What is a good medicine for inflammation?

It’s always irritating when you wake up with tender muscles and stiff joints. You might have even noticed some swelling or redness – what a complete mood killer. And let’s not forget about the unbearable pain! Thankfully, there are tons of medicines out there to reduce inflammation, but which ones work best? Well, look no further! This article will cover it all.

Inflammation 101: What is it?

Before we dive into finding the perfect medicine to combat inflammation, let’s discuss what exactly inflammation is. Inflammation refers to the immune system’s response to injury or infection in our body tissues.

Surely you’ve heard horror stories from your parents or grandparents on how they had polio or scarlet fever when they were young (talk about old school). Well, when your body detects any foreign substance – whether that be bacteria, viruses, pollen etc., your immune system delicately signals capillary blood vessels around those areas where the enemy invaders lie dormant (just like an alarm in Call Of Duty) making them more permeable than usual.

This allows for increased white blood cells (“the cavalry” if you may) to roam through our bloodstream making its way towards that infected area such as a damaged muscle tissue needing repair from yesterday’s gym session (trust me I’ve been there).

However kind and valiant those white blood cells may seem – their release leads directly into symptoms such as heat , redness , tenderness, swelling, stiffness, disability and PAIN.

Thus having numerous over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications at our fingertips can help control these unpleasant side-effects.

Over-The-Counter Anti-Inflammatory Medications

As one wanders down pharmacy aisles looking at different Anti-inflammatories, tablets and pills become overwhelming quickly due mostly because fewer types sound familiar, while others seem rather suspicious.

When we picture anti-inflammatory medication, think of aspirin or ibuprofen. These guys are a part of the class known as Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and ‘Diclofenac Sodium’, sometimes even in topical form – relieving various types pain symptoms by targeting cyclooxygenase (COX), which is basically what produces all those nasty compounds leading to inflammation in the first place.

What’s up with NSAIDS?

So why is this type of drug so popular? Let’s break it down:

• I’m sorry did you see how cheap that was? Non-prescription costs at your local pharmacy mostly around $20
• Definitely more advantageous than other options as they tend to have lesser side effects
• Are rapidly available

Best of both worlds then: cheaper on my pocketbook without sacrificing relief; let’s call that–NSAID #GOALS!

Nevertheless, these medicines cannot escape some discomforting side-effects, particularly if taken for prolonged periods such as stomach trouble, nausea and dizziness
(sounds like someone just took too many tequila shots..).

Diclofenac Sodium

Another equally great option exists (drumroll please) – diclofenac sodium! Besides belching due to its pronunciation difficulty (di-kloh-fenack) (imagine an Italian saying it) , this active ingredient found in arthritis gels deserves recognition because :

• They go into effect exactly where you apply them–leading to quicker comfort!
• Very few risks unlike oral supplements!
• Silliness aside, Diclofenac can be prescribed for conditions including migraines and orthopedics dysfunctions.

Give me something stronger

Gone through over-the-counter treatments yet still not finding solace? Don’t worry young padawan (obviously saw Star Wars marathon recently) there are other medical interventions to try.

Corticosteroids

Now, apart from oral medications, Corticosteroids is another option one can opt for especially when mild inflammation won’t budge away. They work by shutting down the immune system (why don’t you just call them Thanos’s ultimate weapon) which results in decreased capillary permeability and less release of white blood cells thereby decreasing subsequent arthritis foot pain etc.

• Caveat: Leads to excessive sweating – a quick fix – sit indoors until treatment finishes (win/win situation)! Furthermore, if used for long periods it can cause obesity or have psychological effects such as depression

Natural Products : Inflammation fighters?

Heard sometimes natural supplements tend to do wonders?Thus because we care about everything alternative too (yes including buying those organic bamboo-straw sets on Amazon) here are some homeopathic alternatives to combat that nasty inflammation.

Natural remedies vary from aloe vera gel(all green and heavy), garlic(you might want to add mint juice) and devil’s claw(thoughtfully named thanks guys).

Below are some products worth trying…

Name	Potential Benefits
Curcumin	Increases anti-oxidative protection,reduces joint pains
Ginger	Reduces nausea’ modest side effect; helps with menstrual cramps
DMSO(Dimethyl Sulfoxide )	Can help ingested liquid medication move quickly through skin/hair follicles although extensively research yet lacking
Willow Bark	Roman Empire swear by! Pain reduction equal no.1

And let‘s not forget about our mums sneaking this ‘miracle-working superfood‘ commonly known as honey added in morning porridges keeping us healthy. Although it doesn’t exactly stop all kinds of inflammatory activity but its antiviral features combined with Vitamin C goes an extra mile.

Side Note: Peanut butter doesn’t help inflammation apparently :(.

Can you believe parents can be SO wrong(kidding, they only want the best for us).

In conclusion, living life with constant aches and pains due to inflammation is not always easy– but thankfully there are multiple medicines to support reducing these symptoms. Over-the-counter medications are by far the most common yet diclofenac sodium has some equally compelling features . For those needing stronger treatment corticosteroids may provide relief; natural remedies such as ginger or incorporating honey in our everyday diet holds also holdchance of helping relieve inflammations from certain parts of your body. It is vital that we recognize our respective bodies mechanisms, be it temporary pain-reducing tablets or diet/changing lifestyle changes so together we can fight against inflammatory ailments. Whether this article was humorous, informative or both – hope you found it valuable!