It Relieves Pain
As mentioned before in "What Do These Drugs Do?" NSAIDs suppress the action of COX, the enzyme that triggers prostaglandin production. There are two main types of COX: COX-1 and COX-2. COX-1 is involved in the formation of prostaglandins that regulate the lining of the stomach, blood flow, kidney function, and aids in the blood-clotting process. COX-2 is produced wherever the body's inflammatory response has been activated by an injury or an infection. There, the enzyme synthesizes a variety of prostaglandins that create tissue inflammation. By taking in a few tablets or pills, the drug is able to inhibit both COX-1 and COX-2 and therefore decrease the production of prostaglandin which then results in a decrease in inflammation and pain.
It's Fast and Easy!
How hard is it to unscrew a cap, count how many tablets you need to consume, and swallow? Not that hard at all! NSAIDs are meant to be consumed easily by the public. It is also available almost everywhere. NSAIDs can be found in places like your cabinet, your friends and family's cabinet, your car, and many other places. It's like having fast food except you're not eating to be full but eating to relieve pain. These drugs can also be purchase easily because they are sold legally without a doctor's prescription. In other words, they are over-the-counter drugs and can be found in stores near you.
NSAIDs can do More than What is Told on the Labels
NSAIDs are used for headaches, colds, arthritis, muscular aches, toothaches, backaches, and menstrual cramps (these are all listed on the labels of NSAIDs). However, other benefits of NSAIDs are: reduced risk for heart attacks, strokes, Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and pancreatic cancer. NSAIDs have the ability to slow down growth of many kinds of tumors which could be the cause of many cancers. NSAIDs also have the power to thin the blood so less platelets can clog up a wound. This might sound bad, but think about those who suffer from the aforementioned diseases. By thinning their blood, sufferers have a lower chance of getting their arteries in their heart clog and therefore lower their chance of experiencing the aforementioned diseases. These other benefits however, are still being research and are not one-hundred percent accurate. |
