| Almost everyone is familar with the pain relief | | | | Hodgkin's disease. |
| formulas. Over 30 billion over the counter tablets, and | | | | If deaths from gastrointestinal toxic effects from |
| 70 million prescriptions are sold annually just in the USA. | | | | NSAIDs were tabulated separately in the National Vital |
| Known as "Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs" | | | | Statistics reports, these effects would constitute the |
| (NSAIDs), a few commonly known names include | | | | 15th most common cause of death in the United |
| Aspirin, Ibuprofin, Advil, Motrin as well as prescription | | | | States. Yet these toxic effects remain mainly a 'silent |
| products like Celebrex, Vioxx, Daypro, and more. | | | | epidemic,' with many physicians and most patients |
| Here's something you might "not" know about common | | | | unaware of the magnitude of the problem. |
| pain relief... | | | | Furthermore the mortality statistics do not include |
| "Conservative calculations estimate that approximately | | | | deaths ascribed to the use of over-the-counter |
| 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for | | | | NSAIDS." -New England Journal of Medicine |
| nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related | | | | The Food and Drug Administration suggests even |
| gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 | | | | higher figures, estimating NSAID use accounts for |
| NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis | | | | 10,000 to 20,000 deaths per year in the United States |
| patients alone. The figures of all NSAID users would | | | | alone. In spite of this knowledge, little has been done to |
| be overwhelming, yet the scope of this problem is | | | | notify the public. There has been no large scale public |
| generally under-appreciated." -American Journal of | | | | alert and pharmaceutical companies still market and |
| Medicine, July 1998 | | | | promote worldwide sales of these products. |
| And from the prestigious New England Journal of | | | | It is important to note that most people have no |
| Medicine... | | | | warning signs that these drugs are causing internal |
| "It has been estimated conservatively that 16,500 | | | | damage before they end up in the hospital in serious |
| NSAID-related deaths occur among patients with | | | | condition. As the death toll rises annually, consumers |
| rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis every year in the | | | | are slowly learning the toxic effects of these |
| United States. This figure is similar to the number of | | | | medications and turning to Mother Earth to seek |
| deaths from the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome | | | | natural and less toxic alternatives to find relief from |
| and considerably greater than the number of deaths | | | | pain. |
| from multiple myeloma, asthma, cervical cancer, or | | | | |