Pain – should it be killed or its source corrected and the cause removed? Which is better solution? Fever – should it be suppressed or tolerated or even moderately promoted? I knew the precise answers for over 30 years from Ayurvedic & Homeopathic studies, but found it very difficult to carry conviction with most of my patients who come to me – totally indoctrinated with widely publicized and generally accepted concepts of modern medicine. I did not have adequate quantum of modern lingo earlier – now I have! Thanks to Jon Barron!

How aspirin works?

Virtually all of aspirin’s benefits stem from its ability to inhibit your body’s production of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are like hormones in that they act as chemical messengers, but they do not move to other places in the body. They work within the cells where they are made. Their role is to direct responses in the human body. For example, prostaglandins play a role in directing the body’s pain and inflammation response to injury. They help control how fast blood clots in response to a wound, or how readily plaque is formed when there is damage to an arterial wall. They also play a role in directing uterine contractions, not to mention your body’s immune response, and even aspects of metabolism. Aspirin and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen and Motrin work by decreasing prostaglandin levels. They do this by inhibiting the production of the cyclooxygenase  enzymes — both COX-1 and COX-2. The presence of COX-2 is required for the production of prostaglandins. Thus, if you inhibit COX 2, you inhibit the production of prostaglandins.

As it turns out, COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes each serve as a “check and balance” for one another. If you selectively reduce one, you unleash the other. This produces a dangerous imbalance which is what has led to the heart attacks, strokes, blood clots, and other cardiovascular side effects linked to selective COX-2 inhibitor use. But worst of all, the evidence suggests that Merck Pharmaceuticals, the maker of both Vioxx and Celebrex, not only knew of the dangers but failed to warn the public and deliberately falsified data used to validate the drugs…and their safety — with full FDA complicity.

Fever

Temperature in the body is regulated by the hypothalamus, located in the brain. When given a trigger for a fever, such as an injury or infection, the body releases prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). PGE2 then in turn acts on the hypothalamus, which generates a systemic response back to the rest of the body, causing the body’s temperature to rise. Higher temperature is not always a bad thing. Among other things, it can directly kill some bacteria, increase the body’s immune response, increase the flow of blood to damaged or infected areas, and increase enzyme activity. As most natural healers know, if you artificially suppress fever when you are sick, you may temporarily “feel” better, but you are actually hampering your body’s ability to get rid of the disease. And in fact, some healers use a technique called the “cold sheet treatment⁶” to actually force body temperature higher during times of illness to accelerate healing — the exact opposite of “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”

What happens with Aspirin?

• Daily aspirin use increases your risk of developing both stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers. And, if you have a bleeding ulcer, taking aspirin will cause it to bleed more.
• While daily aspirin can help prevent a clot-related stroke, it can increase your risk of a bleeding stroke (hemorrhagic stroke).
• If you’re allergic to aspirin, taking any amount of aspirin can trigger a serious allergic reaction — even to the point of anaphylactic shock and death.
• Overdosing on aspirin can cause tinnitus and even hearing loss in some people.
• If you’re taking regular aspirin and are in an accident or require emergency surgery, you risk excessive bleeding during surgery.
• And finally, alcohol and aspirin don’t mix. In fact, the FDA warns that people who regularly take aspirin should limit the amount of alcohol they drink because of its additional blood-thinning effects and additional potential to upset your stomach.

The greatness of modern medicine is in its ability for a “quick fix” to provide temporarily a sense of relief. But the perceived relief is more mental than physical – while actually the pain is physical. The tolerance threshold of pain is very individual (varies from 0% to 100%) – depending on the attitude.  Past generations accepted some amount of physical pain as part of daily life and never bothered to seek relief – till it became unbearable. The pain used to disappear as it appeared – as the body knows the best way to deal with it. But such attitude on the part of majority of population is not good for economics of the modern age. So, it made sense to tell the people that pain should be dealt with instantly – with some expense. After all, the majority of humans are impressionable, gullible, vulnerable, susceptible and a good percentage of them of “incorrigible”.

Those who wish to study more about “painkillers & antipyretics” and the risks-dangers from habitual use of Aspirin may click on the link below and read carefully!

Source: Jon Barron

http://www.jonbarron.org/natural-health/aspirin-cancer-dangers-risks

MSR Ayyangar

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