Truth about Painkillers (Aspirin & Paracetamol) and Antibiotics

I came across this information while reading a book over the weekend. I find it interesting and like to share with my readers. If you ever taken Painkillers, you must read this Article.

" In UK alone 650 millions prescriptions are written every years, and the total cost has doubled in the last ten years to 7 Billion Sterling pound. The US annual drug bill is a staggering $200 billion.

In UK $260 million sterling pound is spent each year on painkillers such as aspirin and paracetamol.

Salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin and other painkillers, is a gastrointestinal irritant, increasing the permeability of the gut wall. This in turn upsets the absorption of nutrients, allowing incompletely digested foods to pass into the bloodstream, alerting the immune system and triggering allergy responses to common food. In the long term, this weakens the immune system, encourages inflammation and burns up vital vitamins and minerals needed for healthy immunity, as well as triggering intestinal bleeding.

The alternative is Paracetamol, of which 4 billion tablets are taken worldwide every year. While Paracetamol does not irritate the gut like aspirin, it is bad news for the Liver. As a result, in UK alone, 30,000 people a year end up in hospital as a result of taking paracetamol.

In 1994 in UK, 115 paracetamol-related deaths were reported. According to Professor Sir David Carter of Edinburgh University, 1 in 10 liver transplants is made necessary because of damage caused by paracetamol overdose. While 20 paracetamol can kill you, even one is extra work for liver. If a person takes 6 a day and lacks the nutrients that help the liver to detoxify, this can reduce their ability to deal with other toxins such as alcohol. The combination of alcohol and paracetamol is very dangerous; Paracetamol produces a toxic by-product that can be broken down by the liver only if the body contains sufficient stores of the amino acid glutathione. If you run out, the result is trouble.

Many common drugs have direct or knock-on effects on your nutritional status. Antibiotics, for example, wipe out the healthy gut bacteria that manufacture significant amount of B vitamins. They also pave the way for unfriendly bacteria to multiply, which increases the risk of infection, thereby stressing the immune system. This can then lead to nutrient deficiency. Meanwhile the US national Institutes of Health estimated that more than 50,000 tons of antibiotics are used every year worldwide."

Think about it , have a second thought the next time you want to take a paracetamol or an antibiotics.

Source - "NEW Optimum Nutrition Bible - Patrick Holford's"

Nutrition & Food that increase your immue system

Carotenoids
The carotenoid vegetables are those which are yellow, orange, or red in color and contain carotenes, such as beta-carotene. Beta carotene increases the number of infection-fighting cells. Beta carotene is only one member of a large family. Researchers believe that it is not just beta carotene that produces all these good effects, but all the carotenoids working together. This is why getting carotenoids in food may be more cancer-protective than taking beta carotene supplements. You should eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables each day.

Vitamin C
Sources: bell pepper, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, fruit juices, lemon juice, mustard greens, oranges, papaya, strawberries

Foods with vitamin C increase the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and increase levels of interferon, the antibody that coats cell surfaces preventing the entry of viruses.

Vitamin E
Sources: almonds, broccoli, chard, mustard greens, olives, papaya, sunflower seeds, turnip greens

Vitamin E stimulates the production of natural "killer" cells (cells that seek out and destroy germs and cancer cells). Vitamin E enhances the production of B-cells, the immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria. Vitamin E may also reverse some of the decline in immune response commonly seen in aging.

Vitamin B12
Sources: beef, halibut, lamb, milk, salmon, scallops, shrimp, snapper

Vitamin B12 is central to immune processes because, without adequate B12, white blood cells can't mature and multiply. Folic acid also plays a key role in immune system development and maintenance.

Thiamine (B1)
Sources: asparagus, cereals, pork, sunflower seeds, tuna

Riboflavin (B2)
Sources: asparagus, calf's liver, cereals, cranberries, mushrooms, romaine lettuce

Niacin (B3)
Sources: asparagus, chicken breast, cranberries, halibut, mushrooms, pork, salmon, tomato, tuna

Pyridoxine (B6)
Sources: bell peppers, cauliflower, cranberries, mustard greens, tuna, turnips

Folate
Sources: asparagus, beets, broccoli, calf's liver, lentils, parsley, romaine lettuce, spinach, turnip greens

Zinc
Sources: oysters, mushrooms, meat, legumes

This valuable mineral increases the production and effectiveness of white blood cells that fight infection. Zinc also increases killer cells that fight against cancer and it helps white cells release more antibodies. Zinc also increases the number of infection-fighting T-cells, especially in elderly people, who are often deficient in zinc and whose immune system often weakens with age. The anti-infection hype around zinc is controversial. While some studies claim that zinc supplements in the form of lozenges can lower the incidence and severity of infections, other studies have failed to show this correlation. A word of caution: too much zinc (more than 75 milligrams a day) in the form of supplements
can inhibit immune function.

Chromium
Sources: brewer's yeast, oysters, liver, onions, whole grains, bran cereals, tomatoes, potatoes

Many people do not get enough chromium in their diet due to food processing methods that remove the naturally occurring chromium in commonly consumed foods. Recent research in animal models shows that chromium can enhance the ability of white blood cells to respond to infection.

Selenium
Sources: Brazil nuts, brown rice, cottage cheese, chicken (white meat), egg yolks, garlic, halibut, lobster, mushrooms, pork, salmon, shrimp, snapper, sunflower seeds, tuna, whole grains

This mineral increases natural killer cells and mobilizes cancer-fighting cells