By Michael Dorausch, D.C.
This past Sundays SuperBowl commercials showed more aggressive hits than what we saw in the game itself. Many of the commercials showed someone getting body slammed, tackled, or just plain roughed up. The Burger King dancers were tossed together to make a Whopper of a human sandwich, and even Kermit the Frog took a bruising, while he rode rapids, cycled, and climbed mountainsides.
If there was one word that could sum up the feelings of those (mostly stunt people) that worked on these commercials, it would be PAIN. Maybe the word is MONEY, but that’s for another article.
The makers of Aleve (Bayer Company) had their product featured in two of the days spots. I think they positioned it just right and will likely score a touchdown on pain reliever sales. I don’t recall seeing any other drug related commercials the entire afternoon – evening. They were in a good position with so many prescription pain relievers getting a bad rap in the press these past two years.
Now don’t think I have switched to the other team and am going to start saying pain pills are okey dokey and are alright by me. No way, I just think they positioned their ads well. Kudos to their ad agency.
People ask me questions every day about medications, and every day I tell them… “I don’t take any.” I also tell them… “I don’t prescribe any.” Regardless of what I do I realize there are those who are going to take various kinds of drugs, many being pain relievers. People are going to continue to ask questions, and they may not always get the answers they are looking for.
One of the things I wonder about is the appropriate use of drugs. When is it appropriate to use them? Personally, I say as a last resort. That’s just me. You however, are free to do as you choose.
I know lots of people that suffer with pain. I know many that suffer from arthritis pain. I can’t think of any that only suffer a day or so and then don’t suffer for several days. Nearly all the people I know that have some form of arthritic pain related problem have complaints on a daily (with some days better than others) basis. While the makers of Aleve would be happy for you to use their product, and that is your choice, what are the common uses and how long can one take them?
Aleve is marketed as a safe and effective therapy for the relief of minor arthritis pain. According to product warnings, consumers should not exceed the recommended dose or take the product for longer than 10 days.
Ten days is not a long time. How many days can you go off of the drug before you can use it again. Ten days on, ten days off? Yes, there are people who will get temporary relief from using these drugs but remember the key here is temporary. This is the bandage approach. This is the “put a piece of black tape over the engine light so I don’t know my car requires service” approach. You are more than welcome to take that approach, it’s your body, and it is your health. However, if you are planning to make long term changes you are going to have to begin looking for other, more sensible methods. Chiropractic is one of those methods but this article is not about chiropractic, it’s about pain and pain pills.
Some will ask whether Aleve is a Cox-2 inhibitor. Why is that important? Well, Vioxx and Bextra (removed from the market due to safety concerns), and Celebrex, are Cox-2 inhibitors. To be safe, many are now avoiding Cox-2 inhibitors all together.
Aleve is known as a traditional NSAID or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Ibuprofen, in the brands of Motrin & Advil, and Naproxen, in the brands of Naprosyn & Aleve, are all in the family of NSAIDs.
Since the Cox-2 drugs have been getting a bad rap (and rightly so), the NSAIDs have been getting more marketing. We are not seeing as much bad press on NSAIDs in the news this year. Have you ever noticed that when new drugs are being marketed, old drugs get bad press? And when new drugs fail, old drugs get marketed and the new (non effective) drugs get the bad press?
I searched our website and found a few reminder articles from the past 5 years…
From November of 2005, heavy use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increases the risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)
From January of 2003, Complications from taking older anti-inflammatory drugs hospitalize about 107,000 Americans, and ulcer complications kill an estimated 16,500 each year
From February of 2001, researchers found that women taking non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) suffered more miscarriages than women who had not taken these drugs
From October of 2000, “the use of conventional painkillers among exercisers is widespread but ill-advised”
One really important thing to take notice of. Did you see the MVPs of years gone by walking into the stadium before the big game? Some of those guys looked great. Take a moment to think of what your health will be like in 10, 20, 30, 40 years from now. Think you’ll get healthier relying on over the counter and/or prescription medications? Just like preparing for the SuperBowl, great health requires a great effort.
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“Dr. Mike” is a chiropractor practicing in Los Angeles, California. He has written several hundred articles on chiropractic, health and wellness. He is also an avid runner. He has a “get moving” philosophy and believes traditional – hands on chiropractic care and active exercise are the missing links many Americans are seeking, in pursuit of better health.
planetc1.com-news @ 8:29 pm | Article ID: 1139286567
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