Painkillers MAY prevent cancer

Vancouver Sun, Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 - FRONT COVER

Yesterday I came across the front page of the Vancouver Sun and was astounded to see a picture of Advil tablets, an Advil bottle, and the words prevent cancer!

For those of you who did not get a chance to read the newspaper, there was a 42 year observational study showing that women who took more anti-inflammatory painkillers had a modest 12% less chance of breast cancer development.

For decades, Naturopathic doctors have been working with their patients to reduce inflammation in the body to either decrease signs and symptoms of, or prevent chronic diseases. Some examples of chronic diseases involving inflammatory pathways include diabetes, atherosclerosis, arteriosclerosis, arthritis, infertility, cancer, bowel disease (i.e. inflammatory bowel disease.)

The point here is that drug companies are catching on to what naturopathic doctors have always known in order to increase their profit. Rather than taking Advil or Aspirin which have reported adverse reactions ranging from stomach upset, to stroke and death, ask your naturopathic doctor how you can reduce inflammation in your body. The good news is that we have safe means to address inflammation.

To prevent, or reduce, chronic disease it is important to know where the inflammation is, why it is occurring, how to eliminate "bad" inflammation, and how to avoid re-inflammation.

In closing, I think that it is about time that the public is aware that cancer may be linked to inflammation - now they just have to learn how to reduce their risk of cancer naturally, through lifestyle, diet, exercise, and supplementation.

Take home message: Before you go out and buy more Advil or Aspirin, consult with an expert on inflammation, your naturopathic doctor.