Some OTC Pain Meds Linked to Heart Disease

Posted on June 25, 2013 by admin

Most of us pop an OTC pain reliever from time to time for a rough headache, cramps, or sore muscles—and think nothing of it. But regularly taking high doses of NSAIDs, or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, can pose serious health risks, according to a recent large international study published in the journal The Lancet.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 600 trials. They found that people who take high, daily doses of NSAIDs—such as ibuprofen (like Motrin and Advil)—have a higher chance of heart attack or death from heart disease. The only NSAID that didn’t seem to increase patients’ heart-related health risks were naproxens (like Aleve). However, naproxens and the other NSAIDs were associated with an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal complications, such as bleeding from ulcers.

Many of the people who take these very high doses on a daily basis are treating rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis, says Marie R. Griffin, MD, MPH, a professor of preventive medicine and medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, who wrote a commentary on the study, which was also published in The Lancet. If you take a standard dose of ibuprofen once or twice a month during your period or the day after a crazy-challenging cycling class, you should be fine: For young, healthy people, taking an OTC NSAID as recommended on the bottle for a short period of time is probably safe, she says.

If, however, you find you’re taking them on the regular, you should talk to your doctor about whether this is a good idea—or you’d be better off treating your pain in some other way. “They’re really adjuncts for pain, and most people don’t need to be on these drugs every day,” says Griffin.

photo: BW Folsom/Shutterstock

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Some Birth Control Linked to Pain During Sex

Posted on May 16, 2013 by admin

Birth control pills come with a whole lot of perks. But, as with any medication, women on the pill may also experience some side effects, including this potential one: Low-dose birth control pills may put you at higher risk for both chronic pelvic pain syndrome and pain during sex, according to new research presented last week at the American Urological Association’s annual meeting.

Lead author Nirit Rosenblum, MD, an assistant professor in the urology department at New York University Langone Medical Center, noticed a number of young women coming into her practice over the years who complained of varying pelvic pain symptoms—vaginal pain, pain in the lower part of the abdomen, “anything sort of below the belly button,” says Rosenblum. The common thread with these patients: Many of them were on low-dose birth control pills.

So Rosenblum and her colleagues set up an anonymous survey of more than 900 women ages 18 to 39 to investigate. The women on the low-dose pills were significantly more likely to fit the criteria for chronic pelvic pain syndrome than the women who weren’t on birth control pills or even those who were on normal-dose pills. And they were also much more likely to report pain during or after orgasm than either of the other two groups.

This survey only showed a link between the low-dose pills and pelvic pain, not causation. But if the low-dose pills are behind the pain, Rosenblum says it might be because of a dose-dependent mechanism: Women on low-dose pills have especially low levels of estrogen (women on normal-dose pills also have lower estrogen levels than those not on the Pill, but not quite as low as women on low-dose pills), so those low estrogen levels might somehow be coming into play here. The bottom line: More research needs to be done to understand why this higher incidence of pelvic pain may be happening, says Rosenblum.

If you’re currently on a low-dose pill and experiencing these symptoms, Rosenblum says the first thing you need to do is talk to your doctor, who will work with you to rule out other explanations for the discomfort. If the signs are pointing toward your pill, alternative options include going off of it, trying a higher-dose pill, or switching to a different birth control method.

Rosenblum says she doesn’t think these pelvic pain symptoms are dangerous, but that it’s important for patients to be aware of the link. “When you’re given any medication, you have to understand the potential side effects so that you can be a self advocate,” says Rosenblum. “You have to decide if the benefit of taking the medication is worth either the risk involved or the potential side effects, which may not be risky, but can affect quality of life.”

photo: Wavebreak Media/Thinkstock

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One in Three Women Experience Breast Pain During Exercise

Posted on May 1, 2013 by admin

If your breasts could talk, they’d probably tell you that they’re not thrilled when they see you lacing up your running shoes. In fact, breast pain is an issue for almost one in three marathon runners, according to a new study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. And the bigger your cup size, the more likely you are to be plagued with boob pain.

Researchers surveyed 1,285 female runners at the 2012 London Marathon Registration. The survey asked women about their exercise habits and workout intensity, as well as their medical history and how often they experienced breast pain. They found that 32 percent of women reported breast pain, but that number was strongly linked to the size of a woman’s bust. Pain was a problem for one in four women with A cups, but it was an issue for half of all women with a cup size of F or larger.

The big bummer: Working out is often to blame. Half of the women with breast pain said it was brought on by moderate exercise, and 64 percent said their girls hurt during vigorous exercise. Since nine out of 10 runners reported wearing sports bras while training, it’s not a total lack of support that’s the problem. According to experts, the real issue is that women aren’t getting the right support.

“Just because women are wearing sports bras doesn’t mean they’re wearing an appropriately fitting, supportive sports bra,” says lead study author Nicola Brown, PhD, lecturer in health and exercise at St. Mary’s University College in Twickenham, London.

To keep your breasts happy and healthy, try these expert-approved tips:

Get proper support all day—not just at the gym
While you don’t need to don a sports bra to run errands, you should still make sure your everyday bras give you the appropriate amount of support. “A lot of women probably don’t realize how active they are during their normal daily routine,” says study coauthor Joanna Scurr, PhD, head of the Research Group in Breast Health at the University of Portsmouth in London. “All types of activity can cause considerable breast movement, and ultimately our research has shown it’s the movement of the breast that can lead to pain.” Head to a department store or lingerie shop and meet with a bra-fitting specialist to find the right style and size for your bust.

Make sure your bra meets these expert standards
Pay attention to these five crucial bra-fitting points from the Research Group in Breast Health. They apply to both your sports bras and your everyday options:
• Band: It should be snug enough so it doesn’t slide around when you move but not so tight that it digs in or feels uncomfortable.
• Cup: If it has individual cups, your breasts should be contained in them, not spilling out in any direction. If the cups are puckering, you may need to go down a cup size.
• Underwire: If it has underwire, it should follow the natural crease of the breast rather than resting on it or digging in. If the underwire is resting farther down on your ribcage (where you’re a little narrower) the band might be too small.
• Front: The lower edge of your bra between the cups should lay flat against the body and not gape away from your chest. If the front is not laying flat, you may need to go up a cup size.
• Straps: They should provide support without digging into the skin. Your main support should come from a snug band, not super-tight straps.

Take your bra for a test drive
Once you’ve found a sports bra that seems to keep everything in place, make sure to test the support before you buy it. You could run laps around the store—or you could try this much subtler trick from Scurr: Do a few star jumps in the dressing room. Start with your feet together and your body squatted down with your hands on the floor. Then jump up while spreading you arms and legs out, like a star. This causes the same breast movement that occurs during running, says Scurr, so it’s an accurate way to gauge the fit. Another tip: Stretch your arms above your head and from side to side. “Your band should stay where it is when you put your arms up,” says Scurr.

Watch what you eat and drink
Some research has shown that a high-fat diet or excessive caffeine intake may contribute to breast pain in some people, says Dixie Mills, MD, breast surgeon at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates. So if you’re feeling particularly sore, try cutting back on these to see if it makes a difference. Some experts also advise an anti-inflammatory diet—think tons of fresh fruits and veggies and limiting processed foods—to minimize pain from inflammation, says Mills. The bottom line: A healthier diet may help buffer against the breast tenderness, so eat clean if you’re experiencing soreness. And if you know you’re prone to pain around your period, take an over-the-counter pain reliever before a big workout, says Mills.

Keep exercising
It may sound counterintuitive since workouts can be the cause of discomfort, but staying fit can protect against breast pain in the long run. The study authors are currently working on two new studies that show an association between higher activity levels and lower levels of breast pain. So amp up your fitness routine to reap the benefits—just make sure you’re wearing a super-supportive bra first.

Need a few options? Check out our top picks for your girls from the Women’s Health 2013 Fitness Awards:

Moving Comfort Juno Bra, $ 56, movingcomfort.com

This super-supportive pick goes up to size 40DD and is great for high impact exercise. Plus, there’s a hook-and-clasp closure in the back to ensure a perfect fit.

CW-X VersatX Supprot Bra, $ 65, paragonsports.com
This sports bra packs a hidden punch with interior webbing within each cup to cut down on bounce. And with no underwire or compression, it’s a comfy yet supportive fit.

Champion Seamless Dazzle Sports Bra, $ 36, champion.com
The contoured cups in this no-fuss pick give the perfect amount of support for lower-impact exercise—like jogging.

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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Got Back Pain? Check Your Posture

Posted on April 30, 2013 by admin

Your job shouldn’t be a pain in the neck—at least not literally. Yet two out of three office workers have felt physical pain in the last six months, according to a new survey released by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA).

The survey compiled responses from about 1,000 office workers ages 18 and older across the U.S. The results also showed that in the past 30 days, 62 percent of respondents had felt pain in their lower backs, 53 percent in their necks, 38 percent in their shoulders, 33 percent in their wrists, and 31 percent in their upper backs.

So what’s causing all of that discomfort? Nearly a quarter of the surveyed workers think their physical pain is just a regular part of working an office job. People do spend a whole lot of time slouching over a keyboard, causing muscle fatigue from postural stress, says Lisa DeStefano, a doctor of osteopathic medicine and a spokesperson for the AOA. Here’s the thing, though: You job shouldn’t be causing you physical pain.

If you’re on your bum for a large portion of the workday, it’s important to give your body a break by standing up, says DeStefano. When you do, you’ll work different muscles and get your blood moving up and out of your lower extremities. DeStefano suggests pausing to stretch (or chat with a coworker) every 30 minutes to an hour.

And when you are sitting, make sure to park yourself at your desk the proper way:

photo: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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The Easy Solution for Lower Back Pain

Posted on March 11, 2013 by admin

Pain in the back can be a real pain in the you-know-what. If you’re looking for relief, take note: Walking is just as effective at easing lower back pain as muscle-strengthening exercises, according to a new study out of Tel Aviv University in Israel.

For the study, researchers put 52 patients with chronic lower back pain on an exercise regime—half on a strength-training program, and the other half on a walking program. None of the participants had been physically active on a regular basis before beginning their respective routines. Both groups trained two to three times per week. The walkers began with 20-minute treadmill sessions (a five-minute warm-up, followed by 10 minutes of faster walking, capped off with a five-minute cool-down) and eventually built up to 40-minute sessions. At the end of six weeks, both groups showed a significant reduction in back pain, as well as improvements in walking speed and back and abdominal muscle endurance.

While walking doesn’t target specific muscles the way strengthening moves do, it still helps build muscle tissue, says Nick Shamie, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon at the UCLA Spine Center and a spokesperson for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, who was not involved in the study. That may be why participants in both test groups saw similar results. Plus, Shamie says, it’s one of the safest forms of aerobic activity, but it still gets your blood flowing and endorphins pumping. “I think walking is a great form of exercise, and it’s underrated,” he says.

Up to 80 percent of Americans will have back pain at some point in their lives. If you’re suffering, see your doctor to find out if walking could help alleviate the problem.

In the meantime, check out these other backache remedies:

Yoga workouts to relieve back pain

Back pain exercises to stabilize the sacrum

The yoga workout that soothed Adam Levine’s back

More tips for staying back-pain-free

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9 Natural Pain Relievers

Posted on December 7, 2012 by admin

Here’s an excuse to stay in bed this weekend with zero guilt: Logging extra hours of sleep can reduce pain sensitivity and increase daytime alertness, according to a new study soon to be published in the journal SLEEP.

The small study included 18 healthy—but mildly sleepy—adults between the ages of 21-35. Their level of sleepiness and pain sensitivity (how quickly they moved their fingers off a hot source) were measured before and after the study. Half the participants stayed in bed for 10 hours per night for four nights, while the other half continued their normal sleep habits. Not surprisingly, the group who stayed in bed longer slept an average of 1.8 hours more than the other group, which led to increased alertness. But the group who slept in also showed a 25% decrease in pain sensitivity by the fourth day!

How does it work? Researchers say it may simply be that we feel more pain when we’re exhausted. “We’ve seen that when you take healthy people and you deprive them of sleep, you increase the amount of pain receptors in the blood system,” says lead study author Timothy Roehrs, Ph.D., Director of Research at the Sleep Disorders and Research Center of Henry Ford Health System. “This suggests that extra sleep potentially has an analgesic effect, particularly if you can do it in anticipation of the pain,” says Roehrs. Essentially, being well rested reduces that sensitivity.

So the next time you’re training for a marathon—or just planning for a week of awful cramps—sleep in for a few days. Here, 8 more ways to reduce pain without meds:

Get a massage
Treat sore muscles or back pain with a trip to the spa. A once-a-week massage treatment was found to be more effective at treating pain than regular medication, according to a 2011 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Stay hydrated
When your head is pounding, reach for water. Often headaches are brought on by dehydration, says functional medicine specialist Michael Sharp, M.D. You may just need to gulp down a glass or two of water to fight off the throbbing (especially if it’s post-hangover pain).

Do a little yoga
“Many people are in pain because their muscles are tight and contracted,” says Sharp. “So one of the most successful strategies is stretching.” Sometimes it takes heat to relax the muscles, he says, so hopping in a hot shower or bath before you get your om on can be even more effective.

Distract yourself
Focusing your attention on a difficult task—like reciting the ABCs backwards—can actually inhibit pain signals to the brain, according to a recent study published in the journal Current Biology. So the next time you’re getting a flu shot, try doing long division in your head for instant relief.

Add ginger to your meals
“The spice has been found to help with menstrual cramps,” says Sharp. In fact, it’s as effective as an OTC pain reliever, according to a 2009 study in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Mix it into your meals or add it to hot tea to fight PMS pain.

Focus on your breathing
Meditation can help relieve belly pain associated with irritable bowel syndrome, says Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine Program at the Mayo Clinic. “Take a few moments to bring your breathing rate down to six breaths per minute,” he says. “That helps your body produce a relaxation response, your blood pressure comes down, and many people find their pain levels to be much more manageable.”

Turn up your iPod
Listening to your favorite tunes can actually reduce your pain, especially if you’re particularly anxious about it, according to a recent study published in The Journal of Pain. Freaking out while getting your blood drawn? Pop in your headphones and crank up the Katy Perry, stat.

Try acupressure
Think of it as the less terrifying (and zero needles) approach to acupuncture. “In the last 10 years, a lot of people have been turning to acupressure,” says Bauer. “And many studies show that it’s nearly as effective as acupuncture.” Try one of the most basic pain-relieving moves by squeezing the fleshy area between your thumb and forefinger for one minute. Or learn how to press away period pain here.

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Got Knee Pain? Blame Your Cycle

Posted on October 19, 2012 by admin

Aching knees? Don’t blame the weather–check your cycle instead. The muscles in your knees work differently at different points in your menstrual cycle, according to a study presented at the Integrative Biology of Exercise Conference. This changing muscle function destabilizes your joints and can set you up for serious pain.

Since women tend to suffer more ACL tears and generalized knee pain than men, researchers have long wondered if part of the reason has to do with hormonal changes from the menstrual cycle. “We know that progesterone and estrogen affect how the nervous system functions, so we theorized that the menstrual cycle might be affecting how women use their muscles,” says study author Matthew Tenan, certified athletic trainer and doctorate candidate.

Tenan and his research team at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill tracked the menstrual cycles of seven female volunteers with natural cycles (no hormonal contraception was used). Then they measured the activity of muscles in their knees during a knee extension exercise. They found that the firing rates of the muscle fibers were significantly higher later in the women’s cycles, about a week before their next period, compared to earlier in the menstrual cycle.

Blame it on hormones and the brain: “The way the brain activates the neurons that cause the muscle to move are altered specifically at the latter part of the cycle right before start of next period, when the progesterone is decreasing and estrogen levels are maintained,” says Tenan.

But don’t let the stages of your cycle influence your gym patterns, at least not yet.

“We can’t say for sure that there is the time in a woman’s cycle that she’s more likely to be injured, but the fact that the patterns of muscle firings change through the cycle could mean that there is less stability in the joint due to the muscles being activated in a different way,” says Tenan.

Understanding how the menstrual cycle influences women’s muscles can help trainers better treat knee pain in their patients in the future. “Some say women have more knee pain because they have wider hips,” says Tenan “But you can’t change the width of someone’s hips. Our findings are good news because people change their hormones all the time.”

Your knees aren’t the only body part affected by your period. Learn when your female hormones can help (and hurt!) you at the gym, so you know when you push harder, and when you can back off without guilt.

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Got Period Pain? Put a Pin In It

Posted on October 3, 2012 by admin

A new review of 25 studies—and more than 3,000 women—published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine has found that acupoint stimulation provides short-term relief of excessive menstrual pain, also known as dysmenorrhea. (Is your period normal? Find out here.)

How It Works
Acupoint therapy, which has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine, posits that qi, or life force, flows through the body’s meridians, or channels, and is intrinsically tied to health. Several hundred acupuncture points are believed to be located along these meridians, and can be manipulated through acupoint stimulation to help qi flow correctly. “If qi is stuck, or not moving, you can experience pain anywhere. Women can then easily have pain during their period,” says Laurie Steelsmith, ND, LAc, a naturopathic physician, licensed acupuncturist, and author of the bestselling Natural Choices for Women’s Health: How the Secrets of Natural and Chinese Medicine Can Create a Lifetime of Wellness.

Acupuncture’s use for certain conditions has been endorsed by the United States National Institutes of Health, the World Health Organization, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

In the case of relieving menstrual discomfort, acupoint stimulation increases blood flow to the uterus, which can relax the muscles similarly to a hot pad and reduce uterine contractions (aka cramps), says Lisa M. Bartoli, D.O., Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Beth Israel Medical Center’s Continuum Center for Health and Healing. It also increases endorphin release to minimize pain and improve PMS symptoms including irritability and mood swings, she says.

Perhaps, most importantly, acupoint therapy balances out the brain’s hormone-regulator, the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, according to Bartoli. By regulating hormones, much like oral contraceptives, it can relieve symptoms ranging from pain to mood. “It’s using the body’s own energy to naturally play with hormones and rebalance the system,” says Bartoli, who often helps athletes kick their cramps on game day. “I’m always amazed how quickly acupuncture works,” she says.

The most common acupoint treatment in the U.S. is acupuncture, in which fine needles are inserted into acupuncture points and left there for 20-30 minutes while the patient lies still. How deep the needles are inserted varies from just beyond the superficial layers of the skin to 1-3 inches, depending on which qi channels are being treated. When performed by a skilled and trained acupuncturist, treatment is relatively painless, says
Steelsmith.

If regular acupuncture doesn’t relieve your pain, the acupuncturist can take things to the next level with electroacupuncture, in which he or she also runs electrical currents through the acupuncture needles. However, the acupuncturist will only do so if the qi will not resume its flow without stronger stimulation, according to Steelsmith. “We meet the energy of the condition with the energy of treatment,” she says.

Skeptical? We were too. So I booked an acupuncture appointment during my time of the month. And while staying still was difficult for this multitasker (it hurts when you move a muscle that has a pin stuck in it!), I did leave feeling like… myself. No cramps, no backache, no moodswings.

The Needle-Free Way to Try Acupoint Therapy
But you don’t have to make your peace with needles to reap the PMS-busting benefits, says Steelsmith. Acupressure, in which you press onto different points along your body’s meridians, can also help to get your qi flowing.

Here, two tried-and-true at-home acupressure exercises to relieve your worst PMS symptoms, such as cramps, breast pain, nausea, and diarrhea:

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The OTC Pain Reliever That Causes Hearing Loss

Posted on September 18, 2012 by admin

File under depressing but true: As you we age, many of us will likely experience at least some level of irreversible hearing loss. And short of keeping the volume on your iPod turned down and avoiding earwax buildup, most experts agreed that there’s not much we can do about it—until now. Turns out, steering clear of certain over-the-counter pain medications could make a difference to the health of your ears.

Say what? Strange as it might sound, pain relievers like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are associated with an increased risk of hearing loss in women, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Advanced Epidemiology. Researchers followed over 60,000 women for fourteen years and tracked the frequency of their pain reliever use along with self-reported hearing loss.

The results were dramatic: Nearly a quarter of women who took ibuprofen six or more days a week reported decreases in hearing. And women who only took ibuprofen two or three days a week were 13% more likely to experience hearing loss. Acetaminophen users fared better, but only slightly: 21% of women who took acetaminophen six or more days a week experienced loss, along with 11% of women who took the painkiller a few days a week.

How Pain Relievers Lead to Hearing Loss
Previous research has already demonstrated a link between pain relief medications and hearing loss in men, so researchers weren’t surprised to find that the same goes for women. “NSAID pain relievers like ibuprofen can reduce blood flow to the cochlea [the part of the inner ear that helps you hear], which could impair its function,” says lead study author Sharon G. Curhan, MD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital Channing Division of Network Medicine. Acetaminophen could also deplete structures in the ear that protect the cochlea, Curhan says. (What? You are experiencing symptoms of hearing loss? Learn how you can improve your senses.)

Does that mean you’re doomed to endure a life filled with headaches and sore muscles? Not necessarily. Hearing loss wasn’t associated with use of other NSAIDS like naproxen, or with aspirin use, though researchers aren’t exactly sure why. And they aren’t ready to recommend that women swear off taking ibuprofen and acetaminophen completely. “We want people to know that these are medications with potential side effects,” says Curhan. “If you need to take them regularly, consult with a health care professional to discuss the risks and benefits,” she says.

Still wary? Check out Natural Alternatives To The Top 10 Most Prescribed Drugs.

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Tag Archives: Pain

Some OTC Pain Meds Linked to Heart Disease

Some Birth Control Linked to Pain During Sex

One in Three Women Experience Breast Pain During Exercise

Got Back Pain? Check Your Posture

The Easy Solution for Lower Back Pain

9 Natural Pain Relievers

Got Knee Pain? Blame Your Cycle

Got Period Pain? Put a Pin In It

The OTC Pain Reliever That Causes Hearing Loss