Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Hot Peppers, a Natural Alternative to COX Inhibitor Drugs?

What's a person stuck living in chronic pain to do? All the best anti-inflammatory drugs including some found over the counter, have now also been found to cause heart attacks and possibly strokes.

First it was Vioxx, a well regarded and highly effective anti-inflammatory drug that could effectively chase pain away after extended periods of use. Next it was Celebrex, and then Bextra, both also well regarded anti-inflammatory drugs mainly prescribed to arthritis patients who suffer from chronic pain. All three drugs are known as "COX-2 Inhibitors," meaning they inhibit the production of the Cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme which has been consistently found dwelling in areas of inflammation within the body.

COX-2 Inhibitors were designed to outperform original anti-inflammatory drugs that effectively blocked the Cyclooxygenase-2 enzyme, but also blocked the Cyclooxygenase-1 enzyme.

The original COX enzyme inhibitors are known as Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). While NSAID's are known to be effective against inflammation, they are also tough on the stomach. This is because aside from blocking the COX-2 enzyme, NSAIDs also block the COX-1 enzyme, leaving the stomach unprotected against its' own acids.

Because the Cyclooxygenase-1 enzyme provides a necessary mucous lining to the stomach protecting against excess stomach acids and upset, patients taking the original COX inhibitor faced constant stomach upset, and future ulcers. So when COX-2 Inhibitors were first identified, they seemed like a savior for chronic pain sufferers who couldn't handle the stomach upset of the original COX enzyme inhibitors.

Unfortunately, COX-2 Inhibitors have recently been determined to be dangerous. At first, many arthritis sufferers were still hopeful, turning their attention back to the original COX inhibitors. Most figured an upset stomach was better than living in constant pain, but then came even more bad news - - the original COX inhibitors have now also been linked to heart attack and stroke.

The (NSAID)in question is known as Naproxen, most commonly seen under the brand name, "Aleve". These drugs have been around far longer than COX-2 Inhibitors (SINCE 1976), and various adverse side effects have been well known for years, but the risk of heart attack and stroke have never been in question until now.

Most medical researchers say the public concerns about NASIDs are largely without merit since this class of drugs has shown itself to be safe in A vast majority of studies. Yet experts also agree it's important to be cautious when using Naproxen in high doses for extended periods of time.

Either way, chronic pain sufferers are confused and scared -- and rightfully so. COX-2 Inhibitors aside, even if the FDA is jumping the gun on denouncing NSAIDs, most arthritis sufferers just aren't willing to take the chance of suddenly entering cardiac arrest a few years down the road.

Interestingly enough, there may be a new inflammatory agent on the horizon, and it's completely natural. The secret comes from a little known chemical in hot peppers, "Capsaicin". This natural chemical is the secret ingredient that puts the "Hot" in hot peppers. Since the mid 1990s, capsaicin has been proving itself to be an incredible anti-inflammatory agent in well regarded research studies around the world.

For arthritis pain, capsaicin based creams have proven themselves to be highly effective, but when applied to the skin on a daily basis, the heat sensation can be too much for some people. In addition, applying a cream everyday can be inconvenient, and quite time consuming.

Recently though, manufacturers have come up with a capsaicin patch that can easily be applied in painful areas. Once applied, the capsaicin patch effectively blocks pain receptors and reduces inflammation after only a few days of use. Unfortunately, the patch method appears to be too intense for many pain sufferers when worn over extended periods of time. Nonetheless, the potential of capsaicin has proven itself to be a true medical breakthrough since unlike the COX Inhibitors, Capsaicin doesn't appear to produce any life threatening side effects.

Many Cardiologists tell their patients to eat lots of hot peppers to increase circulation and blood flow thus helping to prevent deadly blood clots that can lead to heart attack and stroke. Moreover, the recent discoveries concerning intranasal capsaicin and headaches have shown hot peppers to be highly effective against chronic pain and pressure in the head and sinuses.

In fact there's a hot pepper nasal spray actually being sold throughout the nation by the name of "Sinus Buster". It's an all natural nasal spray (the world's 1st hot pepper nasal spray), and it's been solidly embraced by the medical community as a true breakthrough for relieving inflammation and pain associated with chronic headaches, sinus, and allergy conditions.

Wayne Perry, president of SiCap Industries, the company that manufactures Sinus Buster nasal spray believes the real answer for chronic pain sufferers is hidden in the hot peppers. Perry originally discovered the headache stopping power of hot peppers quite by accident after appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show. At that time, Perry's gimmick was to be sprayed with "real" self defense pepper spray for live television cameras. After his Oprah appearance, Perry was inundated with requests by tv shows to get sprayed on camera.

In order to promote his self defense video, Perry was willing to take on all comers. So he set out on a tour during which he was sprayed an amazing "42 times" in all. During one demonstration, Perry who had been a sufferer of chronic cluster headaches for twenty years, started to get a headache attack just before the demonstration was to be filmed.

Wayne decided to go through with the "live spray event," and allowed the FOX News reporter to spray him in the face.

"I was reeling in pain right away, but I also immediately noticed my headache was gone. I mean it was gone�.really gone. I was dying from the pepper, but I was feeling better than I had all day. This headache had been coming on all day and it was gone in an instant. I knew it was the pepper up my nose that did it, but I also knew I had to find a way to deliver the pepper without choking myself," says Perry.

And he did just that. Little more than one year ago, Perry launched "Sinus Buster Capsaicin Nasal Spray'" the world's first hot pepper nasal spray. Since then, his unusual product has become a media darling, and it's become even more accepted in doctor's offices throughout America and Europe.

Today, Perry's company markets several capsaicin based health products including a daily hot pepper supplement designed for oral use. Many users of this product known as "Pepper Boost," have reported a significant reduction in chronic pain when used over extended periods of time.

Perry says the anecdotal reports on Pepper Boost are promising, but for severe chronic pain sufferers, he believes an all around effective formula has got to contain a higher dose of capsaicin - something Perry says his company is presently working on. The new product will feature some important changes over the Pepper Boost formula, but Perry admits this formula too was quite by accident.

"We were working on a mouth spray to neutralize sore throat and mouth pain since many pepper boost users were reporting this spray stopped sore throat and canker sore pain. So our thought originally was to make a new stronger version of pepper boost to be marketed as a throat spray. But according to some of our preliminary users, they feel this new spray reduced their overall aches and pains to almost nothing within about a week. Of course they use the spray every hour on the hour to achieve this effect, but it appears to be working," says Perry.

Why would such a discovery help chronic pain sufferers afraid of modern drugs that may be in question? While capsaicin has the ability to reduce inflammation and pain, it also helps improve blood flow and circulation thus preventing complications that can lead to heart attack and stroke. Therefore if capsaicin could be delivered in a formula that didn't include topical heat, it may be able to solve the daily suffering of people facing chronic pain diseases such as arthritis.

Management at SiCap industries isn't sure if they'll be marketing their future capsaicin throat spray as more than a mouth pain fighter, but they are certain their new discovery will lead to a safe and comfortable alternative for people suffering from daily chronic pain. And in this time of public scrutiny concerning popular pain relievers, SiCap Industries may be poised to capture a huge market that's feeling completely alienated by the traditional pharmaceutical industry.

For more information about SiCap Industries, and any of their products - visit (http://www.sinusbuster.com). Samples and media kits are available for qualified media and medical personnel. 

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