Common Pain Reliever May Increase Risk Of Asthma, Researchers Say
December 31, 2009 by Personal Liberty News Desk
As we enter the peak of cold and flu season in the United States, many people have begun to look for alternative remedies to help cope with winter sickness.
New research conducted at the University of British Columbia has shown that the widely used pain reliever acetaminophen may lead to an increased risk of asthma and wheezing in both children and adults.
After reviewing 19 studies with more than 425,000 participants, researchers found that children who took acetaminophen had a 60 percent greater chance of developing asthma when compared to children who did not take the drug, the Vancouver Sun reports. For adults, the risk of developing asthma rose to 70 percent.
Meanwhile, new evidence has surfaced indicating that Brazilian mint contains pain relieving compounds similar to those found in traditional western medicines.
A research team at Newcastle University administered Brazilian mint in the form of a tea to a group of lab mice and found that the South American herb was as effective at relieving pain as a synthetic aspirin-style drug.
"What we have done is to take a plant that is widely used to safely treat pain and scientifically proven that it works as well as some synthetic drugs. Now the next step is to find out how and why the plant works," said lead researcher Graciela Rocha.
The research team will now put together a series of clinical trials to see how effective the mint is as a pain reliever in human beings. 
You can opt-out at any time. We protect your information like a mother hen. We will not sell or rent your email address to anyone for any reason.
