When most people get a headache they reach for the aspirin. Stomachache, ibuprofen. Every other pain has another special pain killer to relive it. People are taking pain killers all the time and few know about the problems that can arise from them.

Anesthetic has a very important medicinal use. If you are getting surgery done, the doctor will most likely have you sedated so you aren't thrashing around while he's making an incision. If you have a cavity the dentist won't want you squirming around in the chair while he's drilling into your tooth. These are legitimate reasons to take pain killers. The reason is simple; in order to prevent further damage to the body the nervous system is temporarily put on hold so that drastic repairs can be made.

The problem, in my opinion, with pain killers isn't from these particular uses, but from the everyday problems that we use them for. Many people are habitually popping aspirin to get rid of all types of aches and pains. however, when you take a pain killer, you're not removing the cause of the the pain, you're merely masking it. This can cause more damage to your body if you're not careful.

Let's say, for example, that you suffer a back injury that is caused by a bruise near the spine. At this point your nervous system will make you aware of the injury through pain. Any movement of your back will cause the bruise more damage, and thus, more pain. This is your body's way of telling you that it needs some time to recuperate, so leave it alone and let it heal. Unfortunately, in order to get on with their normal lives, many people will take powerful pain killers like codeine or hydrocodone to mask the pain, so they can keep working without letting their wounds heal.

And therein lies the problem. A bruise will normally heal on its own, provided that it is left alone, but when you take pain killers you won't feel as much pain from damaging the bruise over and over causing it to get even get worse. When the pain gets to the level where even the pain killers can't mask it, the person may take even more pain killers to try to cover it up.

This can cause permanent damage from small injuries, that could easily be avoided if you listened to your body. This is the main reason why I usually don't take pain killers. If you take pain killers, and are aware that you still need to take it easy until the injury heals you are usually okay, but the problem is that because you have pain killers in your body you may not even feel the pain, but the cause can still be there.

Another problem with taking pain killers is that, like all drugs, your body builds up a tolerance to them. This can make it very expensive for you in the long run when you have to take five times as much medicine as someone who doesn't take them often.

I must not forget the problems with addictions. Many pain killers are addictive, and being addicted to pain killers is often much worse than the pain they were intended to treat.

Hopefully, after reading this, you will think twice about popping another aspirin for a mild headache and instead try laying down in a quiet room. Remember, you only have one body, so take care of it.