Ed. Note:  The following is a press release from Jacob Teitelbaum, MD .

February 21, 2006 --

The average American kitchen contains more pain relievers than the average medicine cabinet -- and being all natural, the kitchen remedies are much safer than Motrin, Tylenol, Vioxx and other common pain medications sold in drug stores.

"Turmeric, pepper, ginger, cherries, hops, and even pie pectin (Certo) are just a few examples of everyday foods and spices that have been shown to relieve pain," says board certified internist Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, author of Pain Free 1-2-3 - A Proven Program for Eliminating Chronic Pain Now! (McGraw- Hill, April 2006). His new book explores the many causes of pain and its manifestations, and teaches people how to use both natural and prescription therapies (comprehensive medicine) to treat the entire range of pain issues.

"Headlines of the last year underscore the health risks that may accompany both prescription and non-prescription pain relievers," says Dr. Teitelbaum, author of the bestselling From Fatigued to Fantastic! (Avery Penguin Putnam). "Of course, Vioxx was pulled from the shelves, but we also learned that popular over-the-counter NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are responsible for fifteen to twenty thousand deaths per year caused by gastrointestinal bleeding and complications. It's time to return to the basics," Teitelbaum emphasizes, "to the time-tested remedies in your spice rack or refrigerator."

"Willow bark, the original source of aspirin, when used as the entire herb, acts as a Prostaglandin/inflammation inhibitor but without the serious gastritis and bleeding caused by aspirin," says Dr. Teitelbaum, Director of the Center for Effective Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Therapies in Annapolis, Maryland. "Research has shown willow bark to be safe and effective for treating osteoarthritis of the hip and knee. And a study on back pain not only found willow bark more effective and safer than standard prescription therapies, it also decreased the cost of care by approximately 40 percent."

Got arthritis? "Cherries, high in antioxidants, contain compounds that inhibit COX (inflammation) just like ibuprofen," says Dr. Teitelbaum. "Many people find that eating a few handfuls of cherries every day helps reduce their arthritis symptoms."

"Boswellia, also known as frankincense, has been found to powerfully reduce inflammation and pain," he says, "and it does this without causing ulcers like the aspirin family medications." Studies have shown the herb to be useful for both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis and as well as for treating asthma and ulcerative colitis.

According to Dr. Teitelbaum, hops have a wide range of medicinal uses including acting as a muscle relaxant and inhibiting inflammation. As a mild sedative, hops help promote sound sleep, which is a cornerstone for healing the underlying causes of pain.

"As a practitioner of comprehensive medicine, I believe we should take advantage of the best pain medicines manufactured in the laboratory as well as the best nature provides in foods and herbs."

About Dr. Teitelbaum

Board certified internist Jacob Teitelbaum, MD, is the author of a landmark double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (8:2, 2001) on effective therapies for fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. The research showed an average improvement of 76 percent after 3 months of treatment, and a dramatic 90 percent average improvement after 2 years (p<.0001 versus placebo) using his unique comprehensive medical approach. Close to 50 percent of those studied experienced a 133 percent increase in energy and a 58 percent reduction in pain after 3 months. For more information, visit http://www.vitality101.com/ .

About Pain Free 1-2-3 (McGraw-Hill, April 2006)

Chronic pain and fatigue expert, Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum provides over 100 natural and prescription treatments for managing muscle pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, arthritis, nerve pain, back pain and more in Pain Free 1-2-3. This breakthrough book guides readers step-by-step on which treatments are most likely to help and how to tailor them for maximum effect so that regardless of the source pain, readers can get pain-free now!

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