Side Effects of Pain Medications

As a person suffering from pain, you are quite aware of the benefits of painkillers. Although they are convenient tools to help you live a normal life, they also come with a variety of adverse side effects, which is why doctors regulate their use. From NSAIDs to opioids, painkillers can be an effective treatment, but might result in long-term addiction and abuse concerns.

NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the single most popular pain medication that you can purchase over the counter. Depending on the strength of the prescription, you might require a prescription. The main benefit of these medications is that they not only help to combat pain but they are also useful for reducing inflammation.

There are a wide variety of side effects that you’ll experience from consistent use of NSAIDs including upset stomach, gastric ulcers, impaired functioning, and internal bleeding. In most cases you can easily stop using the drugs immediately, but in more chronic cases patients have been known to go through withdrawal symptoms such as headaches. In severe abuse cases, patients will have to lower their daily dosages until the body no longer requires the medication.

Paracetamol/Acetaminophen

As another popular pain medication that you can purchase over the counter, Paracetamol is an ingredient found useful for moderate pain. In most cases it’s the first type of medication that people look for when they’re dealing with acute pain conditions. You might find that some prescribed medications have acetaminophen as well as other painkillers in their formulas.

The largest issue that you’re at risk for with paracetamol is irreversible hepatotoxicity. Unintentional overdoses are incredibly common because most patients assume that even the smallest doses can be mixed with other medications, which is not the case. With consistent use and abuse, you can have vomiting, jaundice, and liver damage.

Opioids

Typically prescribed to patients for severe types of pain, opioids are extremely effective and include medications such as dihydrocodeine. You will only be able to get these painkillers through a prescription, and in many countries you cannot buy online due to their status as controlled medications. In some other countries, such as the UK, you can buy co-codamol and codeine and similar opioids from an internet pharmacy but only in restricted amounts from special sites. Even though they are incredibly effective, long-term use can present a long list of side effects that can be quite damaging to your body. Most patients experience swelling, itching, cognitive impairment, opioid induced hyperalgesia, changes in sex drive, tiredness, and urinary retention.

Adjuvant Analgesics

In most cases these medications will be prescribed along with other pain medications, though they are non-opioids. You may be prescribed adjuvant analgesics when you have neuropathic pain as they typically come in the form of topical creams or gels that you apply to the affected area. There are relatively few side effects with these pain relievers though sedation can be a typical concern.

Frequently Asked Questions About Arthritis

Arthritis is a medical condition that is loosely translated to represent joint inflammation. There are over 100 different types of arthritis that can affect the joints in your body and the tissues that surround your joints. In most cases patients will experience an ample amount of pain and stiffness around their joints and it will severely impact their mobility.

Who is at risk for arthritis?

There are a variety of factors taken into consideration when someone might be at risk for developing arthritis. Some of the most common include: age (the older you are, the more likely you are to have arthritis), gender (60% of sufferers are women), genetic components (specific genes may put you at risk), obesity, previous joint injuries, and occupation.

How does arthritis develop?

Many medical conditions can lead to the development of arthritis, but it is most commonly caused because of heightened levels of uric acid in the body. There are several types that don’t have a specific cause, which has lead researchers to look further into genetics and environment.

What is the most common type of arthritis?

Out of over 100 different types of the disease, the most common in North America is osteoarthritis. Gout, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia are also quite common.

What are the symptoms of arthritis?

Depending on the severity of the disease and your body, the symptoms that you experience will vary. In most cases you’ll have stiffness in your joints accompanied by pain. These symptoms can either develop gradually over time or they can happen overnight.

Is arthritis acute or chronic?

Unfortunately arthritis is one of the most well known chronic conditions.

Should I see a doctor if I have arthritis?

It is imperative that you seek medical assistance in the event that you think you are developing arthritis. Even if you notice that you have a small amount of swelling and stiffness in your joints, you should book an appointment. By talking to a medical professional you can have your specific type of arthritis diagnosed and receive a reliable treatment plan to help promote a regular lifestyle with limited pain and discomfort.

Is arthritis preventable?

Considering that some types of the disease are genetic, not all types of arthritis are preventable. There are steps that you can take to lower your risk of developing the disease through lifestyle and environmental means, such as maintaining a healthy body weight and taking supplements to protect your joints and bones.

Foods to Avoid for a Bad Bladder

Bladder issues are some of the most common medical conditions that people deal with on a regular basis. Whether you have a prior illness that has reduced the strength of your bladder muscles or if you are aging, it can be difficult to prevent yourself from urinating often. Many people are surprised to learn that there are many different foods that you should avoid if you are dealing with a bad bladder. But make sure first that you don’t have a bladder infection.

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Alcohol

As the number one item to avoid if you frequently have to urinate, alcohol isn’t going to limit the amount of times that you have to run to the bathroom. Alcohol is a bladder stimulant and a diuretic, meaning that it tricks your body into thinking that you have to use the bathroom more often than you do. Wine seems to show the most effect to the bladder, but other alcohol such as beer, has been known to stimulate urination as well.

Acidic Fruits and Vegetables

Acid is a component that you would find in most of the fruits and vegetables that you consume on a regular basis. There isn’t much research that has gone into the effects of acid on the bladder, but patients have noticed more frequent urination when they consume tomatoes, citrus fruits, vinegar, and nuts. It is said that potassium is another component frequently found in foods that irritates your bladder.

Cranberry Juice

If you’re ever dealt with a urinary tract infection (UTI) or a bladder infection, one of the main parts of your prescription will be to drink a substantial amount of cranberry juice. Cranberries are renowned for their ability to stimulate your bladder and to fight against the bad bacteria that is typically found when someone is suffering from a UTI.

Caffeine

Although it can be quite enjoyable to relax with a cup of coffee in the morning, caffeine is quite the bladder stimulant as well as a diuretic. When you body acquires an influx of caffeine, it works on your nerves, particularly the ones that are found around the bladder. The acidity in even decaf beverages can result in irritating your bladder, particularly if you have a medical condition.

Spicy Food

It can be a great pleasure to enjoy a spicy dinner once in a while but be prepared to use the restroom several times throughout the night. Spicy foods have special chemical components that give them their flavor and these components are known to irritate the bladder. Instead of using paprika, onions, and cayenne pepper, opt for milder herbs such as rosemary and sage.

How to Enjoy Natural Pain Relief

Natural pain relief is accessed without surgery or lab-created pain relievers, such as OTC remedies and prescription painkillers. If you prefer a holistic approach to health, you’ll benefit from our quick guide. We’ve gathered information about the most popular and holistic natural pain relief strategies and we’re going to share them with you today.

Once you’ve discovered how to relieve pain without surgery or drugs, you’ll be empowered. We know that holistic treatments are all about whole-body wellness and we want to give you the option of trying alternative health treatments with a mind to relieving pain…

Consider Natural Supplements for Pain

If you want to relieve pain which is associated with Sciatica or Arthritis, you may want to consider St. John’s Wort. While this natural plant extract supplement is perhaps best-known for relieving the symptoms of depression, it also offers significant pain relief to some users.

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When you take this supplement, follow the directions on the bottle and then track your results. Any kind of nerve pain may be minimized via this natural formula, although results will vary.

St. John’s Wort is degraded by light, so keep your bottle of this supplement in a darker place as its active ingredients will remain intact and effective. Only take the recommended dosage.

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Try Traditional Chinese Acupuncture

If you want premium pain relief without pills, another alternative treatment option is traditional Chinese acupuncture. This treatment is quite effective for a range of pain types and it is ideal for those who suffer from frequent headaches, lower back pain and arthritic conditions.

During acupuncture, a practitioner will put small needles into the body’s pressure points, depending on where trouble spots are. This stimulation of pressure points may relieve pain. It’s important to find an experienced and well-trained practitioner. However, this shouldn’t be too hard. Customer reviews of acupuncturists should assist you with finding someone impressive who is skilled and caring.

Book a Therapeutic Massage

If you experience a lot of soreness and tightness in your muscles, booking a deep-tissue massage may be a smart way to relieve pain without medication. During this form of massage, underlying layers of muscles are realigned in order to relieve discomfort. During deep tissue massage, pressure is stronger than it is with many other forms of massage. This concentrated pressure helps to alleviate tension and soothe discomfort.

Hopefully, this trio of tips will help you to experience pain relief without the medication downside. Try one or all of them in order to get the help that you need.

10 Easy Ways To Improve Your Health

No one is expecting you to turn everything around overnight, when it comes to your health. If you have been looking for some ways in which to improve your current wellbeing, you don’t have to completely change everything overnight. However, at the same time, you are going to want to start taking some serious measures on that front. Top-ten-tips-for-good-health-and-healthy-heart

Thankfully, there are easy things you can do that can get the ball rolling. There are simple things that are going to begin to produce desired effects almost immediately. Getting started can begin a number of positive benefits. This is something that you should try to keep in mind.

Ten Simple Ways To Change Your Health

Looking for some ways to get started? Here is what you need to know:

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Start changing your diet: Opting for more vegetables, and less in the way of prepackaged, processed meals, is a really good place to start.
Get more water into your life: How much soda do you drink a day? How many sweetened beverages do you consumer over a 24-hour period? Start cutting down on these things, and start getting more water in your day.
Genetically-engineered foods: While there is some controversy over just how much genetically-modified foods harm us, the general consensus still remains that cutting down on these things is probably for the best.
Look for fermented foods: Optimizing your gut flora with fermented foods can definitely get you moving on the right track towards better health.
Look for healthier fats: Eggs and avocados are two good examples of what we are talking about, as are various nuts.
Raw foods: Leafy greens are a good example of this thought. Carrots and peppers are two more things you may want to consider adding to your daily life.
Get some exercise: Even something as simple as a couple of fifteen-minute walks each week can dramatically improve your state of health.
Sunlight: While you certainly want to be wary of things like skin cancer, you should also keep in mind that maintaining the right sunlight exposure can go a long way towards maintaining your healthy vitamin D levels.
Toxins: There are a lot of toxins out there. Limiting our exposure to these things can certainly improve your body’s ability to remain functional.

Sleep well and manage stress: Take some stress management tips to heart, and learn about some of the ways in which you can improve your sleep.

Are Supplements Good Choices for Improving General Health?

All supplements are not created equal. Some are good for our bodies, while others may not be as conducive to good health. For example, some of the diet supplements sold in the marketplace aren’t really known quantities. In order words, clinical studies don’t back up their marketing claims.

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On the flip side, certain trusted supplements, such as Gingko Biolba for enhanced memory and clearer thinking, do seem to benefit human health. When it comes to choosing supplements, you’ll need to be careful about what you select. You must choose supplements which are all-natural, pure and organic. Don’t consider supplements to be substitutes for medication.

While the idea of a purely holistic health care treatment plan is appealing, in some cases, lab-created medications are definitely the best choices. For example, if you have cancer, and you are considering treating it with supplements, rather than getting chemotherapy and taking prescription medications as directed, you may be on the wrong path. healthy-habbits-400x400

We recommend listening to your doctor if you’re seriously ill. He or she has years of education and training. While alternative health professionals may have interesting information to share, they are not medical doctors and they don’t bring the same wisdom to the table.

Use Supplement Formulas Wisely

It’s best to use supplements with a mind to boosting general health, rather than trying to cure a disease. This is a sensible rule of thumb. While it may be fun to try supplements for certain conditions, such as sleeplessness, and you may get excellent results, you shouldn’t try to cure anything serious with supplements.

It’s best to understand that most of them are not approved for usage as medications. However, that being said, a lot of people do get great results. To continue with our sleeplessness example, if you are having trouble falling asleep, a natural supplement, such as Melatonin, may work wonders. It also helps with jet lag.

Look for Supplements Today

The best way to find the right supplement is to do a simple Google search for your key symptom or condition and then add “natural supplement” to your search term. With any luck, you’ll find some herbal supplements which help those with your problem to feel better. However, you should be aware that the people who sell these products sometimes overhype them. Use them experimentally, look for formulas without fillers and choose trusted brand names. You need to know exactly what you are putting into your body.