any thoughts on their uses in place of the typical NSAIDS? i’ve been a big believer and user of fresh ginger root (smoothies, fruit salads, adding it to plain organic yogourt) since starting triathlon, but what about these others? are they as potent at reducing inflammation in the body from hard training?
if you’ve taken both or one of them - how do you do it / adding it to foods or as a supplement? thank you.
auuh bump
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OK, I’ll bite. If you are looking for a “potent reducer of inflammation”, why not take an oral NSAID? I laugh when I see “organic” minded people jump on the “herbal” bandwagan, when the herbal med does the same thing (hence the same risk/side effects) as the “mass produced” drug. If not, then no benefit (other than the HUGE placebo effect of the non-Rx, herbal type meds - a well studied phenomenon).
If the “herb” is potent enough to suppress prostaglandins/cyclooxegenase pathway (thereby reducing inflammatory mediators), then you get the side effects as well (as minimal as they may be: GI, renal, etc.). Doesn’t matter where it comes from: herb, pill, injection, enteric coated, etc. One of the more dangerous anti-inflammatory drugs is Aspirin if not used properly: actelylsalacylic acid - from the bark of the willow tree (Salix babylonica- hence the name). Natural none the less. Just chew on that for while 
why not just take aspirin? One aspirin a day is prevents against more than just pain(can be protective against heart attacks and maybe cancer, if you read JAMA).
Fish oil
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How can you ingest that much ginger?
NSAID’s are no worse for you than “herbal” or “natural” products. And they work a lot better.
i wonder how well it works? i eat fish around 3x’s a wk and sometimes 5 depending on the season. so i don’t take any supplements really. i was primarily interested in bromelain and tumeric, not at all opposed to fish oil or other OTC NSAIDS. any other thoughts…
Go with the fishes - I eat salmon 6-7 times a week, take 3 fish oil caps in the morning and have walnuts in the evening.
Evening dessert is mixed berries and flaxseed oil. Seems to work for me and I do pretty good mileage -70-80 miles a week of running during peak season.
Cheers, Paul
this thread is grossing me out. sorry 
From multiple-Alcatraz swimmer Gary Emich I got the idea of consuming 2 ginger capsules prior to any cold open water swims. He swears it keeps his core temperatures up for his swims. Now I just do this before any race, knowing ginger has the added benefits of preventing inflammation and also making me feel pepped up.
In the week prior to one of my “A” races this year, I was having some knee & IT band problems so ate a lot of anti-inflammatory foods. Drank pineapple juice (bromelain), cooked a lot of salmon, cooked turmeric and ginger into my veggies. The knee had been a problem for weeks but was fine during my race.
I also take either a fish oil pill, or a flax seed oil pill every day. I’m sure it’s preferable to consume it as a whole food rather than as a pill, but sometimes life gets in the way.
There was a Swedish study comparing code liver oil and something, in old folks, the CLO was comparable.
As for the natural side…white willow…chew the bark - same as aspirin!?
thanks so much oleander…
Do you recommend Ibeprophen or aspirin as McGillTri suggests, at some small dosage on a daily basis or only after long runs? I’ve taken it in the later stages of IM competitions and it helped a lot.
I didn’t realized fish and fish oil pills helped with inflammation. I thought it’s benefit was with keeping the heart in good shape.
Fish oils don’t help much with inflammation, but the Omega-3 fatty acids are good for cardiovascular health. I don’t generally rec ibuprofen during extended (2 hours +) exercise as there can be some renal issues with dehydration.
The aspirin/day was from the Framingham heart study eons ago (actually only 81.5 mg or baby asa). Ibuprofen taken for occasional aches/pains at up to 4 times OTC dose is fine. Inflammation after a long run? Take an ice bath.
how can i make this “ice bath?” j/k -
thanks for you insightful help. i’m not big into supplements or OTC meds but i do have a bottle of aleve handy and ice blocks on hand to help with the bath tub soak immediately following a hard workout - just in case. what is your thought behind cyclists and runners taking “celebrex” during peak training weeks? i know a couple of close friends that have access to this medication and they swear by it. i though its use was for rheumatoid arthritis? thank you
Celebrex is just another NSAID, but it selectively blocks cyclooxegenase-2 instead of 1, so it has decrease prostaglandin inhibition. Has a nice 24 hour half life as well. One of the most studied drugs in history because of the others in the class and heart issues (i.e. Viox, Bextra, etc.)
New JAMA study comparing safety/efficacy of Celebrex vs. Naproxen (alleve) vs. ibuprofen. All about the same effectiveness, but Celebrex was safest as far as GI issues. This is for people who take the drug every day. It has approval for much more than just rheumatoid arthritis.