Be Aware of the Most Common Over-the-Counter and Prescribed Killer Drugs

Friday, April 30, 2010 by: Paul Fassa
Tags: side effects, drugs, health news

(NewsTarget) It has been confirmed that correctly prescribed pharmaceuticals rank among the five highest causes of death in the USA, and that the U.S. medical system is responsible for more deaths in the USA than anything else! And what dangerous ingredient is common to both prescription painkillers and over the counter (OTC) cold remedies and painkillers?

Acetaminophen. It is in over 100 OTC pain pills and other cold remedies, including cold, cough, and fever remedies for children.

What's Wrong With Acetaminophen

As reported in a recent Natural News article on glutathione, hospital emergency (ERs) carry a rapid glutathione booster pharmaceutical N-acetylcysteine (NAC), for acetaminophen poisoning. It has to be in ERs because acetaminophen liver poisoning happens often! The acetaminophen destroys glutathione and the liver goes into extreme stress, sometimes causing death.

Acetaminophen also endangers the kidneys. But hepatotoxicity (liver poisoning) can be acute enough to cause death or with steady use, gradually cause chronic health problems involving the liver or kidneys, even cancer.

The U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group found that 50% of all liver failures are from acetaminophen poisoning. Other follow up studies on steady OTC acetaminophen drug users have shown that 60% were more prone to suffer hearing loss or become asthmatic. Dependence on acetaminophens hinders your immune system.

Anyone using a prescription painkiller and taking OTC drugs for colds, fever, or minor aches and pains is raising liver failure risks considerably, as is anyone with liver problems who uses OTC acetaminophen.

Alternatives to Acetaminophen Drugs

Getting rid of a fever should not be a focal point, which is what several OTC acetaminophen drugs promote. Fever is usually a natural response to viral invasions. The higher body temperature makes life difficult for viruses. Natural News article "Do Not Kill a Fever; Fever Kills Viruses", discusses this.

And those OTC drugs don't get rid of colds, they simply numb the discomfort caused by the cold. Reaching for the OTC solutions in your local convenience or drugstore when you get the sniffles is a bad habit enabled by TV commercials and other ads. Seems like many MDs enable those habits too.

Baking soda or bicarbonate of soda (not baking powder) has an early history of being prescribed for flu and colds. A few days of drinking a teaspoonful dissolved in water was generally recommended. If abnormal gastrointestinal effects were experienced, the patient was advised to decrease the dosage.

There is a plethora of folk medicine available for curing colds and flu. All simple, inexpensive, and without side effects. Do a little on line research and find what suits you.

Let's not forget vitamin D3. Enough sunshine and supplements for D3 should fortify your immune system to resist colds and flu. Some health professionals also recommend extremely higher doses if you do experience a flu episode, bronchitis or severe cold.

There are some herbal anti-inflammatories that can help with aches and pains. Curcumin capsules with enteric coatings are useful. Curcumin in turmeric can be utilized by mixing turmeric with a fat, such as butter or ghee. Both enteric coatings and fats ensure maximum absorption.

Ginger as a tea or powder in capsules is also known as an anti-inflammatory and has been used as such for centuries. Acupuncture with the right needle placements has proven to reduce or eliminate chronic pain.

Some migraine headache sufferers have testified that eliminating MSG, high fructose corn syrup, and aspartame completely from their diets has left them headache free. But you have to know the various disguises for these evil food additives to make sure you're avoiding them completely.

Sources for more information include:

What Is Acetaminophen Poisoning?
http://stephentvedten.blogspot.com/2010/04/w...

Alliance for Health - Acetaminophen: The Killer Painkiller
http://www.anh-usa.org/acetaminophen-the-kil...

Prescription Drugs Causing Deaths
http://www.the7thfire.com/health_and_nutriti...

FDA Liver Acetaminophen Advisory
http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpda...

About the author

Paul Fassa is dedicated to warning others about the current corruption of food and medicine and guiding others toward a direction for better health with no restrictions on health freedom. You can visit his blog at http://healthmaven.blogspot.com