Pain Facts

Pain is an unpleasant feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli, such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting alcohol on a cut, and bumping the "funny bone". The International Association for the Study of Pain's widely used definition...

In addition to drug therapy, several nondrug treatments can be helpful for chronic pain, including:
• Alternative remedies. Although doctors don’t know exactly how it works, there is good scientific evidence that acupuncture can offer significant relief from chronic pain. Other alternative remedies proven to work against pain include massage...

If you chew gum on a regular basis, please consider the following:
Chewing gum causes unnecessary wear and tear of the cartilage that acts as a shock absorber in your jaw joints. Once damaged, this area can produce pain and discomfort for a lifetime.
You use eight different facial muscles to chew. Unnecessary chewing can create chronic tightness in two of these muscles, located close to your temples. This can put pressure on the nerves that supply this area of your head, which can lead to chronic...

A wide variety of over-the-counter and prescription medicines have been shown to help ease chronic pain, including:
• Pain relievers. Many pain patients get some relief from common pain medicines such as acetaminophen, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and analgesics like aspirin, ibuprofen, ketoprofen, and naproxen. These drugs are considered safe...