My first injury just happened.

Yep, good to keep it active while being careful about working through pain and risking further injury.

 

There are some great folks on ET, but maybe see what a doctor says?

 

Then this thread is the first in a series.

 

Doc: Nice contusion you have there. Back off training as it heals, here is a prescription for a stronger NSAID which should reduce inflamation.
Patient: Won't it heal on it's own and couldn't the NSAID damage my stomach and liver.
Doc:Well yeah but I have to do SOMETHING.

 

You must have had a pretty bad experience with a doctor. I'm surprised how critical you are of mainstream medicine while being especially receptive to unproven "alternative" medicine. In my personal experience, and with little exception, I have found my doctors over the years to be fairly circumspect about prescribing unneeded medicine. Also, for all their faults, NSAIDS rarely cause liver damage.

 

I agree that the risk is small (but never entirely known) with the anti-inflammatory's but over the years of training and study, I have a good idea when it's time to go see a professional and when it's time to let nature and self administered healing take course. I am not anti medicine but see it as simply as part of the palette of maintaining health.

 

If I may, seeing the conversation you had with your doctor, I have to say that the guy seems a little lost at what he was doing and saying. As crazy as this may seem, NSAIDS are not to "reduce inflamation". Inflamation is actually a "good thing", it is part of the healing process, if you indeed blocked inflamation, no wound or lesion would ever heal.
The primary goal of NSAIDS is to aliviate pain(I say primary goal, because some of their "side effects" can be very useful in different situations) and that makes your mentioned approach very sensible.
If you have an incapacitating pain, it makes sense to use NSAIDS, because their potential risks to the liver, stomach and kidneys are really small and the benefit of aleviating the pain outweighs them. But if you can manage to be without them, it is indeed better, because taking them won't help much and can even delay the healing process, even if for a little extent.

 

Just wanted to mention that I accept Obamacare.

Oh, and if you like the poster who is treating you, you will be able to keep your poster.