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The Dangers and Effectiveness of Acetaminophen

  • rabbitholecreek
  • Feb 13
  • 3 min read

What if I told you acetaminophen (Tylenol) is not as safe and effective as you are led to believe?

Acetaminophen is a staple in the American medicine cabinet. For providers, it is the go-to, over-the-counter, synthetic pain reliever and fever reducer recommended as safe across all patient demographics. This includes children, pregnant women, and severely immunocompromised individuals.




There are three main theories on how acetaminophen works, but that’s all they are. So in the spirit of keeping it simple, I will spare you the science talk. The truth is no one knows. Although it’s been heavily studied, there is not a definitive conclusion. Not surprisingly, this is the case for many western allopathic medications.

Okay, now we dive into a little bit of science. As acetaminophen is processed through the body, it is broken down into byproducts, including a toxic chemical called NAPQI. Under recommended doses, the body easily neutralizes NAPQI using glutathione stores. However, your liver has very limited glutathione available, which is why dosing is so important. Your body can only neutralize a limited amount of NAPQI at one time and needs time to recover glutathione before the next dose. When you exceed the recommended dose, reserves of glutathione are already depleted. This leaves rogue toxic NAPQI free to wreak havoc on your liver, causing damage to cells, irreversible necrosis, liver damage, and sometimes death. This is called hepatotoxicity, which is easily achieved, because it’s easy to miss on a medication label. Many people are unknowingly over-consuming acetaminophen in oral OTC combination medications like cold, allergy, and digestive medications. Acetaminophen has a black box warning due to the prevalence of overdose. Actually, in 2023 a paper was published citing it as the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States and second leading cause world wide.

Are you tired of reading the word “acetaminophen” yet? Just keep reading, just keep reading, reading, reading...

Why do we care so much about this glutathione and how it is completely wiped out when you take acetaminophen? Glutathione is a major player in the function of your immune system. It is THE powerhouse antioxidant, the big dawg if you will. It prevents cellular damage from toxins, has a role in cell and DNA synthesis, nutrient metabolism, and regenerating vitamin E and vitamin C. I hope that sounds important, because it is. Glutathione is critical in the protection and optimal function of the immune system. Research shows that when glutathione is depleted, like when you take acetaminophen, it severely impacts the function of the immune system. In my own words, it takes your immune system into low power mode.

Taking acetaminophen essentially kills your immune system by depleting one of the biggest players it needs to keep it going. We are putting ourselves at serious risk of liver damage and disabling our immune systems. We readily give this to our sick kids, cancer patients, and pregnant women. As a reminder, we don’t even know how it works. It feels very counterproductive and harmful to ingest a medication that destroys the very thing you need to heal: your immune system.

So now we know about some of the risks of acetaminophen, but what are our alternative options? If you insist on taking acetaminophen or if medically necessary, you should take it with N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC), best paired with L-cysteine, which aids the body in restoring glutathione. NAC is also used as the antidote to overdose. You could consider a dye-free ibuprofen, but this is still synthetic medication that has its own risks. Of course, my personal choice would be to turn to the earth for natural medicine and try tinctures, tonics, glycerites, and teas. Organic, correctly formulated, and quality blends are highly effective. Plus, you can feel good about supporting your body and what you’re putting in it.

If you’re not sure where to find natural remedies that you can trust, we will have some tonics, tinctures, and herbal teas in stock when inventory arrives.


As always, thank you for supporting local and shopping small,

Kirstlyn


*This is for informational purposes only. This is not medical advice, please seek the advice of your trusted medical professional.


Sources:

Immunomodulatory Effects of Glutathione, Garlic Derivatives, and Hydrogen Sulfide-


 
 
 

1 comentário

courtney.lantz
14 de fev.

Such an important topic to discuss! Informed decisions only come with being fully informed. Thank you!

Curtir
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