In a world of 24-hour pharmacies, easy to obtain prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine, it’s no surprise that
the vast majority of the populace have become pill poppers. This phrase may have negative connotations, but it’s
nevertheless true. For example, imagine you have a headache. What do you do about it? Put up and shut up, as the
saying goes, or reach for that cheap and cheerful over-the-counter box of painkillers?
The answer, for most, is that they reach for the pills. Nowadays, there are pills for everything – there are even
pills to counter-act the side effects of other pills. It’s so simple and easy; pop a couple of small tablets from a
foil blister pack, wash down with water, and voila! Everything is better. Or at least, that’s what the
pharmaceutical companies would have you believe.
However, no painkiller is without its problems. There is a tendency for people to assume that if they can buy
something without prescription it is relatively safe, but this is not the case. N-SAIDS, the primary drugs used for
relieving muscular pain, can cause stomach ulcers if taken too often. Pop something containing codeine if you have
a headache and you could find you feel worse than you did before, and probably lightheaded and dizzy, too. No drug,
no matter how safe the packaging and manufacturers make it out to be, is completely safe.
Those who have experienced the unpleasant side effects of supposedly harmless pain medication will soon begin to
seek other ways of banishing everyday pain problems. This often propels people into the hands of the so-called
herbal market, replacing chemical tablets with those associated with more natural remedies. Yet one has to wonder…
can they ever be as effective?