So you fell while playing t-ball with your co-workers and you knee is in major pain and its swollen. Which major pain reliever to you reach for in your medicine cabinet? Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen? Check out the scientific explanation below about how these two pain relievers work on receptors in our brain.
It's good for many to know that Tylenol is Acetaminophen - A good way to think of one thing it does is that it fools the brain so you don't feel the pain. Acetaminophen was actually discovered in the 1800's and is not an anti inflammatory medicine. One interesting fact is that it may work the the system in your body that responds to cannabis. Actually no one really knows.
"Advil" and "Motrin" are Ibruprofen. Aspirin is very similar to ibruprofen. Naproxen, or "Aleve" is similar too. Really, the question becomes: when do I use which one? Aspirin may be tougher on the upper digestive tract; so if you have issues there, like heartburn or ulcers, you may want to use something like "Motrin", or "Advil". "Aleve" seems to work especially well against inflammation.
Ibuprofen was discovered in the 1960's and markets over the counter in 1983. It is anti-inflammatory in nature and is said to stop the production of prostagladins.
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