The Narcotics Trap

    When you show up complaining that something hurts, the easiest way for a doctor to get you out of the office is to send you off with a prescription for a pain medication that contains a narcotic (like Vicodin or OxyContin). The drugs are relatively easy to get and tempting to take, but you should never use them for chronic pain. Narcotics addiction is insidious. The drugs change who you are, and over time they make any and every pain worse. Stay away from them except in cases of acute, time-limited pain — and if you're on them already, work hard to get off them.

    Risks of Coumadin

    There is one drug whose reportedly serious complications are not publicized nearly enough, in my opinion: the blood-thinner Coumadin (warfarin). If you're taking it, your doctor should be continually monitoring its effect via regular blood tests (at least once a month). And even if you've been taking the same dose for years, the degree to which it thins your blood may suddenly change because of changes in your other meds, your diet or your underlying metabolism. That can lead to severe joint problems, gastrointestinal bleeding, strokes and hemorrhage.

    Statins' Side Effects

    Millions of Americans take statins to lower their cholesterol. Common side effects from these drugs include muscle pain and soreness. Usually those effects are just annoying, but some patients suffer muscle weakness as well, especially around the haunches, which can be debilitating. My findings? The side effects don't always go away when you stop taking the pills. Orthopedists see this all the time and say it is a concern, but most docs downplay it. Be vigilant if you're starting a statin regimen, and talk to your doctor about switching or discontinuing drugs immediately if you develop severe or disabling symptoms.

    Delaying Treatment

    Most folks will hurry to the emergency room for pain in their chest, belly or head. What many patients don't realize is that pain, numbness or weakness in other parts of the body — particularly in the limbs — can be a sign of something serious too. It could be a fractured bone, an infection or nerve damage and needs to be seen by a doctor immediately. Too many patients compromise their long-term health by ignoring nerve problems like carpal tunnel, tendon issues like rotator cuff tears or curious moles that they assume are harmless. Don't wait until your hand freezes numbly in a claw or your knee is crippled by arthritis or the little black spot on your arm turns into metastatic cancer. By then it's too late. Too macho or scared to see a doctor? Too bad. Don't wait.

    Exercising an Injury

    When you rip, tear, sprain or break something, it needs to be immobilized, not stretched, kneaded, heated or worked. A large number of patients (and some trainers) mistakenly take dysfunction as a sign of needing more exercise. So they recommend overusing athletic injuries, like muscle tears and stress fractures, which prolongs pain and delays healing for months and months. A good rule of thumb: no stretching or hard work until tenderness (pain when you push on the muscle or joint) is gone.liuxuepaper.com