I’ve been following this idea for a while, now. It started out with a simple question about something that didn’t seem to fit. The data I have now collected leads me to the conclusion that the drug companies are using a disinformation campaign that leads to the misuse of some common over-the-counter drugs.
I don’t know when it started, but this idea has been around for a long time. “Use our product to get rid of inflammation!” Now, I’m not denying that Advil and Ibuprofen are very good at getting rid of inflammation. However, the question this campaign ducks is whether we should be getting rid of it at all.
The Truth? Usually, We Shouldn’t
As anyone who has taken basic first aid knows, inflammation is one of the body’s major responses to injury. That’s right. Inflammation is a Good Thing. When we injure ourselves, the body opens the vessels in the area to increase blood flow, allowing various chemicals like antibodies to access the injury, cleaning and healing.
When Is Inflammation Bad?
Athletes usually ice sprains to keep swelling down. But why? Because it restricts movement of the injured joint. But wait a minute. Don’t you want to restrict movement to prevent further injury? Oh, no, we want to get back in the game. Not necessarily a good idea.
The main problem with inflammation is when the swelling happens in a restricted area. This causes pressure, which causes pain. Swelling inside the cranial cavity, whether through a hangover or head injury, causes pain which is often successfully treated with anti-inflamatories. In the case of a back injury, that pain can cause muscle spasms, which do help to immobilize the area, but don’t ask the sufferer to endorse the process.
Personal Experience
My ability to drive long distances has been restricted lately by pain from sitting in one position too long, especially in my gas pedal leg. I paid for a more expensive car with better seats and adaptive cruise control. I walk and hike regularly. Nothing was working; an hour in the car and I was in agony. Blaming this pain on inflammation in old sports injuries, I started taking ibuprofen before each trip, to reduce the inflammation and prevent the pain before it started. But nothing worked, and it was getting worse. Recently, I could only go about half an hour before it started to hurt.
The Diagnosis
I tried researching the problem on the internet, but our sedentary lifestyle has skewed all those answers to be related to sitting with poor posture. But I’m not talking about sitting wrong. I’m talking about sitting any position and changing frequently. The older I get, the shorter time I can stay still before something starts to hurt. So, I asked a friend of mine who is a physiotherapist, “If there is no actual injury involved, what causes the pain when we stay still for too long?”
Her answer? “Poor circulation.”
The Solution
Then I started thinking. “Wait a minute. If the pain of sitting still is caused by poor circulation, why am I taking a vasoconstrictor before the trip?” I determined to stop using ibuprofen at all.
The Result
I just finished a 2,000-kilometre road trip lasting six days and didn’t have a bit of pain. I used all the other techniques at my disposal, like cruise control, frequent stops to exercise, and plenty of hydration. But no drugs.
And no pain.
The Bottom Line
If you are taking anti-inflammatories to reduce pain, you should think twice to be sure that you’re not just blindly following the drug companies’ entreaties to “get rid of inflammation.” If you don’t have a specific injury and if you’re sitting with decent posture and moving frequently, then inflammation might not be your problem, and the symptom that you are getting rid of may be helping you heal.