Nsaids: additional evidence for the need of preventative medicine

A philosophy created long before its recognition within the medical realm, osteopathic preventative medicine has served as an alternative pathway to popular treatments of the day for centuries. Not until recently however, has the innovative and novel methods of care received the attention and acceptance that it deserved. Allopathic and Osteopathic physicians can now be seen throughout the United States, each holding a equal voice in profession of medicine. While the goal of any physician is to treat their patient relieving all symptoms and signs of disease, the approaches between Allopathic and Osteopathic can vary greatly. Notably one of the most marked differences is the belief in preventative medicine rather than contemporary prescription of drugs for disease that may provide a choice in alternatives.
Frankly, given the overwhelming progression of antibiotic resistance and the uprise in increased risks related to long term drug use for chronic conditions, we have no choice but to adopt a preventative medicine outlook. These issues are evidence of the need for alternative treatments that cure disease without undesirable byproducts of contemporary methods.

One example of such needs is the overuse of common household pain relievers such as ibuprofen and COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (Nsaids) drugs such as these are constantly used for the aches and pains of the busy American lifestyle. What many Americans don't know, especially those that abuse the dosage of Nsaids regularly, is the increased risk for stroke and hearrt attack. One study of 350,000 patient case histories linked to this increased cardiovascular risk, concluded that those that abuse Nsaids increase cardiovascular risk by a third. (1) In addition, heavy use of COX-2 inhibitors such as Celebrex, has been found to account for approximately three heart attacks and one stroke in every 1,000 patients every single year in the United States.

These increased odds coupled with family history or unhealthy lifestyle tendencies could equate to an extremely concerning outcome. Osteopathic medical measures can provide the alternative necessary to both relieve the chronic pain, but also eliminate the potential risks associated with drug use. Methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy could provide the same positive result for patients with chronic pain. Additionally, more testing should be done to better understand the source of the chronic pain, rather than merely providing symptom relief to a problem that could inevitably continue for a long period of time. Given these alarming realities, we have no choice but to adopt preventative medicine as an alternative to patients where contemporary methods fail.



Citations:

Rabin, Roni. "The Heart Perils of Pain Relievers." New York Times. 06 13 2013: n. page. Print.                                <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/17/the-heart-perils-of-pain-relievers/>.
Bakalar, Nicholas. "Exercise as Preventative Medicine."New York Times. 10 9 2013: n. page. Print.                         <http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/09/exercise-as-preventive-medicine/>.