If you’re in pain, one of your immediate reactions may be to visit a doctor to get a prescription for painkillers, or perhaps even to self-medicate with over-the-counter pain medication. These drugs may be effective in dulling or relieving the pain, but it can potentially come with side effects, many of which have been well documented by scientists, doctors, and the media.
If you decide to take over-the-counter medication, one of the most common types is known as NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They are available without a prescription in many places, reduce pain, inflammation, and relieve headaches. However, this comes at a cost: regular and constant use is known to increase the risk of stroke and heart disease up to tenfold. It can also cause stomach ulcers and bleeding in the stomach lining with regular use.
Prescription painkillers also have their problems. We have all heard about the risk of addiction to prescription pain medications, especially with those that fall under a category known as opioids. Opioids are highly effective in relieving pain of all types of severity, but it comes at the cost of a high risk of addiction. You may have heard of drugs such as fentanyl, oxycodone, or hydrocodone, which are all opioids that are prescribed by doctors to relieve extreme pain but have also been known to cause deaths in the case of misuse. It goes without saying that abuse can be very likely, and its use must never be taken lightly.
While pain medication has its place in medicine and it has helped many people in relieving their pain, it’s always a good idea to try less risky solutions with far fewer side effects first. At Solstice Health, we try to relieve pain of all types with non-surgical methods such as regenerative medicine, which harnesses your own body’s healing powers to repair the root cause of your pain. We believe in finding non-invasive solutions to treat upper and lower back pain, neck pain, knee pain, herniated discs, shoulder pain, and much more besides.
Come see us at Solstice Health to see what pain relief method works best for you.