It has been reported that long-term acetaminophen use is associated with kidney disease, digestive tract bleeding, increased risk of heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure.
Dr. Hausknecht, a New York neurologist and pain management specialist, states this:
"Each year a substantial number of Americans experience intentional and unintentional Tylenol (acetaminophen) associated overdoses that can result in serious morbidity and mortality. Analysis of national databases show that acetaminophen-associated overdoses account for about 50,000 emergency room visits and 25,000 hospitalizations yearly. Acetaminophen is the nation's leading cause of acute liver failure, according to data from an ongoing study funded by the National Institutes for Health.”
Acetaminophen reduces your natural stores of glutathione, the master antioxidant. Glutathione helps the body detoxify, has anti-aging properties and helps reduce oxidative stress. A glutathione deficiency may affect many bodily systems and lead to chronic illness.
So, before taking Advil or Tylenol, reach to nature for some natural ways to relieve pain. It’s all right there, and these natural alternatives work!
1. Take an Epsom salt bath: your skin absorbs the magnesium and minerals from the salt. Mineral and magnesium deficiencies can be the root cause of headaches. These baths can ease tension and stress and help the body to relax. Supplementing with magnesium daily might be just what you need if you suffer from chronic migraines.
2. Drink water with a pinch of Himalayan salt: Being dehydrated can lead to headaches. Add a pinch of pink Himalayan salt to your filtered water helps your body rehydrate and re-mineralize.
3. Take Feverfew: Get familiar with this herb. It’s bitter, so if you’re making a tea, combine with hibiscus and mint as well as a natural sweetener (honey, agave or monk fruit) Feverfew is all natural and works just as well at reducing pain as over the counter medications.
4. Forest Bathing or Grounding: Nature heals, and our busy lives led mostly indoors means poor air quality which can lead to malaise, fatigue and poor health. Spending time outdoors breathing clean air and being at one with nature has proven to improve health and reduce pain.
5. Turmeric, Ginger, Black Pepper: Cook with this trio to reduce pain and inflammation. Buy fresh turmeric and ginger root and boil. Add a pinch of black pepper. Reduce heat to simmer for fifteen minutes. Strain. Drink the liquid mixed with honey or agave. You can also grind these herbs into a fine powder and fill them into capsules for a DIY anti-pain substitute. This all-natural remedy also fights infection, systemic inflammation, joint pain, parasites, gut issues, the list goes on…
6. Lemon and Baking Soda: A half teaspoon to teaspoon full of baking soda in filtered water with a squeeze of lemon might eliminate your headache! This is because of its alkalizing properties.
7. Peppermint Essential Oil: A dab at the temples is enough for this essential oil to do its magic. Aromatherapy is a powerful and natural method for reducing pain. You can also create a salt inhaler to carry with you when a headache hits you. Simply put a salt such as Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt into a small glass bottle, add a carrier oil and several drops of peppermint. The aromatherapy can reduce headaches, provide you with a burst of energy and uplift your mood.
8. Supplement with magnesium: Low magnesium is associated with migraines. Taking 400-500 daily is the recommended dose for prevention in one study on migraines. This dose helped reduce migraine frequency by over 41%. Menstrual headaches also can be managed by magnesium supplementation, according to research.
Our Optimum Magnesium contains two bioavailable forms, magnesium glycinate and magnesium malate:
9. Avoid Histamine-rich food: Histamine is a chemical found naturally in the body that plays a role in the immune, digestive and nervous system. Some people, however, cannot detoxify histamine properly due to methylation issues and impairment of enzymes that help break down this chemical in the body. Those sensitive to histamine or who cannot readily detoxify may be prone to migraines.
Reducing intake of histamine-rich foods may help reduce headaches in these people. Also, supplementing with methylated B vitamins and s-acetyl glutathione may help maintain histamine levels and assist in the detoxification process.
10. Supplement with methylated forms of B vitamins: Methylated forms of B vitamins may have a protective effect against headaches. Riboflavin, Folate, B12 and pyridoxine all may help reduce headaches, according to several studies.
Be sure the vitamins are in methylated, natural form as opposed to synthetic versions. Folic Acid, for example, is NOT the same as methyl folate. Same goes for B12—Cyanocobalamin is not the same as methylcobalamin.
Our Methyl B Complete contains five key nutrients that are involved in homocysteine metabolism: folate as calcium folinate and Quatrefolic® for increased bioactivity; Trimethylglycine (TMG); and vitamins B12 (a combination of Methylcobalamin & Adenosylcobalamin), B6, and B2 (riboflavin), to support optimal methylation and help sustain healthy homocysteine levels.
11. Supplement with CoQ10: A few studies indicate that CoQ10 may help prevent migraines. In one study, 61% of participants reported a significant reduction in migraine intensity and frequency with no side effects.
In another placebo-controlled study, migraine sufferers taking CoQ10 reported a reduction in migraine attacks three times more than the inactive placebo arm.
Our MicroActive CoQ10 Enhanced with MicroPQQ and Shilajit has been proven to double CoQ10 serum levels in 3 weeks among 100% of subjects, making it 3x more bioavailable than crystalline CoQ10.
Sources:
https://www.umms.org/ummc/hl
https://www.healthline.com/health/magnesium-for-migraines#magnesium-and-migraines
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/headache-remedies#section5
https://headaches.org/2007/10/25/vitamin-b-2/
https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/natural-remedies/coenzyme-q10/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210009/
https://www.webmd.com/drug-medication/news/20150302/does-long-term-acetaminophen-use-raise-health-risks#1
https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/09/11/tylenol-far-most-dangerous-drug-ever-made-11711