# Pain



## Joca

What do you usually do in the first place when you have pain in a part of your body? Say, a headache. Do you take a medicine to relieve it or do you prefer something more natural, like resting or wearing a bandage or even fasting or eating lightly? The main question is: how easily do you fall prey to allopathic medicine?


----------



## xarruc

I try not to go in for any medicine - I won't take a tablet unless the pain hasn't gone away for an hour or two. I don't go in for the herbal remedies or any type of alternative medicine either. I prefer to let my body deal with itself as much as it can. Most headsaches are caused by dehydration anyway so water's a good cure.

I don't trust herbal remedies. If they havent been subjected to proper scientific trials there is no way of knowing if they are effective or if they are safe. The "natural" side of them does not make them "good" - snake venom is a natural product!


----------



## la reine victoria

I wait for a while to see if the pain goes of its own accord.  

If I have a headache I lie down in a darkened room and practise heavy deep breathing.  Sometimes I apply a cold face flannel to my forehead.  I find aromatherapy helpful - lavender oil is very relaxing.

If there is a servant available I get him to give me an all over massage.  

When all else fails I take a couple of paracetamol tablets.  There is no need to be a martyr to pain when people have spent years on researching analgesics.  People shouldn't be ashamed of taking them.

Thankfully, I rarely get headaches.  Giving up caffeine played a major part in this.

LRV


----------



## PABLO DE SOTO

I have a headache JUST NOW because of a cold.
I have just taken a paracemol tablet.
I am not too patient and if a tablet works...I take the tablet.

I absolutely agree with "there is no need to be a martyr to pain when people have spent years on researching analgesics".
I think it's a wise statement


----------



## faranji

I go straight for the drugs. Life's too short and enjoyable to waste a single minute of it in any kind of pain. As LRV says, there's no need for martyrdom in this department.

(Please refrain from selflessly pointing out that allopathic drugs do also make your life shorter or slowly kill you as (a) I've been told that already, (b) I'd rather live 45 painless years than 75 headache-interspersed ones, (c) I enjoy the mild buzz they give me.)


----------



## .   1

Pain tells me when I should not do something so I follow the advice given at such a price.
Pain killers do nothing other than block the pain and trick me into doing something that my body is not really capable of doing and this only causes more pain.

.,,


----------



## GEmatt

> Pain killers do nothing other than block the pain and trick me into doing something that my body is not really capable of doing and this only causes more pain.


I agree. Pain isn't an inconvenience, it's a signal. If it's something garden-variety like a headache, I don't mind putting up with it until it clears up. If I'm in such pain that it is impairing my normal functioning, or if what I thought was a garden-variety pain is taking abnormally long to clear up, then I'll go and see a doctor. Either way, I'd rather be fully aware of my pain so that I can take action if I need to, instead of dulling the pain with analgesics, and potentially not knowing when it's too late.

Not to be morbid, or anything.
Cheers,
GEmatt


----------



## maxiogee

Joca said:


> The main question is: how easily do you fall prey to allopathic medicine?


Is there an in-built bias here towards allopathic medicine - does anyone speak of "falling prey" to other types of medicine?




Joca said:


> What do you usually do in the first place when you have pain in a part of your body? Say, a headache. Do you take a medicine to relieve it or do you prefer something more natural, like resting or wearing a bandage or even fasting or eating lightly?



I tend to give time a chance.
If I have a headache it is normally because I am in an environment which doesn't (for whatever reason) suit me. I find that abstracting myself from the environment and being alone for a while usually sorts things out nicely.


----------



## Etcetera

If I have, say, a headache, my actions depend on the situation and on how badly I need my own head right now. If I'm at University or at work and can't go home at once, I take some medicine. If I'm at home and I can afford taking hot shower and going to bed, I'll do it.


----------



## Joca

la reine victoria said:


> I wait for a while to see if the pain goes of its own accord.
> 
> If I have a headache I lie down in a darkened room and practise heavy deep breathing. Sometimes I apply a cold face flannel to my forehead. I find aromatherapy helpful - lavender oil is very relaxing.
> 
> If there is a servant available I get him to give me an all over massage.
> 
> When all else fails I take a couple of paracetamol tablets. There is no need to be a martyr to pain when people have spent years on researching analgesics. People shouldn't be ashamed of taking them. I agree, but the other side of the coin is that you may become drug-dependent, if you see what I mean. You don't have to be a martyr to pain, but isn't it better to try to find out the real source of your pain and try to correct it rather than masking it with drugs?
> 
> Thankfully, I rarely get headaches. Giving up caffeine played a major part in this. Funny thing. Whenever I have a morning headache (not so very often, anyway), a cup of black coffee will usually relieve it. And I think this happens with a lot of people. Maybe only an excess of caffeine is the culprit.
> 
> LRV


----------



## Joca

maxiogee said:


> Is there an in-built bias here towards allopathic medicine - does anyone speak of "falling prey" to other types of medicine?
> 
> ....


 
Well, this is a (good) insight. I apologize if I am inadvertently promoting the idea that allopathic medicine is only evil and that other types of medicine and healing have no side-effects. Every system has its own merits. After all, it's perhaps only a question of proceeding a cost-benefit analysis.


----------



## Bonjules

Guess what.
There is pain and there is pain.
Sure, there is pain that can be so severe that you pass out or go into shock (this is, as they say, how you die from a snake bite, not from the venom itself).
But with less severe or moderate pain, there is a lot of anticipation and psychology involved.
A dentist friend once told me something interesting. He noted that those who didn't anticipate pain when having their teeth drilled on didn't have any. He then refused pain shots before his own being worked on and .....
no pain. I tried it myself. Maybe so far I have just been lucky. But I have not let them give me novacaine for quite a few years now, except once, bec. the guy insisted there would be so much pain that he refused to work on me 'naturally'. I suppose he knew something I didn't....


----------



## danielfranco

I had to look up the "paracemol" to know if it was a heavy drug like hydrocodone or just a light weight analgesic. But we be cool, it is another name for "paracetamol", or to our Japanese and USA audience, what is commonly called "acetaminophen" or just Tylenol. Now I know.

Anyway, my momma informs me that I was a weird child, who didn't react very much to pain. So there's something wrong with me, and regular pain (even the Tylenol kind) seems to leave me unmoved. Perhaps that is why I find it easy to just "grin and bear it" most of the times, because there's something wrong with my brain.

Go figure, who woulda thunk?


----------



## Athaulf

Bonjules said:


> A dentist friend once told me something interesting. He noted that those who didn't anticipate pain when having their teeth drilled on didn't have any. He then refused pain shots before his own being worked on and .....
> no pain. I tried it myself. Maybe so far I have just been lucky. But I have not let them give me novacaine for quite a few years now, except once, bec. the guy insisted there would be so much pain that he refused to work on me 'naturally'. I suppose he knew something I didn't....



It seems to me like you've had very superficial drills, unless perhaps there are really immense differences between individuals in this regard. I've had my teeth drilled without anesthetic on a number of occasions, and every time it hurt like hell as soon as the drilling went a bit beyond the surface.  I've also had an experience when a dentist poked the root nerve of a hollowed tooth with a needle -- until then, I hadn't known that pain of such intensity was possible at all.   And I assure you that I've never been particularly sensitive to pain or irrationally scared in cases of any other medical procedures or accidental injuries.


----------



## jess oh seven

If I feel a headache coming on, I'll drink lots of water and maybe try to sleep. If that hasn't alleviated it, I'll take some aspirin, as it helps with blood flow. As for severe migraines, I'm afraid I don't think I could manage without aspirin, water, and sleeping with my forehead pressed against my hands.

For colds, I drink lemon & ginger tea and take echinacea tablets.

I'm not a huge fan of medicinal drugs.


----------



## Bonjules

Athaulf said:


> It seems to me like you've had very superficial drills, unless perhaps there are really immense differences between individuals in this regard. I've had my teeth drilled without anesthetic on a number of occasions, and every time it hurt like hell as soon as the drilling went a bit beyond the surface. I've also had an experience when a dentist poked the root nerve ............


Athaulf, I hear ya'.
As far as 'superficial drilling' goes, well, I don't know. My fillings have become pretty big as I got older. So big, that occasionally the remaing sidewall just crumbles.
Don't get me wrong: When hitting the nerve is anticipated, I'd strongly advise medication!
My point was: A lot of pain perception is psychological.
I think there is little doubt about that.


----------



## emma42

Headache - two paracetamol (acetamenophen), over-the-counter analgesics.

Bad pain - paracetamol and doctor.


----------



## badgrammar

Well, I woulda thunk it, and I can't say I'm surprised, yet more evidence of danieldefranco's eery other-worldliness !  

I, on the other hand, just take an aspirin or two and get the pain outta' here.  Sure, a Tylenol's good from time to time, but I just have a thing for good, old-fashioned aspirin, and I don't hesitate for a minute to put an end to any misery I may be feeling.  

Luckily, it only happens maybe 5-6 times a year. But yeah, lifes too short and the kids make too much noise for me to put up with headaches, toothaches and the likes.  Gimme da drugs. 



danielfranco said:


> I had to look up the "paracemol" to know if it was a heavy drug like hydrocodone or just a light weight analgesic. But we be cool, it is another name for "paracetamol", or to our Japanese and USA audience, what is commonly called "acetaminophen" or just Tylenol. Now I know.
> 
> Anyway, my momma informs me that I was a weird child, who didn't react very much to pain. So there's something wrong with me, and regular pain (even the Tylenol kind) seems to leave me unmoved. Perhaps that is why I find it easy to just "grin and bear it" most of the times, because there's something wrong with my brain.
> 
> Go figure, who woulda thunk?


----------



## Bonjules

danielfranco said:


> I had to look up the "paracemol" to know if it was a heavy drug like hydrocodone or just a light weight analgesic. But we be cool, it is another name for "paracetamol", or to our Japanese and USA audience, what is commonly called "acetaminophen" or just Tylenol. Now I know.


 
Beware, folks, of popping 'Tylenol'(acetaminophen) daily
or in large doses, because it is a 'lightweight' analgesic.
It was thought to be very innocent; now we know it is not hard at all to seriously poison youself with it, especially if it is combined with other substances that put a stress on the liver: Alcohol, other drugs... or in a liver that doesnt work too well in the 1st place.
In fact, all over-the-counter analgesics can in some cases cause serious liver and kidney (and other!) problems; they must be approached with caution.


----------



## Surly Canuck

Depending on the pain severity and duration, I'll occasionally ride it out.  That being said, once it hits a certain point I'm all for acetaminophin or ibuprofen.

I'm certainly not the norm though, as I suffered chronic back pain for many years.  As such, I've developed a very, very high threshold for dealing with pain if I must, and a very low willingness to do so if there are alternatives.  The fear and anticipation of that sort of pain makes me loathe to deal with it.

Also, having experienced kidney stones on three separate occasions, I'll be the first to clamour for anything heavier I can get, should the need arise.

In regards to headaches and caffeine, most over the counter headache remedies possess a certain amount of caffeine in them, which moreso than any analgesic quality, tends to help with headaches.  I prefer a nice steaming cup of sweet black tea.  A cola will do in a pinch as well.


----------



## liulia

Aspirin! I take plain old-fashioned aspirin if a wake up with a sinusy headache - which happens about once a month.

Once in a while I have a cold and I take paracetamol and lots of vitamins and Manuka honey and zinc and echinacea, or some combination of these. And garlic, of course. And I'm fine in about 48 hours.

And lots and lots of liquids, of course!


----------



## KaRiNe_Fr

liulia said:


> [...] And garlic, of course. And I'm fine in about 48 hours.


 Try without anything, a cold lasts 48 hours either... 
I know a doctor giving to his own children only coca and aspirin, for whatever pain (stomach, head...). Maybe the placebo effect works...


----------



## maxiogee

liulia said:


> Aspirin! I take plain old-fashioned aspirin if a wake up with a sinusy headache - which happens about once a month.



I would suggest that you check your diet of the day/night before. I would suggest that there may be a mixing of the classic ingredients for sinus - wine, dairy foods (cheese especially) and chocolate.


----------



## liulia

maxiogee said:


> I would suggest that you check your diet of the day/night before. I would suggest that there may be a mixing of the classic ingredients for sinus - wine, dairy foods (cheese especially) and chocolate.



I thought those were the migraine producing foods? My headaches tend to be more about stuffy sinuses.


----------



## Bonjules

Here's something different:
 Did you notice that after a delicious plate or two of spicy Mexican food (esp. w. plenty of Jalapen'os) you feel mostly quite good, have rarely an upset stomach, even if you had too much?
Why do you think this is so?
(Give you a hint: The answer has to do with.....you guessed it - pain!)


----------



## Chaska Ñawi

Moderator Note:  This thread is becoming extremely chatty, and, which is more important, people are on the edge of offering advice in it.  If nothing can be added to the topic, the time has come to offer it the opportunity to lie down in a dark room with a towel over its eyes.


----------



## Bonjules

Bonjules said:


> Here's something different:
> Did you notice that after a delicious plate or two of spicy Mexican food (esp. w. plenty of Jalapen'os) you feel mostly quite good, have rarely an upset stomach, even if you had too much?
> Why do you think this is so?
> (Give you a hint: The answer has to do with.....you guessed it - pain!)


Ok, since nobody is venturing a guess, here is my theory:
The intense pain experienced by chewing on some really hot stuff (chinese mustard and - is it wasabi? -can do it too)
activates the painkillers - mostly the endorphines (Morphine -like substances ) -produced in your brain. The result is whole - body relaxation and the feeling of well-being.
 It seems to affect the digestive tract also in a relaxing manner. This is not surprising, the GI tract is, as we know, very sensitive to stress and tension.


----------



## Venezuelan_sweetie

Joca said:


> What do you usually do in the first place when you have pain in a part of your body? Say, a headache. Do you take a medicine to relieve it or do you prefer something more natural, like resting or wearing a bandage or even fasting or eating lightly? The main question is: how easily do you fall prey to allopathic medicine?


Hey, Joca! Interesting topic. So interesting, that it has been discussed several times already. 

Here, some related threads: How do you deal with constant pain?, Homeopathy, Home Remedies and Cures. There are many more, but as you might have noticed, threads like these ones often go off-topic and end up with a lock. I hope these three can help a little...


----------

