And these days we expect a pill for every ill and a quick fix for every twinge - so the manufacturers of over-the-counter painkillers are cashing in. During 2002, we spent more than £300m on pain relievers, according to the Pharmaceutical Association of Great Britain. The market researchers at Euromonitor put the current figure even higher and predict that by 2006 the market will be worth £483m. And the makers are on to a winner because, ironically enough, excessive use of painkillers can actually cause chronic headache.
A cure that provokes the symptoms it alleviates must be a manufacturer's dream. Migraine pain, he says, seems to originate from a chemical imbalance in the brain, tension headaches from the muscles and joints And the brain itself can generate pain. "If pain paths are activated, signals that don't normally produce pain can do so." Headache, says Dr Silberstein, is an evolutionary mystery. "What is the benefit of the headache for evolution? Again, we don't know." There is speculation, he explains, that headaches stopped primitive man from going out when he was physically under par, thus reducing the risk of the hunter becoming the hunted. It's not that we're necessarily getting more headaches today, he adds; rather that we're more aware of them and expect to be able to cure them instantly.Dr Anne MacGregor is director of clinical research at the City of London Migraine Clinic, a medical charity working in conjunction with St Bartholomew's Hospital She says that the cause of headaches is multiple. "Migraine is linked to changes in brain chemistry, and a sinus infection or the dehydration and alcohol after-effects of a hangover cause headaches In most cases, it's the muscles that are hurting. Driving, bad posture, sitting slouched at a keyboard all day, not eating regularly, carrying heavy bags can all lead to a tension headache."A headache is one of the most common reasons to visit the doctor, and 90 per cent of headaches that cause a trip to the surgery are diagnosed as tension headaches Curing a headache is problematical, however.
Amanda Kirby, a GP, says that many of her patients are worried about taking regular doses of over-the-counter pain remedies - and with good reason. Regular high doses of aspirin or ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding, while paracetamol can cause liver damage. And, says Dr Kirby, many of her patients suffer from "rebound headaches" if they take too many painkillers."Medication overuse is a major risk factor for daily headache," explains Dr Silberstein. "You might think that if you use painkillers regularly, you'd have no pain and no problems. But the body gets used to them and its own natural painkilling systems get turned off." Dr MacGregor agrees. "The body produces natural painkillers; if you're taking external painkillers, why would your body keep producing? If you suppress nature's pain control, once you stop taking the tablets, bang! You get a headache."Pills may be one way to knock back pain; but there is now an alternative.