Monday, June 24, 2013
GLOBAL MEDICINE HUNTER ® NEWS
For immediate release
Natural Pain Relief Targets 5-LOX Pathway of Chronic Inflammation with "Nature's WD-40" and Key Botanicals in Patented Delivery System
SAN FRANCISCO —June 15, 2013) For those with arthritic discomforts from injuries, painful joints or other aches from chronic inflammation, reliance on painkillers is part of life. Compounds such as narcotics, opiates (morphine, oxycodone and Vicodin) and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories) are the typical choices for pain relief.
The problem with taking most pain medication is twofold. First, the body develops tolerance to prescription pain medication, which forces patients to take higher doses, thus increasing the risk of addiction or dependency. Secondly, prescription and over-the-counter anti-inflammatories raise the risk of harmful side effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding or cardiovascular events.
A spring issue of Lancet called attention to the various categories of deleterious side effects in pain relieving remedies.1 In fact, so pervasive are the problems with GI bleeds, stroke and heart attack that it doesn't even make sense to call these side effects. They are the secondary effects of the drugs, just as the numbing of the pain signals is the primary effect.
Clinical medical anthropologist and behavioral medicine specialist, Dr. Meg Jordan seeks healing remedies around the world. She reports that the leading pain management centers are constantly seeking novel approaches to moderate pain therapy by looking at botanical agents from Ayurveda and traditional Asian medicine herbs. While many exotic botanicals and natural compounds hold promise, it is Jordan's clinical experience that they also tend to work "for only half the people, half the time."
Jordan references the Institute of Pain Management that reports only 25% of chronic pain patients receive adequate treatment. Most clinicians complain that any beneficial effect from prescription pain remedies tends to diminish over time. But the problem remains that three out of five adults experience pain, and they want relief now, since living with pain can derail relationships, work, and life in general. "People don't want a hammer that will create bad side effects, but they also don't want to waste time with something natural if it's so gentle that it doesn't really provide relief," asserts Jordan.
"I'm seeing young women routinely take ibuprofen for monthly cramps, and young soccer players practically overdose with daily Advil, Motrin or Nuprin. Aleve, which has serious allergic responses from blood in the urine to massive respiratory failure, is another abused OTC remedy. Then there are the non-opioid analgesics such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and aspirins (salicylates) which do not reduce inflammation like NSAIDs, and we know inflammation is a central cause of pain and discomfort."
CoX-2 inhibitors like Celebrex (a prescription drug) also attempt to reduce inflammation, but have a terrible history of creating ulcers and GI problems. Drugs such as hydrocodone (the main ingredient of Vicodin) and oxycodone (Oxycontin) are often the best options for the treatment of moderate to severe pain for patients facing medical conditions ranging from a wisdom tooth extraction to cancer. The drugs bind to specific molecules (opioid receptors) on nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to prevent the feeling of pain. Again, addiction is a serious problem with these drugs, and these addictions are beginning to surpass the use of illicit drugs as the primary source of drug addiction in the US.
Other opioid pain relief drugs such as codeine, or the popularly given Tylenol with Codeine in the hospitals work by targeting the orthosteric site of the opioid receptor that provides pain relief. Targeting this site, however, is a double-edged sword because it is also responsible for all of the drug's unwanted side effects, such as constipation and respiratory depression. Tolerance also limits chronic use of the drugs because higher doses are required to maintain the same effect. The same goes for morphine, Fentanyl, Darvon, Dilaudid, Demerol and Methadone.
All these strong pain medications ultimately increase the risk of withdrawal symptoms and addiction, which is an especially serious issue with the current prescription drug abuse epidemic in our country.
Two non-opioids that are popularly taken are Aleve and Naproxen. The GI problems with these agents are notorious. Stomach bleeding and GI bleeding and rupture to the point of death, along with liver or kidney disease, asthma, polyps in the nose, bleeding and clotting disorders are just a few of the problems.
Simply put, pain falls into two categories: acute or chronic. We experience acute pain when there is an actual new threat to tissue damage or a potential for lasting damage from trauma, an injury, surgery, inflammation or illness. Acute pain is a warning signal that demands immediate attention or further toxicity or damage to the body occurs.
Chronic pain is ongoing or intermittent pain that lasts for more than 30 days. It's a warning signal that the body is not getting what it needs: oxygen, rest, and nutrients. There could be a biomechanical problem, such as bone wearing on bone due to the absence of cartilage, a rare disorder such as hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy (HSAN).
Almost 65% of people with pain are suffering from chronic inflammation. They are confused by the lack of recent injury or obvious disease condition, but they complain of hurting in various spots—head, neck, shoulders, back, knees; everything feels tight and tense and sore—for no apparent reason.
According to Jordan, when chronic pain sufferers first consider trying alternative remedies, they are often reluctant to talk with their doctors. Jordan agrees with Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of Pain Free 1-2-3, who writes that "many conventional doctors have a bias against natural remedies." But doctors also know that most pain relief provides only 50% effectiveness, and even stronger NSAIDs are only minimally effective in conditions such as fibromyalgia, helping about 10 percent of patients.2 Plus, physicians are torn about prescribing narcotic medication that can foster dependency and create serious side effects.
Consider the Institute of Medicine report that one-third of all Americans — more than 116 million people — live with long-lasting, chronic pain.3 That is more than all the people who have heart disease, diabetes and cancer, combined. However, despite significant numbers who experience long-lasting pain, the IOM points out that adequate treatments are lacking.
How do you talk about your pain challenges with your doctor?
Jordan recommends that you find a product that works, test it on your own discomfort levels and discover how well it works for others, then find the opening and simply present the facts. Jordan told the medical doctor in her clinical practice: "I found a natural remedy that uses two patented processes, and puts carefully-selected, naturally-occurring compounds right where they do the most good – in balancing the chronic inflammation that can lead to aches and discomforts." The product she found is a natural pain relief remedy that has a proven track record for reducing excess levels of 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) enzyme that breaks down Arachidonic acid to pro-inflammatory leukotrienes, responsible for attacking joints and tissues and implicated in most chronic disease formation. The product is a water-soluble combination of "Nature's WD-40" (Cetyl Myristoleate) and high grade botanicals used in indigenous societies in South America and Asia including Boswellia serrata, Sea Buckthorn and Sacha Inchi oils. She believes this remedy could lower the risk of prescription drug abuse and the risk of side effects from typical painkillers.
In addition to anti-inflammatories that address 5-LOX, Jordan recommends a nutritional correction with anti-inflammatory diet (less sugar, alcohol, unhealthy fats and refined flours, and more vegetables, fruits and healthy fats). For additional supplement support, consider D-Ribose (about 3 grams per day), NAC, coenzyme Q10, and acetyl-l-carnitine (1000 mg a day) for three months.
For more information, visit www.megjordan.com
# # #
REFERENCES
1. Coxib and traditional NSAID Trialists' (CNT) Collaboration.
Lancet. 2013 May 29. doi:pii: S0140-6736(13)60900-9. 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60900-9.
2. Teitelbaum, J. Pain Free 1 2 3 , New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 108.
3. Institute of Medicine "Relieving Pain in American: A Brief Report". Retrieved June 15, 2013 from
http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/Relieving-Pain-in-America-A-Blueprint-for-Transforming-Prevention-Care-Education-Research/Report-Brief.aspx