Pain...

[Thunder]

Okay, we all take Tylenol, Advil, Aleve, Ibuprofen, Lortab, and whatever else for pain. Other than that, just how do these stuff actually work? Wasn't their purpose is to block the pain only? It seem that these stuff actually do more than just block the pain.

Few hours ago, I had pain started on my right arm, between the hand and elbow. I didn't take Tylenol for it, instead, I went to bed. Now, I wake up with more pain and the arm is basically so weak to raise and hold anything. I've just taken some Tylenols for it, so it would be about 30 minutes for it to start taking effect.

Why do pain never go away on it own without the help of medication?

When I get headaches, it will never go away, despite trying to sleep thru it for the headaches to stop, it just will not do that. When I take Tylenol, the headache goes away and never comes back after Tylenol is completely gone from system.

It seem that these medications have other purpose, beside blocking the pain. It seem that they actually target a specific problem and eliminate it.

The same can be said for leg cramps. It just doesn't go away until Tylenol zaps it.

I guess these stuff do more than just blocking the pain.

[dismayed]

Well in general doctors still don't understand how pain medications work. Same with anesthetics, they know they knock you out but they really don't know why. But generally speaking, Tylenol is believed to increase your pain threshold, while Advil and the other NSAIDs target reducing inflammation.

[AFCM]

Let me start off my post by illustrating the importance of nutrition: If you suffer from fatigue, dry mouth, cramps, headache and disorientation, chances are you're dehydrated. Now, you can treat the symptoms with medication or you can fix the problem by treating the cause altogether. In this case, you would simply drink water and the symptoms would go away. This is where most Americans lack education and understanding, and how pharmaceutical and over-the-counter drug companies make so much profit.

Your body is designed to function properly and heal itself. The only thing is, you have to provide the proper nutrition for it to do so. In the case of dehydration, the symptoms are manifested due to the lack of water in the body. A lot of times, people are inclined to treat the symptoms without even considering why they're having the problems in the first place. If you don't change the oil in your car, your vehicle will exhibit many different signs of stress, just like the body will break down without the proper nutrition. Change the friggin' oil, already!

A lot of ailments in America derive from malnutrition. If you want to alleviate most aches and pains, I recommend taking fish oils or other sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, which are proven to help prevent inflammation, aches, and most painful symptoms ending in "itis". Look it up.

Try taking some fish oils. What have you got to lose? Best of luck.

[mmonroe]

AFCM beat me to the punch.

When I first got into college, I felt terrible all the time. Talked to the nurse and she educated me on the importance of proper water intake and nutritional value. To this day it's rare for me to have "discomforting" pain and headaches. I really have not even been sick the past two years either. I still keep with my old diet to an extent, except I started adding more veggies/fruits, drink more water, and take my vitamins everyday. I also try to get 30 minutes of sunlight, at the least, a day to help with other things for my body I just don't understand.

Not to mention this stuff can help with depression, anxiety, stress, and a ton of other psychological problems. [Which is why I think most young adults and teenagers are stricken with these issues.]

[Thunder]

I'm not on medication for depression, anxiety, and stress. The only thing that gets me by is getting out and keep busy, hence the job at Target.

I'm on Ritalin to help me on the job. lol

[AFCM]

Fish oils are proven to help ADD and ADHD.