No big deal, just bear it and it will pass. This phrase seems to be a common refrain.

Who doesn't have a little ailment or pain? Many times, the word "endure" is our panacea. In the era when most ordinary people made a living from the land, any discomfort or pain, as long as it could be endured, would not hinder earning money to support the family. Unless one is unable to even crawl and is truly "bedridden," it is then that a visit to the doctor is warranted.

Pain is actually a distress signal sent by the body!

Before the reform and opening up, the concept of "pain is also a disease" was quite unfamiliar to the general public. With the rapid economic growth and the improvement of people's living standards, public health awareness slowly awakened, and the study of pain gradually entered the public eye, and the importance of pain began to be recognized by people. By the 21st century, pain was finally officially recognized as a disease.

In the past, people would only "reluctantly" see a doctor when the pain was unbearable; now, more and more people are taking the initiative to seek medical help. Our research on painful diseases is becoming more in-depth, and we have also understood the importance of prevention. We have learned to prevent problems before they occur, striving to achieve early detection and treatment, which plays an immeasurable role in the prevention and treatment of diseases.

One can endure hardship, but not pain!

Even so, there are still many people in reality who prefer to endure pain. They stubbornly believe that the longer they endure pain, the more accustomed they become to it...

This idea is utterly wrong. The result of enduring pain may be that it "damages the brain." If a person endures pain for a long time, their tolerance to pain will decrease, simple pain will become complex, and treatable pain will become difficult to treat.

We often encounter patients who jump in pain from a slight touch, which is peripheral sensitization (primary hyperalgesia), and can be vividly described as "making a mountain out of a molehill." This is the change in the nervous system after long-term pain endurance, turning simple pain into a neurological disorder.

There is also a kind of "out of nothing" pain called hyperalgesia. The human body has an anti-pain system, and the longer one endures pain, the lower the threshold of the anti-pain system. With a lower threshold, people's perception of pain will become increasingly strong. If it reaches the point of central sensitization (secondary hyperalgesia), the pain threshold approaches "0." Even normal sensations are perceived as pain by the patient, which is quite troublesome.

The body is broken, and the "brain is also out of order."

Enduring pain is an act that is harmful with no benefits. If you are in pain, you must speak out loudly, "if it hurts, go and get it treated"! Over time, most patients are accompanied by anxiety and depression.

A normal person with pain in a part of the body will not have a problem within two or three days, but if it lasts for two or three months, or if the degree of pain is always very severe, a person's mental state will change, directly or indirectly causing changes in the body's various systems and functions.

For example, if one cannot sleep well due to pain, anxiety will appear over time, gradually turning into depression, and people will feel that life has lost its meaning.

Some patients become disabled due to pain (painful disability). Their physical functions are not a problem, but they are so painful that they cannot move, reduced activity leads to a decline in cardiopulmonary function; loss of appetite leads to a decline in gastrointestinal function; insufficient nutrition lowers immune function. In the end, the whole body is dragged down, coupled with anxiety and depression, some patients even commit suicide due to pain.

There was a typical case of an old man who was diagnosed with lung cancer. The surgery was very successful, but he later experienced severe pain. He went to the hospital for a re-examination and no cancer recurrence was found. His family did not understand this, feeling that he was "making a fuss" by always complaining about pain when he was clearly not sick. After he could no longer bear it, the old man attempted suicide by jumping from a building, but fortunately, he was successfully rescued. Later, he was sent to the pain department, and we treated his cancer pain. Coming to the right department and receiving the correct treatment, pain is no longer a problem. Now, the old man exercises every morning, is very optimistic, and has a high quality of life.

Among countless painful conditions, the most painful is cancer pain.

Cancer pain is not intermittent, but predictably increasing. Recent research has found that if one fights cancer without fighting pain, the quality of life of patients is very poor. Fighting cancer and fighting pain not only increases the survival period but also the prognosis is much better. Fighting pain is an important part of fighting cancer. Under the premise of not being able to treat or control, eliminating pain is the greatest care for patients.

Young people who often look down are the reserve army.

When it comes to pain, it is often associated with the elderly, but with the acceleration of life rhythm and the influence of poor living habits, people in their forties and fifties often show serious signs of aging, with arm and leg pain appearing at an increasingly early age. Now, the youngest patient with a herniated disc is only 14 years old.

The incidence of painful diseases among young people is also increasing. The development of the IT industry and smartphones has turned many people into "phubbers." Inappropriate postures while working at a desk or playing games have led to many young people suffering from cervical spondylosis, headaches, and muscle pain; increased work and life pressures have led to more and more young people beginning to have painful symptoms, such as neuralgia.

Painkillers should not be taken casually.

Patients usually have two attitudes towards pain, either neglecting it or taking various painkillers indiscriminately, "becoming their own doctor" by prescribing for themselves.

Self-medication can only be used as a temporary emergency measure, and seeking medical attention in a timely manner is of utmost importance. Even over-the-counter pain relievers have toxic side effects. Moreover, a headache could be a cerebral hemorrhage, and upper abdominal pain could be angina, so do not ignore the warning signs of pain. Pain specialists will make a diagnosis and treatment based on the specific situation.

For fever and pain relief, aspirin is still the best choice.

In terms of fever and pain relief, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug aspirin is a classic medication. Aspirin in large doses can effectively alleviate pain and fever.

Aspirin's mechanism for fever and pain relief is by affecting the temperature regulation center, restoring the body's temperature set point to normal, while also relieving the accompanying pain and discomfort. Aspirin inhibits cyclooxygenase, reducing the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), thereby lowering the body's temperature set point during fever and achieving the effect of fever and pain relief.

At the same time, aspirin is also the recommended medication for fever and pain relief in many domestic and foreign guidelines:

Scientific understanding of pain

Painful diseases are mostly back pain and leg pain. It is essential to develop good habits in life, and strengthening exercise is the best prevention method. Exercise can enhance physical fitness and train muscle flexibility, thus playing a role in protecting the cervical and lumbar spine.

As an emerging discipline, the field of pain medicine still needs to draw knowledge from other disciplines and vigorously promote the correct concept of pain. The International Association for the Study of Pain has recognized pain as the "fifth vital sign of human beings," following respiration, pulse, body temperature, and blood pressure. The International Association for the Study of Pain has designated the third Monday of October each year as "World Pain Day," setting a theme each year to attract global public attention through media reports, calling on governments, businesses, and society to pay attention to "pain." China has designated the week starting with Pain Day (the third week of October each year) as "Chinese Pain Week."

In the face of pain, people's joys and sorrows do not communicate with each other. According to statistics from the International Association for the Study of Pain, one-fifth of the world's population has experienced chronic pain; in China, more than 300 million people are suffering from the troubles of chronic pain.

Look at pain from a scientific perspective, no longer endure blindly, and when encountering pain problems, seek medical treatment and medication in a timely manner. We can endure hardship, but we don't have to, and we can't always rely on endurance for pain!