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Healthy Living
Natural Pain Relief: The Herbs That Can Put A Stop To Chronic Pain
Date: 20/09/07
You may remember the furor that was caused when the conventional painkiller rofecoxib (Vioxx) one of the main COX-2 inhibitors was taken off the market back in 2004 because it was causing an increase in deaths from heart attacks. The news has been all downhill since then.
Now more recent studies have shed damaging light on the long-term safety, and efficacy, of all NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Ibuprofen.
This news will be devastating for the thousands of people who live with chronic pain and rely on these types of medications to get them through their day. But the good news is that there are a number of herbal alternatives that are effective for long-term pain relief that dont increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Studies reveal why you should steer clear of NSAIDs
NSAIDs act by inhibiting an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (COX), which produces prostaglandins. It is prostaglandins that are responsible for causing swelling and pain in conditions like arthritis. Because this activity of inhibiting COX often damages the lining of the stomach and increases bleeding, a more selective class of COX inhibitors was developed.
These selective inhibitors work on only one form of COX, namely COX-2. Since COX-2 is responsible for inflammation, the aim was that they would only relieve inflammation and not impair the beneficial effects of COX-1, which protects the lining of the stomach. But COX-2 inhibitors have failed in a big way, leaving some drug companies with egg on their faces and massive lawsuits at their doors.
And the news has only become worse: Recent studies have emerged that raise serious concerns regarding the long-term safety of all NSAIDs in terms of heart health not just the selective COX-2 inhibitors.
According to a study published last year in the prestigious British Medical Journal, some of the more commonly used NSAIDs are even more likely to cause heart attacks than the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib. The study looked at more than 9,000 people between 25 and 100 years old who had recently suffered from their first heart attack.
After adjusting for all confounding variables, the researchers observed a significantly increased risk of heart attacks in people using diclofenac (a 55 percent increase), ibuprofen (a 24 percent increase), rofecoxib (a 32 percent increase), and naproxen (a 27 percent increase), as compared to those not using these drugs (BMJ 2005; 330: 1366-1372).
To make matters worse, a recent review of 23 clinical trials involving more than 10,000 patients found that NSAIDs as a whole (including selective COX-2 inhibitors) were not effective for long-term pain relief in osteoarthritis of the knee. The researchers concluded that while short-term use of NSAIDs can reduce pain in osteoarthritis of the knee slightly better than a placebo, the current evidence doesnt support the long-term use of NSAIDs for this condition, particularly in view of the adverse effects associated with their use (BMJ 2004; 329: 1317-1322).
Willow bark eases pain regardless of whether its caused by arthritis or a bad back
The message is loud and clear that NSAIDs should not be the frontline treatments for joint and muscle pain. But that doesnt mean you have to live with it, either, especially when there are three proven herbal alternatives that can bring much-needed relief from pain.
The first herb is willow bark. Numerous studies have revealed how effective it is for alleviating pain. More promising still, a recent large-scale study has proven that willow bark is safer and more effective than NSAIDs.
The study involved 922 doctors and 4,731 patients in Germany. Over a six- to eight-week period, patients with arthritis or back pain took various doses of willow bark extract, averaging three tablets per day, and rated their pain intensity from 1 to 10 (with 10 representing pain of the highest intensity). Most of the patients had previously been taking NSAIDs but had stopped using them either because they werent effective or because of their side effects.
During the observation period, average pain intensity reduced was from 6.4 to 3.7 points in the first four weeks of treatment and fell even further to 2.7 after eight weeks. Overall, 97 percent of the patients reported a reduction in pain, and 18 percent reported complete pain relief. Minor side effects occurred in only 1.3 percent of patients and included abdominal pain and allergic skin rash (Werner G, Scheithe K. Congress Phytopharmaka and Phytotherapy. Berlin, February 26-28, 2004).
The willow bark extract used in this study was standardised to contain 60mg of salicin per tablet. Its important to take a preparation of this strength in order to obtain the best results.
Boswellia provides a reason to get moving again
Boswellia is an impressive anti-inflammatory herb from India. In a recent randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of 30 patients who had osteoarthritis of the knee, half received Boswellia and half received a placebo for eight weeks.
All of the patients who took Boswellia reported decreased knee pain, decreased swelling in the knee joint, increased knee flexibility, and increased walking distance. The dose used was 1,000mg of Boswellia extract per day containing 400mg of boswellic acids. A few of the subjects experienced minor gastrointestinal adverse reactions (Phytomedicine 2003; 10(1): 3-7).
Freedom from pain in just six weeks
The third herb on my top-three list is devils claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), which comes from the dry areas of southern Africa. A recent randomised, double-blind pilot study compared the effects of aqueous devils claw extract and the conventional drug Vioxx on acute back pain.
Over six weeks, 88 patients received either devils claw extract (containing 60mg harpagoside) or Vioxx (12.5mg). Twenty-three percent of the patients taking devils claw reported no pain for at least five days of the final week of treatment. Only 13.8 percent of the drug patients reported the same result. There were no significant differences between the two treatments, so the study concluded that devils claw extract worked just as well as the COX-2 inhibitor (Rheumatology (Oxford) 2003; 42(1): 141-148).
So how do you know which herb to use? Often it depends on the individual response. One of these herbs might work better than another for a particular person.
Back to topNow more recent studies have shed damaging light on the long-term safety, and efficacy, of all NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Ibuprofen.
This news will be devastating for the thousands of people who live with chronic pain and rely on these types of medications to get them through their day. But the good news is that there are a number of herbal alternatives that are effective for long-term pain relief that dont increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Studies reveal why you should steer clear of NSAIDs
NSAIDs act by inhibiting an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (COX), which produces prostaglandins. It is prostaglandins that are responsible for causing swelling and pain in conditions like arthritis. Because this activity of inhibiting COX often damages the lining of the stomach and increases bleeding, a more selective class of COX inhibitors was developed.
These selective inhibitors work on only one form of COX, namely COX-2. Since COX-2 is responsible for inflammation, the aim was that they would only relieve inflammation and not impair the beneficial effects of COX-1, which protects the lining of the stomach. But COX-2 inhibitors have failed in a big way, leaving some drug companies with egg on their faces and massive lawsuits at their doors.
And the news has only become worse: Recent studies have emerged that raise serious concerns regarding the long-term safety of all NSAIDs in terms of heart health not just the selective COX-2 inhibitors.
According to a study published last year in the prestigious British Medical Journal, some of the more commonly used NSAIDs are even more likely to cause heart attacks than the COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib. The study looked at more than 9,000 people between 25 and 100 years old who had recently suffered from their first heart attack.
After adjusting for all confounding variables, the researchers observed a significantly increased risk of heart attacks in people using diclofenac (a 55 percent increase), ibuprofen (a 24 percent increase), rofecoxib (a 32 percent increase), and naproxen (a 27 percent increase), as compared to those not using these drugs (BMJ 2005; 330: 1366-1372).
To make matters worse, a recent review of 23 clinical trials involving more than 10,000 patients found that NSAIDs as a whole (including selective COX-2 inhibitors) were not effective for long-term pain relief in osteoarthritis of the knee. The researchers concluded that while short-term use of NSAIDs can reduce pain in osteoarthritis of the knee slightly better than a placebo, the current evidence doesnt support the long-term use of NSAIDs for this condition, particularly in view of the adverse effects associated with their use (BMJ 2004; 329: 1317-1322).
Willow bark eases pain regardless of whether its caused by arthritis or a bad back
The message is loud and clear that NSAIDs should not be the frontline treatments for joint and muscle pain. But that doesnt mean you have to live with it, either, especially when there are three proven herbal alternatives that can bring much-needed relief from pain.
The first herb is willow bark. Numerous studies have revealed how effective it is for alleviating pain. More promising still, a recent large-scale study has proven that willow bark is safer and more effective than NSAIDs.
The study involved 922 doctors and 4,731 patients in Germany. Over a six- to eight-week period, patients with arthritis or back pain took various doses of willow bark extract, averaging three tablets per day, and rated their pain intensity from 1 to 10 (with 10 representing pain of the highest intensity). Most of the patients had previously been taking NSAIDs but had stopped using them either because they werent effective or because of their side effects.
During the observation period, average pain intensity reduced was from 6.4 to 3.7 points in the first four weeks of treatment and fell even further to 2.7 after eight weeks. Overall, 97 percent of the patients reported a reduction in pain, and 18 percent reported complete pain relief. Minor side effects occurred in only 1.3 percent of patients and included abdominal pain and allergic skin rash (Werner G, Scheithe K. Congress Phytopharmaka and Phytotherapy. Berlin, February 26-28, 2004).
The willow bark extract used in this study was standardised to contain 60mg of salicin per tablet. Its important to take a preparation of this strength in order to obtain the best results.
Boswellia provides a reason to get moving again
Boswellia is an impressive anti-inflammatory herb from India. In a recent randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of 30 patients who had osteoarthritis of the knee, half received Boswellia and half received a placebo for eight weeks.
All of the patients who took Boswellia reported decreased knee pain, decreased swelling in the knee joint, increased knee flexibility, and increased walking distance. The dose used was 1,000mg of Boswellia extract per day containing 400mg of boswellic acids. A few of the subjects experienced minor gastrointestinal adverse reactions (Phytomedicine 2003; 10(1): 3-7).
Freedom from pain in just six weeks
The third herb on my top-three list is devils claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), which comes from the dry areas of southern Africa. A recent randomised, double-blind pilot study compared the effects of aqueous devils claw extract and the conventional drug Vioxx on acute back pain.
Over six weeks, 88 patients received either devils claw extract (containing 60mg harpagoside) or Vioxx (12.5mg). Twenty-three percent of the patients taking devils claw reported no pain for at least five days of the final week of treatment. Only 13.8 percent of the drug patients reported the same result. There were no significant differences between the two treatments, so the study concluded that devils claw extract worked just as well as the COX-2 inhibitor (Rheumatology (Oxford) 2003; 42(1): 141-148).
So how do you know which herb to use? Often it depends on the individual response. One of these herbs might work better than another for a particular person.
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