Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids which affect the brain.
Welcome to CWAnswers
CWAnswers is your guide to the sprawling world wide web. The directory aims to provide a useful guide made by users. You can share your knowledge as well - simply sign up and edit your first entry. For questions just contact the team at support - at - cwanswers.com.
Weblinks for Anti-inflammatory
Top 10 for Anti-inflammatory
Things about Anti-inflammatory you find nowhere else.
Select content modules
Anti-inflammatory refers to the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation. Anti-inflammatory drugs make up about half of analgesics, remedying pain by reducing inflammation as opposed to opioids which affect the brain.
Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Many steroids, specifically glucocorticoids, reduce inflammation or swelling by binding to cortisol receptors. These drugs are often referred to as corticosteroids.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), alleviate pain by counteracting the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzyme. On its own COX enzyme synthesizes prostaglandins, creating inflammation. In whole the NSAIDs prevent the prostaglandins from ever being synthesized, reducing or eliminating the pain.
Some common examples of NSAIDs are: aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen. The newer specific COX-inhibitors although probably sharing a similar mode of action are not classified together with the traditional NSAIDs.
In addition to medical drugs, many herbs have anti-inflammatory qualities, including hyssop, ginger, Turmeric, Arnica montana which contains helenalin, a sesquiterpene lactone, and willow bark, which contains salicylic acid, a substance related to the active ingredient in aspirin. Cannabichromene, one of the many cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant, has been shown to reduce inflammation.
On the other hand, there are analgesics which are commonly associated with anti-inflammatory drugs but which have no anti-inflammatory effects. An example is paracetamol, called acetaminophen in the U.S. and sold under the brand name of Tylenol. As opposed to NSAIDS, which reduce pain and inflammation by inhibiting COX enzymes, paracetamol has recently been shown to block the reuptake of endocannabinoids, which only reduces pain, likely explaining why it has minimal effect on inflammation.
Some are concerned about the long term usage of NSAIDs as they cause gastric erosions which can become stomach ulcers and in extreme cases can cause severe haemorrhage resulting in death. The risk of death as a result of use of NSAIDs is 1 in 10,000 for young adults aged 16-45Fact: date=December 2007. The risk increases tenfold for those over 75Fact: date=December 2007. Other dangers of NSAIDs are exacerbating asthma and causing kidney damage.Fact: date=December 2007
Possible benefits on Alzheimer's disease
Clinical studies have shown that a prolonged intake of certain anti-inflammatory (non-steroid) drugs has a positive effect on Alzheimer.Fact: date=July 2008
Helminthic Therapy
Helminthic therapy is the treatment of autoimmune diseases and immunological disorders involving inflammation. by means of deliberate infection with a helminth or with the ova of a helminth. Helminthis are parasitic worms, or nematodes, such as Trichuris suis or hookworms. Helminthic therapy is currently being studied as a promising treatment for several (non-viral) auto-immune diseases including Crohn's disease, and Ulcerative colitis.
