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Did you know that acetaminophen overdose prompts over 100,000 calls per year to Poison Control Centers in the U.S? It accounts for more than 56,000 emergency room visits, 2,600 hospitalizations, and an estimated 458 deaths due to acute liver failure each year.

Yes, acetaminophen is readily available over-the-counter in many single or combination products to the tune of 1 billion US dollars in annual sales for Tylenol products alone. The marketing emphasizes its safety compared to nonsteroidal analgesics “NSAIDs”. And if you don’t read labels, you may not know you are overdosing by taking acetaminophen in several products at once.

Without going into the criminality of the continued marketing of something that can kill a person, let’s find out what you can take for minor aches and pains, instead. What follows is an excerpt from the First Aid section in my Future Health Now Encyclopedia.

The most effective first aid pain therapies are homeopathic and herbal remedies.

* For pain, aching, bruising (from dental extractions, joint sprains, fractured bones, and concussions), take Arnica 12X by mouth every two hours. Arnica can be used in tincture or cream form locally for contusions, bruising, or swelling. If the skin is broken, however, Arnica is inappropriate for topical application and must not be used.

* For sprained tendons or ligaments, bruised bones, joint or tendon inflammation, or shin bruises, Ruta is especially useful (after Arnica 12X), 12X, one dose every one to four hours as needed. It is also good for eye injuries.

* For bone fractures, oral Symphytum 6X or 12X is extremely useful for speedy healing.

* For ruptured ligaments and tendons around joints, especially wrists and ankles, Rhus tox is the best remedy, 6X or 12X, one dose every two to four hours.

Whenever I injure myself, I use homeopathy and clay. I soak in clay or poultice with it. Clay draws out inflammation and takes the pain away. It’s an amazing external treatment that does the opposite of pain medications – it removes toxins, it doesn’t add to your toxic load.

The clay I recommend is LL’s Magnetic Clay. Start with “Natural Clay.” Simply blend up 1/2 to 1 cup of clay in your blender with lots of water and pour that into your hot water foot bath or tub. Soak for 30 min and shower off.

In my Future Health Now Encyclopedia, Part Five covers 31 common homeopathic remedies for the common ailments I talk about in the rest of the book. Homeopathy is the safest way to treat minor illness. It’s also incredibly inexpensive and the perfect medicine for these times. You can safely take homeopathic remedies if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or if you are on other medications. I’ll do a blog next week about homeopathy—the medicine of the past and the future!

Reference: Lee WM. Acetaminophen and the U.S. Acute Liver Failure Study Group: lowering the risks of hepatic failure. Hepatology. Jul;40(1):6-9, 2004.

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