Consumers rediscover topical pain relief
Issue date: 10/5/08 Section: FYI
(ARA) - Pain is pervasive in America, and it's not just the kind caused by rising gas and grocery prices or the current mortgage crisis. Some 50 million Americans live with chronic pain linked to disease, while another 25 million experience periodic pain caused by injury or surgery, according to a national pain survey by Ortho-McNeil.
Yet recent headlines about harmful side effects of some popular prescription pain medications have many people thinking twice before swallowing a pill for their pain. Consumers are rediscovering the benefits of topical pain relief.
"The concept of topical pain relief predates the advent of aspirin and other oral pain relievers by thousands of years," says Phil Mattison, president and founder of Core Products, makers of Ibunex, a topical cream designed for muscles and joints. "Ancient peoples around the world used combinations of herbs to create poultices and balms intended to relieve pain."
While oral medications can be a boon to many dealing with pain, for others there are distinct advantages to topical pain relief. Benefits of topical pain relief include:
1. Topical pain relievers bypass the digestive system so there is little or no risk of side effects that can potentially damage internal organs like the stomach, liver or even heart.
2. Topicals do not carry the risk of addiction associated with some prescription oral pain relievers.
3. Topicals are applied directly to the painful location, meaning effects are faster and less concentration is needed to achieve pain relief.
4. Because less gets into the blood stream, topical pain relievers pose little risk of interacting with other oral medications you may be taking.
5. Some people find them easier to use than oral medications. Seniors or others with dexterity challenges may find it easier to apply a topical treatment than to open a pill bottle. Topical pain relievers also don't require you to remember to take them at a specific time or in a prescribed interval.
Yet recent headlines about harmful side effects of some popular prescription pain medications have many people thinking twice before swallowing a pill for their pain. Consumers are rediscovering the benefits of topical pain relief.
"The concept of topical pain relief predates the advent of aspirin and other oral pain relievers by thousands of years," says Phil Mattison, president and founder of Core Products, makers of Ibunex, a topical cream designed for muscles and joints. "Ancient peoples around the world used combinations of herbs to create poultices and balms intended to relieve pain."
While oral medications can be a boon to many dealing with pain, for others there are distinct advantages to topical pain relief. Benefits of topical pain relief include:
1. Topical pain relievers bypass the digestive system so there is little or no risk of side effects that can potentially damage internal organs like the stomach, liver or even heart.
2. Topicals do not carry the risk of addiction associated with some prescription oral pain relievers.
3. Topicals are applied directly to the painful location, meaning effects are faster and less concentration is needed to achieve pain relief.
4. Because less gets into the blood stream, topical pain relievers pose little risk of interacting with other oral medications you may be taking.
5. Some people find them easier to use than oral medications. Seniors or others with dexterity challenges may find it easier to apply a topical treatment than to open a pill bottle. Topical pain relievers also don't require you to remember to take them at a specific time or in a prescribed interval.
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