Stop. There’s a real problem with your solution for headaches, aches and pains.
For years you’ve been told to “just take an Advil” whenever you had a headache. So for as far back as you can remember, you tossed down a few ibuprofen whenever you didn’t feel so hot.
You may even take some ibuprofen pretty regularly for minor aches and pains. But there’s a huge problem with this and you need to check this out…
Ibuprofen has been known for years to put your liver under some pretty significant stress. But lately more and more research has come out and shown even more problematic effects it can have.
For one, the FDA has placed a strong warning about the detrimental effects on cardiovascular health and how ibuprofen can increase your risk of heart attack and stroke.
What’s more, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen have been found to wreck havoc on your gut microbiome and modify gut flora (good bacteria in the gut)
Recent studies have also shown that NSAIDs can increase gut permeability. Gut permeability is referring to what’s allowed to get through the intestinal lining and get absorbed in the blood, which is important for nutrients to get absorbed. However, when gut or intestinal permeability becomes excessive this is called leaky gut, which means that the stuff that’s not supposed to leave the gut is getting sent out right into your bloodstream. This alone creates a host of other issues they goes beyond the scope of this article.
Additionally, NSAIDs have been shown to cause intestinal bleeding and ulcers.
If heart attacks, strokes, ulcers, intestinal bleeding, leaky gut, liver damage and modifications to your gut microbiome aren’t convincing enough for you to only take ibuprofen when you ABSOLUTELY need it then I’m not sure what will. But that’s all the information I need.
But what if you’re in pain? What are some alternatives that you can take that don’t have these harmful side effects? I’m glad you asked.
First off, a lot of pain (especially the minor aches) are caused by inflammation. So let’s go to the root cause of the problem and discuss how to lower inflammation, rather than popping another Advil and putting a bandage on it.
1. Stop eating inflammatory foods
I don’t want to beat a dead horse, but sugar, flour and low quality oils are among the biggest culprits. Cut them out of your diet and focus on earth grown nutrients. If you already eat super clean but still face some joint pain I’d suggest taking more of a paleo approach and cut out all grains as well. But if your diet is poor start by simply cleaning it up first.
2. Supplement
Typically I’ll have people refer to their blood work to see where they need to supplement. However there are some that can go a long way when it comes to reducing inflammation.
They are:
- Purified Omega 3 fish oil (Nordic Naturals)
- Turmeric (Organifi)
- CBD (Cured Nutrition)-Just be sure it doesn’t have THC, otherwise you’ll be stoned out of your mind. Unless that’s what you’re trying to accomplish 😉
These three supplements are incredible for reducing inflammation and are completely safe to take. In fact, there are even more benefits to taking each of them than just reducing inflammation. Just don’t get the low quality stuff, go with the brands I suggested. If you need more info on how much to take or what not, you can shoot me an email chris@tutelatraining.com and I’ll be happy to help.
3. Cold exposure
There are plenty of ways to expose yourself to cold.
- Cold showers
- Ice baths
- Cryotherapy
I don’t care how you do it, but it’s important that you do. The only time I wouldn’t suggest exposing yourself to cold is post workout since your body is in need for the inflammation after training. I’d recommend hitting a cold tub or cryo sess on a day off or hours after training to help recovery.
4. Sleep
Simply put, without adequate sleep you’re fucked. Sleep is the cornerstone of health and longevity. Get 7-9 hours of quality sleep per night and let your body reduce inflammation on it’s own.
I want you to understand that just because something is common it doesn’t mean that it’s normal. It’s common for people to pop ibuprofen like tic-tacs but that doesn’t mean that it’s normal for your body to handle that. Start to think differently than what you’re used to.
I challenge you to think outside the box, and start to think differently than the people around you. Challenge what you’ve been told or doing your whole life. People resist change, but if you understand the harmful effects that stuff like this causes I’m hopeful that you’ll be encouraged to make a change.
Thanks for reading.