Pain is no fun. Nobody wants to be in pain, it robs us of our ability function and enjoy life. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking ways to get out of pain. However, our cultural response to pain is actually pretty flawed. We have been conditioned to think that over the counter pain pills are good, that their chronic use is normal, and that these drugs are helping. The reality is that these meds are only masking our pain and the underlying, ignored issue. The example of the fire alarm springs to mind with pain being the alarm and the real problem being the fire. When we hear it, the priority should not be to turn off the alarm but to deal with the fire.
Further these medications are actually very dangerous. Drugs like Advil, Motrin, and Aleve if taken for a period of 6 months doubles your likelihood of suffering a heart attack or stroke. The danger doesn't stop there; women who took aspirin daily for at least 5 years were 80% more likely to develop breast cancers than women who were not regular users of aspirin.
I love giving people information that may make them re-assess their health and wellness choices. However, I don't like to end without giving a healthy and natural alternative to the problem. So if you want to move away from managing pain with dangerous over the counter drugs consider ginger. Recent research conducted at the University of Georgia, Georgia College, and State University examined the effectiveness of ginger for muscular pain relief. It was shown that supplementing with raw ginger reduced pain by approximately 25%. Lastly, especially when acute, ice is a great way to reduce pain and swelling.
Well until next time, all the best.
Doc Hoc