Back Pain Treatment | A Deeper Look ...

A very successful mentor of mine once said to me:

"Charlie, I'm always looking for what I don't see - there's always two stories."

With that in mind, let's take a deeper look at the most commonly used back pain treatments and another look at "what I don't see."

I'm certain you'll find this interesting!

Back Pain Treatment Options: "The following is a brief discussion about the most commonly used treatments for back pain available today.

Drug Therapies
Today, patients have a wide variety of medications to choose from to treat their back pain. Some drugs not only relieve pain but also work to reduce inflammation and relax muscle tension and spasm. However, many of these medications, even those available without a prescription, can have serious side effects. Talk to your doctor before taking any medications for back pain.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) include aspirin, ibuprofen, Naproxen®, Ketoprofen® and many more. Anti-inflammatory medications help reduce swelling and inflammation and promote healing. When taken in low doses, NSAIDs work as mild analgesics. When taken in higher doses and on a regular basis, enough of the drug builds up to have a true anti-inflammatory effect.
COX-2 Inhibitors are a new type of NSAID and include celecoxib (brand name Celebrex®). These medications, approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), allow patients to take higher doses without the accompanying gastrointestinal side effects from conventional NSAIDs.

Acetaminophen such as Tylenol®, Anacin-3®, Phenaphen®, Valadol®, and other brands are analgesics. Analgesic medications are used to treat acute or some forms of chronic pain. They are the most common alternatives to NSAIDs. Acetaminophen can be used alone or in combination with NSAIDs. Liver and kidney damage are potential serious side effects of acetaminophen use.

Opioids such as morphine and codeine, meperidine (Demerol®), or oxycodone-release (Oxycontin®) are rarely used and only if pain is severe. Due to their addictive nature, these drugs are not routinely prescribed, as many physicians believe they do more harm than good.

Muscle Relaxants such as cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril®), diazepam (Valium®), carisoprodol (Soma®), or methocarbamol (Robaxin®) are often prescribed for severe pain. However, some experts believe that NSAIDs are just as effective."

Now, armed with an understanding of the most commonly used back and neck pain treatments - let's take a better look at some of the statistics.

Interesting Medical Information:

"People who use aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDSs) have a hospitalization rate 5 times that of the general population. More than 20,000 people with bone/joint problems die each year because of NSAID-related gastrointestinal problems.
(Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center)

Aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) fight inflammation, fever, and pain by blocking the body's production of prostaglandins. But since they can also block the prostaglandins that keep the stomach lining healthy, they can cause stomach irritation and bleeding. NSAIDs bring relief to millions of people with arthritis and back pain, but although many are available without a prescription, they are perhaps the drugs most likely to cause side effects, from harmless heartburn to life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding, which puts more than 40,000 Americans in the hospital each year.
(Harvard Men's Health Watch, January 1999)"

Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?

To your great health,
Charlie

PS For back and neck pain solutions with NO Drugs and NO Surgery - check out http://www.BackandNeckPainResources.com!