Author's Note:

The original NSAIDs have been known for years to be killing thousands of people each year since their initial introduction. As reported in the American Journal of Medicine, over 100,000 people are hospitalized each year and at least 16,500 die each year from gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. These figures are considered conservative and they are only figures for NSAIDs being used to treat arthritis. It also doesn't include the number of people who die of other complications of NSAID use such as congestive heart failure. A true analysis of the number of deaths world wide from NSAIDs would be overwhelming. Read the full report here: www.healthsentinel.com/NSAIDs/NSAIDs.htm

Celebrex and Vioxx were the pharmaceutical solutions to the devastating and deadly problems associated with the original less specific NSAIDs. Unfortunately, once again, a class of drugs were seriously marketed and promoted before the long-term effects of these drugs were studied and determined. Claims were made as to their safety and efficacy, which this research paper indicates not to be true. NSAIDs apparently "provide only a modest symptomatic benefit over placebo" and "this benefit has been proven only in short-term trials". We know that "NSAIDs inhibit inflammation and have the potential to interfere with this healing process. Impairment of joint healing can lead to joint deterioration in the various forms of arthritis." So by taking NSAIDs we may be getting a small short-term benefit at the expense of a worse long-term problem. We know that not only can serious GI problems occur, but that they can be a contributing factor to congestive heart failure, thrombosis, and impaired fracture healing. In short, this class of medications is not a cause of "celebration" as promoted in one of these company's entertaining advertisements. This class of medication has been a disaster from its origin with smoke and mirrors hype to cover the pain and death. The public needs to understand that enormous profits were made at the expense of people. It's time for people to see through the propaganda and look towards safer and proven ways to deal with pain and the disease process. Nutrients that can be used to help arthritis include: Gammalinolenic Acid, S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), boron, vitamin C, vitamin E, olive oil, and folic acid to name a very few. Many other ways can be used to help the body whole and healthy such as juicing, meditation, exercise, de-stressing, diet, and many more. When taken all together we have a solution that will give people the health and vitality that these drugs do not and never will.

[1] www.healthsentinel.com/Briefs/ James M. Wright, "The double-edged sword of COX-2 selective NSAIDs", CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal), November 12, 2002, Vol. 167, No. 10, pp. 1131-1137