Introduction
Welcome to
my blog! In these next couple of months, I will be researching and learning
about pain and pain remedies. It has become so common to take a pill or two
at the slightest headache. We have numbed ourselves to the pain we could
otherwise suffer through. Although Advil and other light pain relievers work
well and within the hour, the side effects can be great on the kidneys,
stomach, and liver. I will explore lesser known and less common pain methods
that are comparable to well-known and proven westernized pain relievers,
particularly NSIADs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Drugs). I want to find
lesser known alternatives to NSAIDs and show that they are viable options worth
considering. My goal of this project is to, first, differentiate the types of
pain, identify different ways of treating the pains, then to analyze how they
work and their effectiveness. I hope to find the alternative treatments that
are viable and comparable to the traditional methods with fewer side effects.
There
are three main NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) that are widely available in stores without a
prescription. Each drug works similarly; each inhibits the Cox-1 and Cox-2
enzymes from producing the substrate, prostaglandin. Prostaglandins help induce
swelling which, to an extent, protects the injury. The reduction of
prostaglandins helps reduce swelling and, therefore reduces pain. Often herbal
homeopathic remedies are said to relieve pain. I have tried alternative
medicines like Arnica but found little relief from this particular treatment.
This was upsetting because I truly wanted to turn to a more natural treatment.
I was especially frustrated to read the back of the bottle. They seemed to
swear by the product and stand by its effectiveness, but as I started to
research through past studies, I found contradicting evidence. As I started my literature review, I
researched other herbal medicines that were said to relive pain as well, much
like Arnica. Devil’s Claw and willow bark could work as well as NSAIDs if
proven more thoroughly (see my literature review). Other methods like physical
therapy are intended to solve the underlying problem, and in turn, relieve
pain.
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BRAND NAME NSAID
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GENERIC NAME
|
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Advil, Motrin
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Ibuprofen
|
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Aleve
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naproxen sodium
|
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Ascriptin, Bayer, Ecotrin
|
Aspirin
|
During the course of this
project, I will work with several professionals that treat pain. Some of the
professionals that I will be working with do not necessarily treat pain in the
clinical sense, but I can build on to my project regarding pain while working
with each of the advisers. The pain I intend to focus on are all types of pain
that NSAIDs can help or relieve. There are so many different kinds of pain that
NSAIDs can treat from mild arthritis, and tendinitis, to head aches,
non-specific low back pain, and slight injuries. NSAIDs may treat pains, but
there are other options that might treat the pain like physical therapy,
acupuncture, or herbs. I plan to dabble in several different methods with
several different people, learning a variety of techniques. I fully intend to
investigate alternative methods that do help pain and the truths behind each.
I hope that
my work will raise awareness about alternative pain treatments.
Who are your external advisors? Could you tell us a bit about them and what you hope to learn from them in your next post?
ReplyDeleteWhat has made you interested in this project and why do you want to pursue it?
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I almost always had some kind of bruise or injury, and then the pain that came with it. Often the pain wasn’t that bad, so I was open to trying different alternatives that might not work. Some of the alternatives I tried didn’t seem to do much for me, so I got a little suspicious about what worked and what didn’t. I saw this SRP as a perfect opportunity to investigate deeper with the professionals and even research different alternative pain relievers I hadn’t considered before. I’m pretty sure I want to go into the medical field, so this project also became a plus because I can intern in many different practices, ruling out what I might be interested in for the future.
DeleteCool project! What is the difference between non-steroidal and steroidal drugs?
ReplyDeleteThank you! So both treat pain by reducing inflammation, but they have different mechanisms. Non-steroidal drugs are almost always non-prescription drugs that you can buy at drug stores or grocery stores next to the vitamins. They treat pain by reducing inflammation over the entire body reducing pain in general. NSAIDs can sometimes strip the lining in the stomach and will be prone to stomach bleeding in extreme cases. Steroidal drugs impact the ability of white blood cells to react, so, inflammation is partially inhibited. Because the immune system is compromised, you are more likely to get sick. However, this is ideal in conditions that the immune system is attacking its own body like rheumatoid arthritis. Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are often prescribed for long-term pain or pain caused from immune system problems, whereas non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are usually taken by the general public for minor or temporary pain relief.
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ReplyDeleteGood start, Jess! I look forward to hearing what you learn at PT this week.
ReplyDeleteGood start, Jess! I look forward to hearing what you learn at PT this week.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it is going to be a good project! Will you have a general way to measure the amount of pain you are looking at or trying to relieve?
ReplyDeleteThe problem with pain is that it is so subjective to the patient. So generally so far, I've been asking the patients to rate their pain on a scale from 1-10 right before, during, and after the treatment. If it is a treatment practice that takes weeks or months to see results, like prolotherapy (which I will expand upon later), I will ask how their pain has been on the same 10 point scale through out the weeks, months, or years of treatment.
DeleteThe problem with pain is that it is so subjective to the patient. So generally so far, I've been asking the patients to rate their pain on a scale from 1-10 right before, during, and after the treatment. If it is a treatment practice that takes weeks or months to see results, like prolotherapy (which I will expand upon later), I will ask how their pain has been on the same 10 point scale through out the weeks, months, or years of treatment.
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