Pain can have different origins, come on suddenly or always accompany us. But there are effective ways to get rid of the discomfort, we just have to find the cause of the pain and apply an appropriate treatment.

"My back hurts, what can I do? I've gone to the chemist's to get some medicine but the pain won't go away" "I have a painkiller at home but I don't know how much to take" "I don't understand why the chemist's doesn't give me something stronger". Surely many of us have had these reflections when we have had to take We have been looking for a solution to the pain and we have had no response from our environment.

Over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, especially painkillers, allow us to treat occasional, mild pain without the need for a prescription. This has probably contributed to their abuse in consumption and has spread the concept of "Self-medication', a practice that does not make treatments effective, but can have adverse side effects.

The problem is not the occasional use but that we get used to taking medication for recurrent pain and live with this discomfort that "comes and goes" without going to a doctor. specialist to determine the cause and help us find the source of the pain and act to improve our quality of life. 

The first thing we want to clarify is the use to be made of the main non-prescription painkillers. Although as specialists in biological medicine we are advocates of other types of treatments, the truth is that many people resort to them when they suffer a specific pain and we believe it is important to know about them.

Although reference is always made to the indistinct use of paracetamol, ibuprofen and Aspirin (the trade name for acetylsalicylic acid), the truth is that the best-selling analgesic in Spain is Nolotil, the best-known brand containing metamizole, an active ingredient used for the treatment of acute or moderate pain and which can serve as an antipyretic when other types of components do not work. With more than 22 million boxes sold in 2017, the health authorities remind us that this medicine should only be sold on prescription, for short courses of treatment and with controls because of the risk of agranulocytosis.a rare but serious adverse reaction.

It is important to be aware of the effects of medicines and to consult with your specialist.

Nolotil, one gram of paracetamol or 600 grams of ibuprofen have been available on prescription for years, but it is only in recent months that the health authorities have taken action and forced pharmacies to stick to over-the-counter (OTC) formats when pharmacies are used without a prescription. However, it was not until a few months ago that the health authorities took action and forced pharmacies to stick to the over-the-counter formats when they are used without a prescription. Why did they have to resort to this "tightening up"? Because No medicine is harmless. Beyond relieving pain, which they do, they have side effects and not all of them work for everyone. However, we are not always aware of these consequences on our bodies.

The paracetamol acts on the brain, on our perception of pain and not in the damaged area. One of its advantages is that it does not affect the stomach, but it can affect the liver and transaminase levels, as well as causing hypotension or hypoglycaemia. There are even studies that indicate that its consumption can reduce levels of empathy towards other people.

The ibuprofen is analgesic and anti-inflammatory effective and should be used with caution. The World Health Organisation warns that it can aggravate a patient's previous infections and poses a risk in cases of cardiovascular disease (regular ingestion increases the chances of cardiac arrest by 31 per cent). Other complications can include fever, respiratory and other liver-related problems.

The aspirin has the main adverse effect of gastrointestinal bleeding, but this is rare when taken in low doses.

In any case, if we consult specialists before taking medication, we can be sure that we will be able to assess both the benefit and the risk of taking one or the other medicines and we can consume them more safely. At this article we found more details on patient characteristics and over-the-counter analgesics.

We can add that paracetamol as well as Aspirin and Ibuprofen, have antipyretic effects although paracetamol is the most commonly used substance and is recommended as a specific first choice for the symptomatic treatment of fever.

Pain treatment without side effects

The acute pain is not the same as chronic pain. For example, Lyme treated in time may be light for the patient, but if the diagnosis is prolonged and the patient takes medication believing that his condition is something else, we will incur in a Chronic Lyme very tedious for the patient. The first responds to a specific injury such as surgery or a blow. The second has more to do with tissue inflammation and lasts for more than three months. The good news is that acute pain responds well to painkillers if taken appropriately and for a certain period of time.

But there is more: chronic pain can also disappear or at least be reduced and allow patients to lead a normal life.. The answer lies in the biological medicine and in its commitment to find the cause of diseases, the origin of symptoms, and to activate the healing forces of the organism.

If we talk about the origin of painFor example, a back pain may be caused by tension in the jaw and a herniated disc may cause pain throughout the leg. For example, a back pain can be caused by a tension in the jaw and a herniated disc can cause pain in the whole leg. What do we treat? The symptom or the origin of the pain? After studying each case, it is best to design a personalised treatment with specific techniques that are minimally invasive and have no side effects. 

From our perspective, pain is influenced by the following physiological, emotional and environmental aspects. Nutrition has a decisive influence on our organism and should therefore also be part of a treatment against inflammation and pain. Among the foods most recommended to relieve muscle painFor example, coffee and cocoa (in moderate doses), ginger and turmeric, eggs and spinach. In addition, to avoid inflammation and pain, we recommend eliminating refined sugar, processed foods, dairy products and red meat from the diet, at least for a period of time.