How does such a drug kill, when all its supposed to do is relieve back pain?
Ellison: Cortisone works as an anti-inflammatory. It inhibits pain-causing molecules known as pro-inflammatory cytokines. It is often given to athletes. When blocked, we experience pain relief. However, as a mere pain blocker, it has zero healing properties, speeds up aging and actually damages tendons! But that’s not the only thing it does. Cortisone causes adrenal and immune suppression. The end result is usually obesity, then diabetes. As a CNS stimulant, injecting too much can lead to raised blood pressure and heart failure. Another class of drugs that are often used to relieve pain are opioids – narcotics. These simply block the transmission of pain in our brain. At the same time they can shut down the autonomic nervous system, which causes users to stop breathing. These drugs are only approved for cancer patients…But they are becoming all too common for everyday pain (backache, joint pain and headache). Their use has become so rampant in the U.S., that their deadly side effects
