The hits keep coming...

Conveniently the same week we began to build our case against ibuprofen and other NSAIDS, the American Chiropractic Association monthly News magazine decided in their new issue to target that other common medicine cabinet companion to ibuprofen--acetaminophen--in an article provokingly titled "Poison in the Medicine Cabinet". Dr. William Morgan makes the case against acetaminophen based largely on objective and statistical grounds....can't argue with the facts! Read on to learn more and discover if you too are guilty of unintentional overdosing like so many Americans.

Overdosing on acetaminophen leads to serious health complications. In fact, it is the leading cause of liver failure in the U.S. and Great Britain, with 50% of all acute liver failure in the U.S. attributed to acetaminophen. Even adhering to the proper dosage recommendations listed on the bottle has been linked to causing liver damage, liver failure, and deaths. Some numbers attributed to acetaminophen consumption per year:
56,000 = liver injuries requiring emergency treatment
26,000 = hospitalizations
458 = deaths

The problem is, acetaminophen is such a popularly used drug that unintentionial overdosing is easier than it seems. Acetaminophen tops the ingredient list for the household staple Tylenol, but it also appears in small amounts in dozens of common over the counter products, including head and backache pills, cold and flu remedies, and sore-throat medications. Now imagine when you are sick--can you see yourself taking a Tylenol or two for a fever? Something to soothe the cough? A decongestant for the sinuses? How about one of those flu pills to curb any symptoms? Without a thought, a patient can easily overdose. Account for the added risk of fasting, alcohol consumption or genetic predisposition to liver disease, and it becomes easy to destroy your own liver.

In response to developing awareness of the potential damage caused by this potent drug, the FDA in 2002 recommended stronger warning labels for acetaminophen products. (This is probably when awareness of acetaminophen usage guidelines appeared on your radar.) In 2009, the FDA made a second recommendation, that the standard dosage be lowered.

On paper, chiropractic care for pain management may seem at a heightened cost compared to "usual and customary care", or, use of acetaminophen, ibruprofen, and other analgesics or NSAIDS. But when you look at the long term cost, both financial and in personal health, of caring for liver dysfunction or failure, transplant or even death, then chiropractic care becomes the much more valuable option.

Some exceptional risk factors for Acetaminophen poisoning are:
-Fasting (either intentionally or in response to illness or pain)
-Dieting
-Alcohol Consumption
-Mixing Medications
-AIDS
-Liver Disease
-Malnutrition
-Anorexia
-Kidney Disease

According the Morgan, "Make no mistake about it: This medication can be dangerous, and the consequences for its adverse effects are grave. Surprising is the fact that we really do not have a firm grasp of how acetaminophen works or what the appropriate dose is...Chiropractic, as a profession, remains committed to wellness and avoiding the unnecessary use of medications. It is our responsibility to share this information with both our patients and their medical providers. Acetaminophen should be used sparingly, if at all."



You can read the full article "Poison in the Medicine Cabinet" by William Morgan, DC, at The American Chiropractic Association online at http://www.acatoday.org/content_css.cfm?CID=3549