Roses Can Help Take Away Pain
Roses are Red
Spring is in the air, and it's time to start paying more attention to my rose bushes. In a few short months, the big blooms and sweet fragrances will fill my garden. But that's not all rose plants are good for. It turns out they can also help take away pain.
A special part of roses, the rose hip, has pain-killing and anti-inflammatory properties. For folks with regular old wear-and-tear osteoarthritis, this natural remedy can get rid of the pain in just three weeks.
In a study of 94 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, an herbal remedy made of rose hips substantially decreased pain 82 percent of the time. Also, patients taking this treatment were able to cut back on pain medication, reducing the risk of side effects that can accompany those drugs.
In their research, scientists used a special rose hip powder blend from Denmark, where the study took place. In the U.S., the brand name is LitoZin, and you can buy it right off the shelves or through the Internet, no prescription needed.
But there are lots of different kinds of pain, and what works for one kind may not work for another. For example, the terrible abdominal pain that comes with irritable bowel syndrome may not be relieved with conventional painkillers. But there is something very safe and effective that you can use to reduce that discomfort and get a good night's sleep to boot.
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Melatonin Reduces the Pain in IBS
I have a few patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and it affects almost every aspect of their lives. Finding something that eases symptoms without causing new problems can be tricky, so any time researchers find a safe treatment that helps, we have reason to cheer. And now there's another outstanding treatment we can add to the roster: melatonin.
Now, I know what you're thinking: melatonin is that sleeping hormone. You're right, it is. But better sleep is only one possible benefit of melatonin. A new studyshows that it can decrease abdominal pain in IBS patients as well.
In the study, researchers treated 40 IBS patients for two weeks with either 3 grams of melatonin or a placebo every night at bedtime. The melatonin group enjoyed significant reductions in both abdominal and rectal pain. But melatonin isn't a cure-all and didn't do much for other symptoms like bloating or stool frequency. Probiotics (that's acidophilus) can work beautifully for that. You usually need a two-capsule dose three or four times a day for several days to really get the benefit. There are lots of brands to choose from, but a couple that I'm increasingly partial to are the products from Jarrow (Jarro-Dophilus + EPS) and New Chapter (All-Flora).
But when it came to IBS pain, melatonin did the trick.
One big plus of treatments like melatonin is that they typically don't cause adverse side effects, and are easily tolerated by our bodies. But some medications are just the opposite, like certain anti-inflammatory drugs that come with the worst potential side effect of all: death.
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NASIDs After Heart Attack Increases Mortality Risk
From over-the-counter ibuprofen to prescription-strength drugs like Celebrex, millions of people rely on NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to treat their pain. But if you've had heart attacks, you're best bet is to avoid NSAIDs like the plague.
In a paper presented at the American Heart Association's annual meeting, researchers reported the results of an alarming study that showed NSAIDs can quadruple your risk of death following a heart attack.
Scientists analyzed the records of more than 58,000 heart attack patients, tracking all of their NSAID uses. Patients who took these drugs after their first heart attack faced a much higher risk of mortality than patients who didn't. And higher dosages increased that risk up to five times more.
Now there's really no study that can give us the final word on any question, but I believe these results are real cause for alarm.
If you have a condition that calls for painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs, and you've had a heart attack, talk to your doctor about using something other than NSAIDs.
Until next time,
Dr. Alan Inglis
House Calls
