Acetaminophen has been under scrutiny before, but a new study shows that the over-the-counter anti-inflammatory is more dangerous than originally thought.

The good news? This is the perfect moment to investigate herbal pain remedies.

The study, published in December's Hepatology [1], finds that liver failure from acetaminophen use rose from 28 percent in 1998 to 51 percent in 2003. It some cases, less than four grams of daily acetaminophen led to liver failure.

As for accidental acetaminophen overdoses — 63 percent occurred from a prescription formula of the drug and 38 percent from a combination of two acetaminophen formulas.

Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of Total Health [2], has a lengthy list of natural solutions [3] for reducing pain and inflammation. Ginger, Boswellia [4], and fish oils are his top three.

[via EurekAlert [5]]

(Photo: TR Graphics)