Why Even “Safe” Over-the-Counter Drugs Can Be Dangerous Most people assume that if a drug is sold over the counter, it must be safe. That assumption is wrong. In reality, all drugs carry risk—including common OTC medications that are taken daily by millions of Americans with little thought. One of the clearest examples is acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol and hundreds of other prescription and over-the-counter products. The Acetaminophen–Liver Damage Connection A landmark study published in Journal of the American Medical Association examined what happens when healthy adults take the maximum recommended dose of acetaminophen. Here’s what researchers found: Participants took 4 grams per day (the FDA-approved maximum dose) Duration: 2 weeks 31–44% developed liver enzyme elevations greater than three times the upper limit of normal That level of elevation is considered a marker of significant liver injury. The enzyme measured was…

The secret to erasing arthritic pain is reducing inflammation. This is because inflammation does two things: it produces the swelling and sensitivity that causes pain, and it releases chemicals that break down protective cartilage around your joints, which causes even more pain over time. So if you can reduce inflammation, you can both alleviate pain and disability now AND prevent further deterioration of your joints.  Anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil and Tylenol are generally recommended for this purpose, however every one of them has serious harmful side effects, one of them being long-term destruction of joint cartilage ! As the drugs cause your joints to continue to deteriorate, you will of course need more and more of the drug to manage your pain, and this will cause even more deterioration. The good news is that it’s possible to live a pain-free life even with advanced osteoarthritis! In fact, patients with no cartilage left to cushion one or m…

According to Tylenol manufacturer Johnson & Johnson, acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is used by 50 million Americans each week to treat pain, fever, and the aches and pains associated with cold and flu. It’s become as common as aspirin.And like aspirin, this over-the-counter drug is assumed to be quite safe. In fact, it gained its reputation as being safer than aspirin and the other non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) because it was, as a famous actress told us in a TV ad, “gentle on the stomach.” Translation: it doesn’t cause gastrointestinal bleeding, while NSAIDs do. Then why would neurologist and pain management specialist Aric Hausknecht, M.D., call it “by far the most dangerous drug ever made?”Perhaps because, although when used in low doses its side effects are generally mild, it is notoriously over-dosed when used to address pain. According to the National Institutes of Health, acetaminophen overdose poisons the liver and leads…