Why is an over-reliance on pain killing drugs?

Question

sometimes seen as undermining the approach to pain management as advocated by holistic medical practitioner

Answer 1

Depends on the pain? You have physical, emotional and psychological pain. That means someone who wakes up in the morning with a pain in their back might say 'Oh I have a pain in my back, so what, lets get to work' while others will say 'Oh I have a pain in my back, will be better in a few hours, so I will have a nice hot shower, then go to work'. Or 'OMG I have back pain' and fall back into bed, expecting the worse case scenario and cannot go to work. We are not clones, so how we react to pain is different.

Likewise those who go to the Doctor end up with a prescription and expect to pop the pill and be cured. After they finish the prescribed course the pain returns and now because the drug has 'masked' the pain, allowing them to continue on with life, might also be damaging themselves further, the pain is now double what it was before.

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis for which their is NO CURE! I have had to accept that fact since I was 33 years of age and manage the best way I know how. So part of my everyday life is drugs, part is positive thinking, part is a well balanced diet and part is exercise. Combine them and I am still here and by all account look extremly well! Drugs are just one side of a very complicated square, but as we are indivudals, we have to figure out what works best for us and that take a lot of time, which we refuse to invest. I think it only took me five years to accept the fact I have Arthritis, followed by another five years of trying to figure out how I was going to cope with it. Rather than allowing the Medical Profession dictate what I should take, or allow the Arthritis to dictate my life. Best of Luck

Answer 2

They have to be treated the same way all the time or it won't work, like a trained response, they need the meds for that reassurance that healing is occuring.

They are also used for reasons other than pain relief, and it's cheaper and legal.

Answer 3

People like easy answers and popping pills that make you feel better with no effort is easier than actually trying to fix your problem.