It is well known that the NSAID class of drugs is responsible for as many as 21,000 deaths per year. Most of these occur due to fatal GI bleeds. Misoprostol is a drug given along with certain NSAIDs to try to lower the damage done to the lining of the GI tract. Which, of course, has its own set of side effects.
This study finds a powerful ability of curcumin, one of the spices found in turmeric (used in mustard), to protect the GI tract from damage caused by indomethicin.
by James Bogash
Comparing Rates of Dyspepsia with Coxibs vs NSAID+PPI: A Meta-Analysis
Man, this gets confusing. Several years back, we saw the appearance of “public service” ads talking about the dangers of NSAIDs on bleeding ulcer risk and death. Noting that some 22,000 people a year die from this complication, the “public service” ad was directing the general public, who had no idea their ibuprofen could kill them, the find more information.
Little did the general public know that this “educational process” was designed to introduce callers to a new class of drugs called the COX-2 inhibitors like Vioxx, Celebrex and Bextra, that were safer on the stomach. The cost of these drugs was exceedingly expensive, and nearly bankrupted the healthcare system in Australia and led to phenomenal profits for the drug companies. The rest of the story most are familiar with–Merck is fighting off lawsuits because Vioxx had the unintended consequence of increasing risk of heart attacks.
So now, come full circle, we have this study that finds that, giving standard NSAIDs along with another drug to protect the stomach is actually much better on the stomach than the COX-2 inhibitors. Geezz!! How ’bout finding a good chiropractor to reduced the arthritis pain instead???
by James Bogash
NSAID Use and Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease
Our society has unquestionably come to view NSAIDs like OTC ibuprofen and it’s prescriptive equivalents as relatively harmless ways to cope with “everyday” pain. The commercials make it sounds like these should be used with no more or less concern than a glass of water.
The reality is that this class of drugs is notoriously suspect in a variety of chronic diseases. We know that as little as 400 mg of ibuprofen can disrupt the integrity of the GI tract. Use has been linked to PROGRESSION of arthritis by inhibiting the ability of the joint surface to heal itself (and, in my clinical opinion, many chronic pain sufferers continue to accumulate new areas of complaints that never seem to heal, which I directly related to NSAID use). Liver damage is known. Here’s the real rub. Cumulative use adds up.
This is not a matter of taking this class of drugs a couple times per month. The likelihood of someone in today’s drug accepting society to hit high cumulative doses is great. And while kidney effects have been known as well for over a decade, the authors use some strong language in this study. “Chronic exposure to NSAIDs should be avoided.”
by James Bogash
The Federal Bureau of Narcotics was formed over 80 years ago in 1930. In 1954, President Eisenhower formed a council to battle narcotics use here in the United States. In 1971 President Nixon coined the term “war on drugs.” This was further strengthened by President Reagan in 1982. Overall, untold billions of federal dollars have been spent on this effort. Man did we get it all wrong.
We were spending our money and efforts at illicit drug use, while slowly building a society that not only condoned prescription narcotic drug use, but PAID FOR IT! Beginning at least in 2008, the number of deaths associated with prescription narcotic use exceeded those deaths caused by illicit drug use.
Codeine, OxyContin, Percocet, Vicodin, morphine, Xanax and Valium (these 2 are benzodiazapines–but frequently abused), Valium, Tramadol, Tylenol 3.
It never ceases to amaze me how quickly prescriptions for narcotic pain relievers are given out. In the ER it is almost a given. High likelihood in urgent care. Still far too common in a primary care settings.
And then there are the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Why should we throw something as safe and harmless as NSAIDs in with the narcotic drugs?
I firmly believe that, as time progresses (decades, probably) we will begin to understand just how dangerous this class of drugs is. Arthritis / joint damage, heart attacks, strokes, impotence, GI bleeds, disruption of intestinal barriers, dementia…this list of known effects seems to lengthen every month.
The problem here is that of sheer scale of use. Between over the counter use and the 70 Million prescriptions per year, it is estimated that there are 30 BILLION doses used per year. That’s with a “b.” Even uncommon side effects become magnified by this volume of use. Of course, bleeding ulcers, heart attacks and strokes are not uncommon, so the math just gets more complicated from there.
So what does all of this have to do with this particular article? This article looked at analgesic use after low risk surgery (gall bladder, cataract, TURP for prostate enlargement and varicose vein stripping) and what happens after 7 days and one year. The results were surprising:
Wow. Talked about generating a society that is addicted to drugs. And while this study looks at low risk surgery, how similar would the numbers be for neck pain? Low back pain? Knee pain or headache? Makes me happy to be a chiropractor.
Again, I would ask…is the “War on Drugs” looking at the wrong side of the prescription pad?
Best Massage Therapist Mesa AZ
Arthritis Doctor Mesa AZ
Chiropractic Mesa AZ
Back Pain Doctor Mesa AZ
Rotator Cuff Doctor Mesa AZ
Chiropractor Mesa AZ
Massage Therapist Mesa AZ
PRP Therapy Mesa AZ
Knee Pain Doctor Mesa AZ
Stem Cell Therapy Mesa AZ
Headache Doctor Mesa AZ
Shoulder Pain Doctor Mesa AZ