I wouldnt necessarily run out and stock up on ibuprofen based - TopicsExpress

I wouldnt necessarily run out and stock up on ibuprofen based solely on information cited in the attached article, Could a Common Pain Reliever Be the Secret to Longer Life?, from the MySanAntonio online newspaper. I post it because of the ubiquitousness of the role of inflammation in physical disorders that medical psychologists often have a role in treating. (Medical psychologists apply psychological and behavioral interventions to physical as well as psychological disorders). The professions have developed an understanding of the role of psychological as well as physical stress in inflammation, mediated by the endocrine and autonomic nervous system (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) and glucocorticoids. The ibuprofen studies referred to in the article also highlight the relationship between reducing inflammation and increased lifespan in simple organisms. Inflammation biomarkers for increased mortality in humans are already known. So, the idea that interventions that decrease inflammation could increase lifespan in humans is intuitive; and, is at least an indirect factor in many of the lifestyle behavioral changes (eg, reducing obesity, increasing physical exercise) associated with increased lifespan in humans. Literature in peer-reviewed journals, as well as in the popular press often emphasizes pharmaceutical interventions at the expense of attention to psychological and other behavioral interventions in addressing particular health problems. However, with an understanding of the mechanisms involved -- linking psychological with physiological factors -- findings from the biomedical studies can contribute to our fund of knowledge in formulating and integrating medical psychological interventions with other treatments and interventions.