There's More to it than Relieving Your Pain
All NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) play a similar role in helping relieve pain. That role is inhibiting the body's
production of prostaglandins. What are prostaglandins you might ask? They are chemicals in your body that help your body function but at the same time can also harm your body. Think of them as a double-edged sword -- you can have the good effects, but it will cost you some bad effects.
First off, prostaglandins are produced in your body to keep your stomach lining healthy by preventing the stomach acid from eating away at it. They also regulate blood flow to your kidneys, help maintain normal blood pressure, and let platelets in your blood to start the blood-clotting process so that you wouldn't bleed to death, but instead create a scab. The bad news is: prostaglandins can affect your brain and cause fevers. They are also responsible for the pain and inflammation located in your joints and elsewhere. Thankfully we have NSAIDs to prevent the bad effects. What these drugs do is inhibit cyclooxygenase (COX) which is an enzyme that triggers prostaglandin production. So in conclusion, if we take a few tablets of a certain NSAID we and our body will be fine, right? Wrong. <See "Why Avoid Pain Relieving Drugs"> |
