Paige Harris Just because you’re taking something (like ibuprofen) as medicine doesn’t mean it’s positively affecting EVERY part of your body.
In fact, taking ibuprofen daily may just be the reason why your stomach doesn’t feel as good as it used to.
So let’s dive in:
How does ibuprofen work:
Ibuprofen is an NSAID — a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug — that’s supposed to be taken to reduce inflammation and pain. If you’re suffering from a once-in-a-blue-moon headache, it could be a great option for you. But when you’re taking it every day, that’s where the trouble starts.
That’s because ibuprofen works by stopping the production of prostaglandins in your body. Prostaglandins are special fat molecules that promote inflammation, pain, and fever to help your body fight off possible infections at an injury site.
These prostaglandins are formed when cyclooxygenases (COX) enzymes bind to certain maker cells, and NSAIDs prevent those COX enzymes from binding. This prevents inflammatory prostaglandins from forming, but also blocks COX enzymes from their other job — protecting your stomach lining.
Still with me? Awesome!
Why it matters:
Your body is an intricate system, and messing with one portion of it means that other portions could suffer. So when you take ibuprofen to reduce inflammation in your knee or head, you’re increasing it in your gut.
This can mean feeling bloated, having stomach pain, or even things like constipation and diarrhea, all because you disrupted the digestive enzymes necessary for a healthy gut lining.
And it doesn’t stop there.
When your gut becomes inflamed, it can become leaky. Leaky gut (sometimes called intestinal permeability) is when the tight junctions between the cells in your gut start to widen enough to allow toxins and undigested food particles out into your bloodstream.
If this happens once, chances are you’ll be fine. But over time, these leaked particles can start causing you to develop other issues, like food intolerances, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and even other autoimmune conditions such as eczema.
And that’s all from a little pill that was supposed to help you.
Now, this doesn’t mean I’m always against using conventional medicine. But it does mean that I believe that if you’re suffering from chronic pain, pill popping isn’t the answer. Instead, you need to work to figure out the root cause of whatever is causing that pain so you can heal, not cover it up.
And that’s exactly what I do with all of my clients, both 1:1 and inside my Gut Instinct Group Program.
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Imperfectly,
Paige
