"There are alternatives to painkillers"

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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The quick reach for the pain pill takes revenge in the long run. Pain specialist Dr. Linda Tan explains how there are other ways to keep the commotion at bay.

Dr. med. Linda Tan

Dr. med. Linda Tan heads the Center for Naturopathy and Pain Therapy in Düsseldorf. One focus of her work is the combination of proven conventional medicine and methods from European and Chinese naturopathy.

Miss Dr. Tan *, whoever has a headache, tends to simply swallow a tablet. But that's not a good strategy in the long term.

No, because those who take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen too often get a headache all the more. Doctors call this “drug-induced headache”. Basically, one should not take such painkillers for more than 15 days a month, and certain migraine medications, the so-called triptans, only for a maximum of ten days.

Painkillers That Cause Pain - How Can That Be?

It is believed that the medication increases the sensitivity to pain processing in the brain. Then even the smallest tension is perceived as pain.

Because the brain is constantly being dampened, does it turn up the regulator?

Exactly. When that happens, you have to go through a real drug withdrawal - sometimes that is only possible in the hospital.

Apart from this mechanism, pain pills are also unhealthy in the long run.

That's right, anti-inflammatory drugs attack the lining of the stomach and can cause inflammation and even bleeding there. It is also problematic if you take other medication at the same time, for example antihypertensive drugs. They then no longer work optimally. Anyone who swallows large amounts of painkillers for many years also ruins their liver and kidneys - I have patients who ended up on dialysis, and only because of their headache pills. These are of course extreme examples. However, many notice early enough that this is not good for them - and look for alternatives. > Fortunately, there are.

What other options are there to get rid of the pain - or better yet, not to let it arise in the first place?

Amitriptyline, which is actually an antidepressant, can be used preventively for tension headaches. However, this does not mean that the patients have a psychological problem. The drugs increase the level of the happiness hormone serotonin. It has been found that this significantly reduces the sensitivity to headache triggers. Amitriptyline is used in much lower doses for headaches than for the treatment of depression.

What if I don't want to take any medication at all?

Headaches can also be prevented well with certain dietary supplements. For example, vitamin B2, also called riboflavin, which is important for nerve metabolism. 400 milligrams per day can prevent both tension headaches and migraines very well. What the body cannot use is excreted in the urine. So you can practically not go wrong.

What about magnesium?

This can at least prevent tension headaches. It is assumed that magnesium relaxes the muscles - and in many cases it is tension that provokes the headache.

Peppermint oil is an old home remedy for headaches - is there anything to it?

Peppermint oil actually works very well. If you rub it on your forehead or temples as soon as the headache starts, it can work just as well as a painkiller.

What else can you do preventively?

Exercise keeps headaches at bay - it loosens muscles and reduces stress. Two to three times a week Nordic walking, cycling or just fast walking bring a lot. You should work up a sweat, but only try hard enough to be able to talk. It is equally important for headache sufferers to learn a relaxation technique such as autogenic training or progressive muscle relaxation.

Is it possible to get rid of headaches or migraines in this way?

Probably not. Everyone has their weak point. Some get back pain when they are overworked, others maybe bowel problems. And some react with headaches in stressful situations. The frequency of attacks and their severity can, however, be reduced significantly - you just have to set off.

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