Evidence that drugs are associated with a mass of negative health effects continues to mount: Researchers found that regular use of the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen was linked to higher rates of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as reduced lung function.
Experiments involving animals suggested that acetaminophen might lower antioxidant activity in the lungs; however, whether such results translated to an effect on human respiratory disease was unknown. That was until ...
Researchers Evaluated Data
... from the Third National Health Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) from 1988-94. Participants involved in the study were asked whether they had taken acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen during the previous month. Among the 13,492 participants:
Of the group, 4.3 percent of the participants said they used acetaminophen on a daily basis, compared to 8.2 percent who used aspirin and 2.5 percent who used ibuprofen.
Researchers concluded acetaminophen use was linked to asthma and COPD--its risk increased in relation to the dosage. And while lung function was also impaired by the daily use of acetaminophen, taking aspirin or ibuprofen was not linked with respiratory illness.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine May 1, 2005;171:966-971
Medical News Today May 3, 2005
Shortly after I graduated medical school, Tylenol had a massive PR challenge as some deranged individual tampered with their product in my hometown of Chicago and added cyanide to it. Seven people actually died. Johnson & Johnson handled the challenge very well and many business schools use them as an example of how to rise to that type of negative PR.
I developed the term Tylenol CN (cyanide) at the time for the new Tylenol. The truth is that far more people (tens of thousands) die from taking normal Tylenol than the tampered cyanide version.
Interestingly, no one was ever charged with the Tylenol murders. And, while Johnson & Johnson did a brilliant job of handling this PR disaster, they are no angels. Please remember they make Splenda.
Although acetaminophen is considered an over-the-counter medication, this does not necessarily mean it is safe or void of side effects. Even asthma may seem somewhat inconsequential to some, but, according to an FDA panel three years ago, 15,000 people end up in the emergency room every year because of acetaminophen poisoning.
In truth, ingesting acetaminophen can have devastating effects on your health, especially if done on a regular basis. Its side effects can be numerous, but most importantly it can cause your liver and kidneys to fail.
Another word of caution--If you take Tylenol or other types of acetaminophen regularly, it is important to understand that you can limit some of the damage by taking N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), which is the rate-limiting nutrient for the formation of the intracellular antioxidant glutathione.
Most experts believe Tylenol causes its damage by depleting glutathione. If you keep your glutathione levels up, the damage from the Tylenol may be largely preventable. Even conventional medicine recognizes this, as anyone who overdoses on Tylenol receives large doses of NAC in the emergency room.
Finally, please remember that acetaminophen only provides symptomatic relief and in no way, shape or form treats the cause of the pain.
Tylenol has rarely, if ever, cured anything.
If you suffer from one of the conditions commonly treated with acetaminophen, such as headaches, joint pain and fevers, be aware that there are almost always reasons behind your symptoms.
The goal of your physician should be to help discover the causes behind the symptoms you suffer from. Then you can learn to rid yourself of these causes, once and for all, instead of using something that amounts to little more than a Band-Aid to simply cover things up.
Gary Craig's Comment:
The ability to restore breathing capacity, including cases with Asthma, is a fairly common occurrence with EFT … and it is done without Tylenol or any other medications. One simply takes a deep breath and then assesses their capacity on a 0-10 scale. Then, after a few minutes of EFT (tapping on the meridians), another deep breath is taken. In most cases the breathing capacity increases by 10% to 50% in minutes. I believe this is because EFT addresses the body’s subtle energies as well as unresolved emotional issues. Both of these can contribute to Asthma and other breathing difficulties.
Gary Craig is a pioneering developer of EFT, a profoundly effective emotional/mental healing approach. I learned it from Gary and have taught it to patients in my clinic for years, and they have experienced truly incredible and permanent results with it.
Do You Use Aspirin or Tylenol Regularly? Beware as They Are Linked to Kidney Failure The Toxicity of Acetaminophen Seven Common Misconceptions About Tylenol and Other OTC Drugs
Do You Use Aspirin or Tylenol Regularly? Beware as They Are Linked to Kidney Failure
The Toxicity of Acetaminophen
Seven Common Misconceptions About Tylenol and Other OTC Drugs