Drug induced Liver Injury (NSAIDS)
My goal is to show you a healthier alternative to manage things like pain (acute and chronic) and inflammation and here’s why. Anytime we experience some pain or inflammation we think to go pop some ibuprofen or aspirin to manage the pain so we can go about our life. The truth is these over the counter (OTC) medications are causing some serious damage to our liver cells, cardiovascular system, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract (GI). Just because we aren’t experiencing any “symptoms” don’t think damage isn’t being done because that simply isn’t the case. This stuff is toxic, and our goal should be to limit our dependence on NSAIDS as much as we can.
Medications like ibuprofen (Tylenol), aspirin, and naproxen (Aleve) all contain NSAIDS. NSAIDS are commonly used to help better manage pain and inflammation, menstrual pain, crushing migraines, and reduce fever, but here’s the catch. When we use these OTC medications liver damage is taking effect. Now imagine the problem we are creating when we rely on them daily. Daily use is commonly seen with those dealing with arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis). The truth is that we just need some relief, but we are looking in the wrong place for it. We need to decrease the over consumption of NSAIDS and here’s why.
NSAIDS are one of the most prescribed/used medications worldwide, and their side effects pose a serious public health problem (2). NSAIDS are the most common cause of drug induced liver injury (DILI) due to the toxic effects it has on our liver cells (1). While NSAIDS are most certainly toxic for our liver, it is important to note the serious adverse effects that NSAIDS have on our cardiovascular system, kidneys, and GI tract as well (1).
Aside from liver damage, NSAIDS increase the risk of heart failure, which is the #1 cause of death worldwide (2). Heart disease already claims more lives than any other cause of death out there, the last thing we need is another factor contributing to the #1 killer worldwide. NSAIDS damage our organs that filter out toxins, which includes our kidneys. Why? Because it damages and kills these cells, which expresses their toxicity (2). In addition to damaging our kidneys, NSAIDS also cause severe damage to our GI tract.
Our GI tract is essential to our health and wellbeing. Our GI tract is responsible for nutrient absorption and houses our immune system (gut microbiome). NSAIDS were shown to disrupt our gut microbiome and contribute to what is known as leaky gut syndrome (increased intestinal permeability). NSAIDS were shown to kill off the good bacteria, allowing the bad bacteria to take over, creating a toxic environment that contributes to systemic inflammation (creating a problem on a problem here).
Long term dependence on NSAIDS lead to leaky gut, expressing toxicity to our intestinal epithelium, which is a single layer of cells that line our small and large intestine (3). The epithelium plays a role in nutrient absorption and anything interfering with the absorption of nutrients from food is creating an enormous problem (by now we have a problem on a problem on a problem). Nutrients are the building blocks for our healthy cells and when we don’t get the nutrients we need, dis-ease will be sure to set in. NSAIDS damage this lining, contributing to erosions, perforations, and longitudinal ulcers in the gut (3). The study also noted that these effects were from acute and chronic ingestion of NSAIDS, so don’t think that you have to overuse them before damage is done inside the body (3).
As you can see, anything that damages one organ system damages others. The toxic effects of NSAIDS can be felt systemically. To think it damages one organ system but not another is a silly thought. All our organs work together to do what is best for us. They depend on one another and contribute to the health and wellbeing of the human frame. Therefore, when one organ system is affected, another is as well.
The goal is to reduce our dependence on these toxic “medications” (I use that word lightly here). Replacing NSAIDS dependence with cannabinoids like CBD and THC to manage chronic pain and inflammation is one way we can take our health back. CBD and THC together were shown to help with chronic pain and inflammation, including migraines, and menstrual pain. This is one small change that we can take and be proactive about our health, especially when discussing long term health. Do you think we will live a long and healthy life by causing damage to our liver, kidneys, heart, and GI tract? Absolutely not! We want to enjoy our time after retirement, the last thing we want to do is go doctor shopping playing catchup from a lifetime of organ damage. Take care of yourself and take care of your gut. Your life depends on it! In my opinion, real medicine doesn’t cause organ failure.
We had a customer that went from taking a bottle of Aleve a WEEK to replacing it with a gummy just to manage chronic pain. Talk about taking your health back!
One amazing plant with seemingly endless uses, now that’s what I call medicine!
Bee Well,
Brandon Farless
*This information is for educational purposes only and I am simply sharing information pertaining to these studies. No medical claims or advice is being given on my end.
Reference
- Bessone F. (2010). Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: What is the actual risk of liver damage?. World journal of gastroenterology, 16(45), 5651–5661. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v16.i45.5651
- Varga, Z., Sabzwari, S. R. A., & Vargova, V. (2017). Cardiovascular Risk of Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: An Under-Recognized Public Health Issue. Cureus, 9(4), e1144. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.1144
- d’Angelo, M., Brandolini, L., Catanesi, M., Castelli, V., Giorgio, C., Alfonsetti, M., Tomassetti, M., Zippoli, M., Benedetti, E., Cesta, M. C., Colagioia, S., Cocchiaro, P., Cimini, A., & Allegretti, M. (2023, February 24). Differential effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in an in vitro model of human leaky gut. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/12/5/728#:~:text=A%20leaky%20gut%20has%20also,gut%20%5B11%2C12%5D.
