Aspirin / Ibuprofen

Aspirin and ibuprofen are painkillers that provide temporary relief for minor problems. If you take painkillers on a regular basis for headaches and aches and pains, it is important to remember that they are not getting at the primary cause for the pain, and are just masking the symptoms. For instance, if you take pain killers regularly for headaches, would it not be more effective to find out the cause of the headaches rather than relying on a band aid to cover up the symptoms?  

Unfortunately the use of aspirin or ibuprofen use does not come without potential side effects: stomach irritation, stomach bleeding, and ulcers, and increased intestinal hyper-permeability that can lead to allergies. These drugs also have effects outside of the role in relieving pain. Aspirin will knock out the clotting ability of your platelets, and will depress your body temperature thus preventing the body from mounting a fever if needed to deal with infections. Additionally all drugs are essentially toxins to the body, and need to be detoxified and eliminated by the liver and kidneys, causing increased stress on these already overworked organs. 

In many cases increasing the levels of essential fatty acids in the diet can go a long way in helping with pain and inflammation, the reasons why many people resort to pain killers such as aspirin or ibuprofen in the first place. 

Many times identifying key imbalances in the body can make a huge difference in the amount of painkillers you may need for your condition.

Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.