July 11th, 2010 • Posted by Valerie Walton • Permalink
Who hasn’t experienced pain from headaches, backaches, muscle aches at some point in their lives? But how many of us experience this chronically, almost constantly, or at least a large percentage of the time?
For most people, pain is a fact of life, whether it’s constant, or occasional. And most people turn to medications for relief of pain, especially when it’s chronic or nearly constant. Research shows that pain relievers are the most common non-prescription medication purchased – over 200,000 pounds per year, in fact, in the United States alone! And headaches are the most common reason for purchasing over the counter pain medications.
So how do pain relievers work? Well, when a cell gets damaged in the body, it activates the release of a chemical called prostaglandin. Prostaglandin causes the nerves near the damaged cell to send a signal to the brain. The brain interprets the signal as pain and causes the body to feel the pain sensation. The more damage done to the cell, the greater the amount of prostaglandin that's released, causing greater pain. Pain relievers work by preventing the release of prostaglandin into the body. With less prostaglandin being produced, the nerves are not activated to send pain signals to the brain. No signal = no pain.
Pain relievers come in two forms: over the counter and prescription. Over-the- counter (OTC) pain relievers include acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol), aspirin (e.g., Bayer, St. Joseph), ibuprofen (e.g., Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (e.g., Aleve). Aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. OTC pain relievers have a smaller dose of active ingredients than prescription pain relievers, and are typically used for basic aches and pains such as mild headaches and joint or muscle pain. Some products contain both acetaminophen and aspirin (e.g., Excedrin Extra Strength, Excedrin Migraine, Vanquish).
Most of us have seen the ads for prescription medications that include a long list of potential side effects (downplayed, of course, by the manufacturer as being only present in a very small percentage of the population using that particular prescription). But did you know that even over the counter pain relievers have some pretty serious potential side effects?
Side effects of acetaminophen, the most popular OTC medication, include fever, bleeding or bruising, sores or ulcers on the lips and mouth, rash or hives, severe, unexplainable weakness, decrease in urination and/or sharp, stabbing pain in the lower back or side. And research shows that acetaminophen is the #1 cause of acute liver failure in the United States. Over 450 million deaths occur from liver failure due to accidental overdose. Taking too much Tylenol poisons the liver and can cause it to fail. It has been said that many seeking relief of pain take Tylenol in high doses over the course of a few days. Many of these people were also taking other medications and were simply unaware of the consequences.
The side effects of NSAIDs include diarrhea, constipation, rash, dizziness and headache, and long term use of NSAIDs can cause severe gastrointestinal and liver damage. Prostaglandins also cover the lining of your stomach. NSAIDs prevent the production of more prostaglandins, allowing acid to seep through the lining. This can lead to the formation of ulcers, which can cause life-threatening internal bleeding. There is also some evidence that NSAIDs destroy vitamin stores in the body, contributing to fatigue. NSAIDs can also interact with blood pressure medications.
So what does all this mean to you?? Well, if you’re one of the millions of Americans suffering from chronic pain, what if you could alleviate that pain, quickly and easily, without the health risks associated with taking pain medications?
In earlier civilizations, physicians actually used massage as a primary method of treating pain. Today, massage therapists are trained in anatomy, physiology and pathology. The effectiveness of massage lies in a simple strategy – working from the external, outer mechanisms of pain to the primary, root cause. Massage therapists utilize a holistic approach, focusing on the entire body system and its relationship to soft tissue. Their care isn’t focused only on the site of pain. And massage therapy has been shown to be effective for treating and alleviating pain on many levels, including back pain, headaches, chronic stress and anxiety, sciatica, muscle cramps, foot pain, and more.
So how does it work? Massage stimulates the release of endorphins (the morphine-like substance that the body manufactures) into the brain and nervous system, acting as a natural analgesic. Additionally, massage works on what is known as the Gate Theory. Pain impulses travel to the brain on unmyelinated nerve fibers, which get to the brain slower. And we know that it’s only when they reach the brain that these impulses are perceived as pain. Touch, temperature and pressure sensations (like those experienced during massage) travel on myelinated nerve pathways, which get to the brain faster. When multiple impulses try to reach the brain through the nerves at once, the nerves get clogged like a highway during morning rush hour, and most of them won’t reach the brain, only the impulses that reach the brain first will get through, the rest will be blocked. So since the impulses that transmit the sensations caused by massage travel faster, the pain impulses will be blocked from actually reaching the brain, which means we won’t feel pain. In other words, massage works by ‘closing the gate’ that pain impulses have to pass through. And the effects are often felt for days, even weeks and months with regular massage, allowing your body time to heal whatever is causing the pain to begin with.
So rather than stopping these pain signals from reaching the brain by means of medications, which disrupt the body’s natural systems and can pose serious health issues while really only treating the symptoms, massage works with our body’s natural systems and processes to reduce and eliminate pain, and heal the root cause, all without fear of risky side effects.
So if you’re experiencing pain caused by muscle tension, stress, injury, etc., think about getting a therapeutic massage rather than reaching for the pain meds. The only warning message that comes with a massage is that it just might be addictive – but it’s a healthy addiction you’ll be glad to have!
