ANTI-INFLAMMATORY & PAIN MEDICATIONS - Formula 101
Pain is everybody’s problem. Whether it’s the sharp, intense throb of a burned finger or the grinding of an arthritic hip, pain is irritating, distracting, anxiety-provoking and depressing.
Acute pain – the short-term pain of a stubbed toe – is annoying but it usually goes away quickly. Chronic pain, a condition that plagues more than 70 million Americans, is a much more serious problem. It’s the type that lasts more than two months, or continues even when the original damage to the body has been repaired. Chronic pain can seriously impair your physical and mental health for months, years, or even decades, and often requires long term treatment with strong pain medications. The most frequent causes of chronic pain are back problems, arthritis, headaches, cancer and damaged nerves.
Inflammation, the redness, heat and soreness that settles into an injured part of the body, often goes hand-in-hand with pain. Inflammation is the body’s localized reaction to injury, infection or irritation. It’s also a “weapon” that fights off bacteria, viruses and other harmful invaders. Inflammation usually fades away once the body’s immune system has fought off the invaders. But sometimes it gets out of control and causes pain in and of itself. Then, instead of being part of the healing process, inflammation becomes part of the problem. Chronic inflammation is seen in diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, lupus, inflammatory bowel diseases and multiple sclerosis.
The most common kinds of pain-relievers are the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and painkillers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol). Corticosteroids, muscle relaxants, antidepressants and anticonvulsants may also be used, and for very intense pain, doctors may prescribe opioids such as morphine or codeine.
Nutrients Depleted
Medications that relieve pain and inflammation can be a godsend, but they also can rob your body of vital nutrients. Just about all anti-inflammatory drugs – even Advil and Aleve – deplete the body of folic acid. Plain aspirin steals even more nutrients, siphoning off not only folic acid, but potassium, vitamin C and zinc.
But perhaps the biggest nutrient thieves of all are the inflammation-quelling corticosteroids, such as betamethasone (Alphatrex), hydrocortisone (Cetacort), prednisone (Deltasone) and others. They deplete the body of a cornucopia of nutrients, including calcium, folic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc and others.
Symptoms of Nutrient Depletion
What happens if you run short of these nutrients? Here are just a few of the problems that can arise when these vital nutrients are depleted:
- Calcium – muscle spasms and cramps, osteoporosis
- Folic acid – fatigue, weakness, irritability, diarrhea, fetal abnormalities
- Magnesium – fatigue, muscle spasms, irregular heartbeat, confusion
- Phosphorus – muscle weakness, loss of appetite, bone pain
- Selenium – cataracts, heart disease
- Vitamin A – night blindness, poor bone and tooth formation, weakening of the immune system
- Vitamin B12 – weakness, fatigue, sore tongue, back pain, depression, numbness and tingling
- Vitamin C – joint and muscle pain, poor wound healing, bleeding gums
- Vitamin D – muscle weakness, soft bones, muscle cramping and twitching
- Zinc – loss of taste and smell, slow wound healing, stunted growth in children
The Formula
Formula 101 includes vitamins A, B12, C, D, and folic acid, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, selenium, chromium, potassium, and other nutrients. In other words, it has what many people taking medicines for pain and inflammation may be missing.
Today, increasing numbers of doctors and other health professionals are recommending high-quality supplements like Formula 101 to ward off nutrient depletions and to and protect overall health in those taking standard medicines for pain and/or inflammation.
Don’t let your body run short of the nutrients it needs to keep you healthy!
