There is a real problem. It is called medicalization, i.e. the process of taking something entirely natural and converting it into a disease or disorder that can then be cured by doctors (usually men). We have now reached the point where every part of the female reproductive cycle has been redefined so as to require treatment (how very caring and patriarchal of the men). It starts in puberty, goes through menstruation, infects the processes of fertility, conception and birth, and pursues aging women into the menopause. The most obvious continuing “problem” is premenstrual tension (sometimes referred to as a “syndrome” to make it sound more like a deadly disease). This affects all women to some degree with a small percentage being so badly affected they must take time off work. We have now reached the point where PMS is socially constructed as a disorder, i.e. doctors have brainwashed women into believing most of the symptoms associated with menstruation constitute a disorder. The approaches to treatment begin with reassurance and what is politely called counseling. It seems women need to be taught coping strategies so they can get on with their lives. Diet and nutrition are changed. Calcium and other substances are added. Hormones are administered in the desire to re-establish the right balance, and diuretics reduce the water retention. If all this dramatic cycle of medical effort fails, we are then into classifying this as the more serious Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder and the treatments begin with the more powerful antidepressants, reflecting the fact that the mind as well as the body are obviously disordered.

Finding it difficult to swim against the cultural tide and feeling that they should “do” something, some women have been turning to alternative methods. These range from relaxation techniques, through yoga and other forms of physical exercise, to acupuncture. Acupuncture is perhaps the most interesting because it has the longest medical track record as a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Throughout China and South East Asia, women routinely go for acupuncture to relieve the cramps associated with menstruation. It is deeply embedded into local culture as the safe and effective way of treating the discomfort or pain. Unfortunately, women in the West are more skeptical and such formal research as exists for the use of acupuncture in the US and Europe finds no clear evidence of benefit.

All of which brings us to the simple approach. There is no need to treat menstruation as any different from all other causes of discomfort or pain. If you experience low intensity pain, you take one of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If the pain is moderate to severe, you buy tramadol online and take that. There is no need to suffer – martyrdom should not be a part of your psychological make-up. The standard painkillers are all that is needed in the majority of cases. Should this prove ineffective, it will be evidence of a more serious underlying cause that genuinely does need investigation by your regular healthcare professional. It is possible that all you need is a different painkiller, but a check-up, if necessary by a specialist, should identify the cause of the pain and recommend treatment for the genuine disease or disorder. Otherwise, stay with the conventional painkillers or, if you want something slightly different, try tramadol apap – a combination drug that some people find easier on the stomach.

Sometimes, there’s more than enough blame to go around when it comes to the most annoying of song lyrics. In this case, we have the tedious Katrina & The Waves, the gospel rock of The Rolling Stones, the bland Roxette, and the “inspirational” work by Van Morrison and Cliff Richard. These songs focus on the idea that, when light shines on you, there can only be beneficial outcomes. This gives additional credibility to the new App available for download at $1.99 from iPhone. Let’s face it, everything offered for sale in the App Store has been vetted and approved by Apple itself. This is the AcneApp. Most importantly, you are not paying for the download of an advertisement for a product or service. This App has been developed by Dr. Greg Pearson. You will be pleased and relieved to know this man is a qualified dermatologist based in Houston. When it comes to acne, this man knows his spots. It works by flashing blue and red lights on to your skin while you have the phone clasped to your face. In theory, these flashing lights help kill the bacteria responsible for causing acne.

When writing a review about a new App for the iPhone, it’s somewhat unconventional to point out that, for $1.99, you can buy a small bar of soap. Unless we missed something in Science 101, soap is slightly more effective than light. And, in terms of looking cool, do people really want to walk around holding an iPhone to their noses? That said, Dr. Pearson is pleasingly refreshing. He gave an interview to the prestigious New York Times. When asked whether his App was effective, he admitted there had been no clinical trials. There had been some before-and-after pictures floating around on YouTube, and he volunteered to judge all pictures sent to him. But, so far, there’s no evidence this App will have any measurable effect on your acne. This actually makes it a “good science” story, right up there with the stories about the electromagnetic radiation from the handphone causing tumors if you use them for long periods of time.

Put this story another way – this App is almost completely harmless and costs you only a token sum. It will make a good joke to amuse your friends for a day or so. But the real treatment for acne remains the range of products starting with hydrogen peroxide and, when all else has failed, finishing with accutane. So far, there has been no other drug developed that matches accutane for effectiveness. When the treatment of acne has become such a massive source of profit, it remains faintly puzzling that no pharmaceutical company has managed to develop something new. But, as it stands, for those of you with acne that resists the “ordinary” treatments, you either have to learn to live with the disfigurement or run the risks of accutane. Always discuss the use of this drug with your regular healthcare professional. The decision is a careful balance between benefits and costs. You must be sure the benefits outweigh the costs before deciding to use this drug.

There has been a remarkable shift in culture over the last fifty years. In the old days, good or otherwise, there were painkillers around but people were more inclined just to cope. Yes, they would complain. But society approved of the “stoics”, the people who just put up with the pain and got on with their lives. Today, we routinely spend billions of dollars on painkillers and pop them for anything from serious joint pain to hangovers. It’s become socially acceptable to self-medicate as needed. Perhaps, by yesterday’s standards, this is a form of drug abuse. Indeed, a growing number of people are now addicted to some of the more powerful drugs. But we all seem willing to take the easiest way out, i.e. to take a pill, rather than either tolerate the pain or invest effort in finding a better way of living. As a result, the pharmaceutical industry is one of the most profitable in the US and encourages this cultural shift by a barrage of ads directly targeting you, the consumer. No subtle marketing to doctors who can use their discretion to prescribe the best drug to treat the patient’s problems. Patients must have full brand awareness and walk into a consultation ready to demand drugs by name.

Let’s take backache and joint pain as an example. As you turn fifty, the risk of osteoarthritis starts to grow and one of the first symptoms is joint pain which includes the spine. The pain can come the moment you get out of bed, then ease off and not return until later in the day. But, you must be careful with the diagnosis. The same symptoms can come from tendonitis which is an inflammation of the ligaments and tendons in a joint. It is most often caused by overuse. The reason for making a clear difference in the diagnosis is that painkillers have no effect on tendonitis. The recommended approach is physical therapy to build up the strength in the muscles around the affected joints. If the overuse comes from repeating the same actions, say while sitting at a keyboard or using a particular piece of equipment, you have to find a different way of doing the same work. A physical therapist can offer advice and guidance. But if the underlying cause is arthritis, painkillers are effective. There is a choice. Tablets allow a gradual build up of the active chemicals in the blood, but drugs are more likely to have adverse side effects. There are some excellent gels and topical creams that deliver the painkiller through the skin directly to the affected parts of the body. They have fewer side effects but need to be reapplied throughout the day.

In addition to the possibility of taking tramadol to relieve moderate to severe pain, you can also consider the use of hot packs. The targeted use of heat relieves soreness and stiffness in joints. There are major advantages to losing those pounds because that reduces the amount of weight the joints must carry. Finally, get advice on shoes to wear while walking and exercising. Using shock absorbers and arch supports can prevent joint pains from worsening. So, buy tramadol to treat a confirmed diagnosis of arthritis and seek detailed advice on how to support your joints and reduce pain by alternative means.