For osteoarthritis pain, this highly dangerous drug is a bust
It may be the cruelest trick Big Pharma has ever played on people suffering from arthritis pain.
If you or someone you love has arthritis, you know the routine all too well — you’re popping Tylenol (acetaminophen) around the clock, desperately hoping for relief.
And if you feel like you’ve spent half your life waiting for that acetaminophen to kick in, well, you’re not alone.
A major new study out of Europe has proven that acetaminophen is useless when it comes to relieving the throbbing, aching joints of arthritis.
And some of the largest drug companies in the world have made a fortune leaving people like you in constant pain.
Some versions promise eight hours of arthritis relief right on the label — and you can even buy Tylenol with easy-open caps designed for arthritic fingers.
It looks like Tylenol maker Johnson & Johnson and other companies that sell acetaminophen will do anything for folks with arthritis — except sell them a product that actually works.
You see, despite all the claims these manufacturers have been making for years, the science backing acetaminophen as a treatment for arthritis is sketchy at best. So scientists from the University of Bern in Switzerland decided to finally put it to the test.
And they found that acetaminophen isn’t pain relief in a bottle — it’s more like a pig in a poke.
Researchers pored through 74 studies going all the way back to 1980, involving almost 60,000 patients. And they couldn’t find any good evidence that acetaminophen soothes arthritis pain — no matter how much of the stuff you take.
In fact, acetaminophen was so useless that it produced about the same results as a placebo. It was as if these poor people hadn’t taken anything at all.
Surprise? Not at all. Last year similar research found that out of all the drugs being tested, only acetaminophen had no benefits whatsoever in treating knee osteoarthritis pain.
And two years ago I told you about another study where researchers found what they called “clear evidence” that acetaminophen did nothing to relieve lower back pain. And that study had volunteers using a dose just 10 mg shy of the daily maximum!
The co-director of the study called acetaminophen a drug with side effects that dwarf any possible benefit in treating the pain of arthritis.
And you can say that again.
Because while acetaminophen won’t do a thing to ease that painful throbbing in your joints, it can cause serious gastrointestinal bleeding — and even leave you with permanent liver damage.
As I’ve told you before, acetaminophen is now the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S.
We know that acetaminophen is far from safe. And this new study is another clear example that it’s not even effective.
But I get it — if you’re the one suffering, you need relief. And the good news is that there are some proven supplements and techniques that may bring you some honest-to-goodness help.
For example:
- Boswellia serrate: This extract from the same plant that gives us Indian frankincense is both an anti-inflammatory and a potent pain reliever.
- Capsaicin: Research has found the hot pepper in capsaicin creams and ointments to be extremely effective in relieving joint pain.
- Turmeric: This bright orange spice has been found to reduce joint pain and swelling. It can be either added to food or, if you need a larger dose, taken as a supplement.
Yoga and acupuncture have also been found to be very effective — both in reducing pain and increasing mobility.
Sources:
“Tylenol not effective for arthritis pain, study concludes, and other drugs aren’t exactly winners” Rita Rubin, March 18, 2016, Forbes, forbes.com
