Vitamin "I"

The New York Time's health blog's latest post found that runners who had ibuprofen before/during a run or race,

displayed significantly more inflammation and other markers of high immune system response afterward than the runners who hadn’t taken anti-inflammatories. The ibuprofen users also showed signs of mild kidney impairment and, both before and after the race, of low-level endotoxemia, a condition in which bacteria leak from the colon into the bloodstream.

Now, I almost never take pain-killers (I don't even have any in my apartment except for those left over from a prescription), but during races where they have people with trays of Tylenol and water I always took one since I figured it could help block potential pain from running and therefore keep me going. The study cited in the article found that the ibuprofen poppers didn't have any less pain or soreness during and after the race. Also, NSAIDs (also containing ibuprofen) "blunt the body’s response to exercise at a deeper level" and slowed muscle healing.

So, ha! My resolve to avoid necessary medication now has some support. The article ended saying that the use of painkillers for acute pain is effective, but to take them “before every workout or match is a mistake.”