Did you know that headaches are simply a fact of life? In some ways, they are a natural response by the body to alert us to a possible imbalance - such as having too little water in the system? Additionally, they could be most serious, and hence be the indicator of a dangerous underlying health issue screaming to be addressed.
Regardless of what the cause of aches and pains in the head actually is, the fact of the matter is that everyone on earth will experience a headache at some point in time.
The commonality of this occurrence is what makes it somewhat difficult to interpret. Most people (and rightly so) would not turn up to their doctor complaining of just a headache. We have developed our society to understand that headaches are simply pesky things which can be treated instantaneously with a few drugs when necessary. Of course, it probably isn't necessary to visit your doctor for a headache - but this is certainly not an ultimatum.
Did you know that over 90% of people across the world have taken a painkiller of some type in their lives? Yes, this includes people residing in undeveloped countries where pain medication is, on the whole, unavailable. If we break that down to count westernized countries only - you could expect over 98 percent of people to have taken a painkiller at some time.
This is a staggering amount. Even though painkillers are relatively safe, there are a number of studies pointing to the dangers of long term usage. This, as well as the potential to overdose on highly potent chemicals, makes pharmaceutical options more dangerous than the alternatives.
What is even more interesting in this matter, is the number of people who claim that painkillers actually work. Of the 78% of people who have taken a painkiller in the past month, just 40% said that they actually felt a relief from the pain they were suffering.
Compare the statistics above with these ones:
1. 6% of people use a natural substance to treat or prevent headaches.
2. Of these people, 89% of respondents said they noticed a difference, and were relieved from their pain.
A coincidence? Not at all. Perhaps you should consider these facts and figures carefully - and put them to good use.
© Headache Medication - 2009.