Over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen, aspirin, and Motrin can be dangerous for the system.

Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-Inflammatory drugs, otherwise known as NSAIDs, can cause gastric ulcers, bleeding, increased heart attacks, and even death.

I’ve had patients who took Motrin which put a hole in their stomach, and patients with increased cancer risks from aspirin, which is also really hard on the liver and kidneys.

We don’t need anything else that’s going to be hard on the liver, kidneys, or gut.

I highly recommend trying to replace NSAIDs in your medicine cabinet with something from the below wellness cabinet.

I’m going to give you 4 very effective and natural anti-inflammatory, pain-lowering remedies to help get you off of painkillers.

1. Omega-3 Fish Oil

Research published in Surgical Neurology International studied 250 patients with non-surgical back and neck pain.

They gave them anywhere from 1200-2400 milligrams of omega-3 essential fatty acids from fish, and the results were impressive.

They found that the fish oil supplementation was not only very effective at reducing pain, but it was actually better than the NSAIDs, and there were no side effects.

This is one of my favorite studies, because some of the most commonly-taken drugs are NSAIDs.

I would recommend taking 750 milligrams of fish-based omega-3 daily to keep overall inflammation down.

Make sure it contains DHA and EPA fatty acids, because that is where the pain relief is coming from.

The plant-based omega-3 is ALA, which doesn’t have the same effect.

Think of this like aspirin. If you get pain in your neck, back, elbows, or knees, you can double the dose.

If you do take omega-3 supplements, make sure there are no fillers, dyes, or artificial colorings, and that they’re from a freshwater fish source.

Doing research on the omegas you get is important, because you’ll know how much care is taken with them, and if they’re rancid or not.

If they’re in a see-through container, you’ll know that they’re rancid.

2. Epsom Salt Bath

Epsom salt baths are very high in magnesium and sulfate. They have a detoxing effect on the skin, externally relax the muscles, and are also proven to be anti-inflammatory.

You only need to soak in a warm Epsom salt bath for about 20 minutes, and you don’t need to do it every single day.

But if you’ve had a rough, hard-working, painful day, it’s a good idea to try.

Be careful when you get out of the tub, because magnesium dilates the blood vessels.

This means you’ll get a little lightheaded because your blood flow changes so quickly.

If you’d like to take it up a notch, I have a recipe guide where you can do an extra-detoxing Epsom salt bath by adding baking soda, apple cider vinegar, or some essential oils.

3. Celery

Celery is high in the anti-inflammatory bioflavonoids luteolin and apigenin.

These were studied in 2015, and the results showed that they can suppress arthritis and reduce tissue inflammation.

In the study, rats were continuously fed luteolin, which resulted in improved learning and memory along with the anti-inflammatory effects.

Celery also increases stomach acid production so you can break down your foods better, decreases bloating, and is helpful for the liver.

If you’ve never had celery before, it’s very fibrous, and the minerals and salts in it are stuck in the fibers of the celery.

If you blend it, it releases those salts and bioflavonoids so that your body can absorb them easier.

4. Curcumin

Curcumin can be obtained through the root turmeric. In a study of people with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug at giving relief.

It neutralizes free radicals in the body due to its chemical structure, and those antioxidant effects are what’s going to reduce pain.

Emulsified turmeric is going to give you the best results, because powdered turmeric by itself has a tough time getting absorbed into the body.

Over 80% of it doesn’t actually get absorbed.

A lot of people recommend black pepper to help with that, but it’s an irritant.

It may help you absorb more turmeric powder, but it irritates the gut lining, and people who are already in pain don’t need more irritation.

The source of most inflammation is an irritated gut.

So, instead of using black pepper or just powdered turmeric, use an emulsified turmeric submerged with fat.

That way, it will get much more absorbed into the body.

I like to combine turmeric and omegas together so I get the fats of the omega with an emulsified fat-filled turmeric, which gets 30 times the amount of absorption.

Summary

If you want to learn more about this and want a recipe on how to shave turmeric and add some ginger to tea, you can find it in my video here.If you have never tried or made celery juice, you can also check out my video on how to make it and its incredible benefits.