PAINKILLERS DON’T CURE THE DISEASE

A Ground-Level Look at What Happens When You Keep Taking Painkillers for Common Pains

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SUMMARY

Painkillers don't cure the root cause of pain—they only suppress the body’s warning signals, leading to long-term damage when used repeatedly for common issues like headaches, period cramps, joint pain, and stomach discomfort. Over time, this masking of symptoms results in serious conditions like liver damage, kidney failure, cartilage erosion, hormonal disorders, and chronic fatigue. The essay argues that healing requires listening to the body, not silencing it, and calls for a shift toward simple, natural practices like rest, castor oil packs, dietary correction, and body awareness instead of relying on quick pharmaceutical fixes.

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INTRODUCTION

Painkillers like paracetamol, ibuprofen, diclofenac, and mefenamic acid are among the most used medicines in India. Available over the counter and used casually, they are often seen as a cure.

But the truth is simple: Painkillers are not treatment.

They only suppress pain. The disease causing that pain continues and often grows silently.

This essay explains what really happens when painkillers are taken repeatedly for common conditions like headache, period pain, joint pain, backache, stomach pain, and others.

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PAINKILLERS DON’T HEAL – THEY HIDE

Pain is not the problem — it’s a signal.

Painkillers don’t remove infection, reduce inflammation, or balance hormones. They just mute the signal. You feel better, but the problem gets worse.

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COMMON TYPES OF PAIN AND WHAT PAINKILLERS REALLY DO

1. Headache

People often take paracetamol or combination pills like Saridon or Dolo for frequent headaches caused by screen time, stress, poor sleep, or sinus problems.

This gives temporary relief, but when used repeatedly:

Headaches become more frequent.

The real causes like dehydration, tension, weak digestion, or bad posture go uncorrected.

The liver is overburdened due to repeated paracetamol use.

People start depending on tablets even for mild discomfort.

2. Period Pain

Many women take painkillers like Meftal-Spas or ibuprofen every month for menstrual cramps.

This ignores root issues such as:

Hormonal imbalance

Cold food and drinks

Poor digestion and lack of rest

Over years, this leads to:

Worsening cramps

Irregular periods

Conditions like PCOD, fibroids

Increased risk of ulcers and kidney stress due to prolonged NSAID use

3. Joint Pain

Middle-aged and elderly people commonly use diclofenac-based tablets, gels, or sprays for knee, shoulder, and elbow pain.

This may reduce pain for the moment, but:

The actual wear and tear, inflammation, or arthritis is not addressed.

Movement continues, and damage increases.

Over time, surgeries, joint replacements, or steroid injections become necessary.

Long-term use of diclofenac can cause kidney damage and gastric ulcers.

4. Back Pain

Many people with sedentary jobs or poor posture use painkillers to go on with their routine.

However:

Back pain often comes from disc bulge, strained muscles, or weak abdominal support.

Painkillers give the illusion of recovery, but the spine continues to suffer.

This leads to chronic pain, sciatica, and in many cases, slip disc.

5. Tooth Pain

Pain from a decayed or infected tooth is often ignored by taking tablets instead of visiting the dentist.

This approach:

Allows infection to spread deeper

Delays root canal or cleaning treatment

May lead to swelling, pus formation, and even extraction

6. Stomach Pain

People use pain-relief plus antacid combination drugs like Spasmoproxyvon or Cyclopam during constipation, loose motion, or unknown pain.

This is risky because:

Underlying issues like ulcers, food poisoning, parasites, or IBS are not treated.

Gut health deteriorates.

Long-term use can damage the stomach lining and create dependency on antacids.

7. Muscle Pain After Exercise

Young people often take ibuprofen after gym or hard physical work to reduce soreness.

The problem:

Pain after exercise is natural recovery.

Painkillers interfere with muscle repair and slow down strength building.

Continued use can damage kidneys.

8. Ear and Throat Pain

Children and adults with early signs of ear or throat infection are often given painkillers or lozenges, while ignoring proper treatment like steam or saline gargle.

The result:

Infection spreads to chest or middle ear.

Delays antibiotic or Ayurvedic treatment.

Increases resistance to future medicine or need for stronger drugs.

9. Post-Surgery or Injury Pain

After surgery or fracture, painkillers may be used beyond the prescribed duration.

This leads to:

Delayed healing due to overuse of the affected part.

Numbness or stiffness due to lack of rest.

Habitual dependence on medication to feel “normal”.

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BEHAVIOUR PATTERNS THAT CAUSE HARM

Many people fall into these habits without noticing:

Taking painkillers daily for knee, back, or head pain: This leads to kidney and liver stress, while real damage increases inside.

Using painkillers every month for period pain: This builds dependency and worsens hormonal imbalance.

Swallowing pills without food or water: This causes gastritis, acidity, and sometimes bleeding.

Giving painkillers to children without medical advice: This can hide serious infection or delay correct diagnosis.

Using painkillers for over a week continuously: This is dangerous and can permanently damage organs.

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SIDE EFFECTS OF COMMON PAINKILLERS

Each drug has specific risks:

Paracetamol: In small doses, it’s usually safe. But regular or high doses can cause serious liver damage.

Ibuprofen: Often causes stomach upset. Long use can lead to kidney problems and high blood pressure.

Diclofenac: Strong and fast, but risky for the stomach, kidneys, and heart over time.

Mefenamic Acid: Common for period pain, but can cause diarrhoea, nausea, and stomach ulcers.

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WHAT TO DO INSTEAD

Whenever pain comes, first pause and ask:

Why is this pain happening again and again?

What is the real cause?

Can I rest or change something before reaching for the pill?

Here are practical alternatives:

For headache: Drink water, take rest, apply cold or warm cloth, check posture, avoid noise, apply a castor oil forehead massage.

For period pain: Apply warm compress, use castor oil on belly, avoid cold drinks, reduce sugar, rest more.

For joint/back pain: Try belly castor oil packs, gentle yoga, reduce weight, sit on the floor, use firm mattress.

For tooth pain: Clove oil, salt rinse, see dentist early, reduce sweets.

For stomach pain: Jeera-ajwain boiled water, warm food, avoid heavy fried items, skip one meal to rest the gut.

For throat pain: Steam inhalation, salt gargle, turmeric milk, complete rest.

For muscle pain: Gentle stretches, bath with Epsom salt if available, protein-rich foods, sleep.

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WHY PEOPLE IGNORE THIS ADVICE

Many believe rest is a waste of time.

Pain is seen as a barrier to productivity.

Pharmacies sell without asking questions.

Natural remedies are seen as “slow”.

There is no proper education about side effects.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Painkillers have a valid role — in surgery, injuries, high fever, or unbearable pain.

But using them casually or for everyday discomfort only suppresses your body’s warning system.

Pain is the body’s language. If you silence it every time, one day, you won’t know what’s happening inside — until it’s too late.

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HEALING DIALOGUE

We Just Wanted the Pain to Stop

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Setting:

Early morning. A humble rural courtyard.

The smell of hot castor oil lingers. Cows low in the distance.

Three visitors from a city knock at Madhukar’s gate.

Family:

Krishna Murthy (65): Retired government officer. Chronic knee pain. On dialysis.

Lalitha (58): His wife. Uterine fibroids. Joint pain. Acid reflux.

Nisha (32): Their daughter. Works in IT. Daily headaches. Irregular periods. Fatigue.

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PART 1: ARRIVAL AND SILENCE

Madhukar (smiling gently):

“You came very early. That’s good. I only see people before the sun climbs.”

Krishna Murthy (quietly):

“We’ve heard you don’t charge for advice… only if people take oil.”

Madhukar:

“I don’t charge for pain either. Sit. Drink some warm jeera water. Then we’ll talk.”

(They sit under a neem tree. Nisha winces as she sits. Lalitha clutches her lower belly.)

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PART 2: THE LIFETIME OF PILLS

Lalitha (starts softly):

“We didn’t know it would come to this. We just kept taking what doctors gave.”

Madhukar:

“What did you take?”

Krishna Murthy:

“Saridon for headache. Voveran for knee. Meftal-Spas for her period cramps. Cyclopam for stomach pain. Then antacids for the burning. Something for sleep…”

Nisha (interrupts):

“… and now Baba goes to the hospital twice a week for dialysis. Amma has fibroids. I can’t get through a day without Combiflam.”

Madhukar (nodding):

“So many families come after two generations of ignoring the message.

Pain is not a punishment. It is a notice. When you ignore the notice, damage arrives.”

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PART 3: THE CONSEQUENCES STACK UP

Madhukar pulls out a worn notebook. He draws three columns.

“What Pain Was Saying”

“What You Did”

“What Happened Finally”

He points one by one:

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1. Krishna Murthy – Knee Pain

What the pain said: “Your knees are worn. You need to rest. Lose weight. Walk on soft ground. Change diet.”

What you did: “Took diclofenac. Applied spray. Walked more on concrete.”

What happened: “Cartilage eroded. Now bone grinds bone. Pain is constant. Kidneys damaged from years of NSAIDs.”

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2. Lalitha – Period Cramps

What the pain said: “Your womb is tired. You eat cold foods. No rest during cycle. Hormones are off.”

What you did: “Meftal-Spas. Cold curd rice. Continued housework.”

What happened: “Fibroids grew. Monthly bleeding worsened. Now anaemia. Surgery advised.”

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3. Nisha – Headaches & Fatigue

What the pain said: “You don’t sleep. You skip meals. Your eyes and gut are both tired. You are overthinking.”

What you did: “Painkillers. Coffee. Screens.”

What happened: “Now even Sunday mornings hurt. Hormones are imbalanced. Fatigue never leaves.”

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PART 4: THE TURNING POINT

Krishna Murthy:

“I thought I was doing the responsible thing… taking medicine. I never drank. Never smoked. Still I ended up here.”

Madhukar:

“Because you kept silencing the body’s warnings. Like switching off a fire alarm but letting the fire grow.”

Nisha (quietly):

“I think I’ve already damaged my system. Can I still heal?”

Madhukar:

“You didn’t break overnight. You won’t heal overnight. But yes — healing is possible. If you stop fighting your body and start listening.”

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PART 5: THE HEALING APPROACH

Madhukar lays out three old cloth bundles. One for each.

Bundle 1: Castor Oil – 1 litre each

Madhukar:

“This oil isn’t magic. But it pulls heat, toxins, and stiffness when used correctly.”

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For Krishna Murthy (Knee + Kidney):

Daily castor oil belly pack – 20 ml on belly, cotton cloth, plastic wrap. 1 hour.

Alternate days – castor oil pack on both knees.

Avoid painkillers entirely.

Weekly kidney-friendly diet: cooked vegetables, rice kanji, buttermilk, no salt 2 days/week.

Slow walking only. No stairs.

Warm sesame oil leg massage once a week.

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For Lalitha (Fibroids + Joint pain):

Daily belly castor oil pack – 20 ml for 1 hour, especially before or during period.

Avoid all cold foods, especially in evenings.

Twice a week – warm castor oil on lower back and pelvic area, gentle massage.

Sunbath during morning hours.

Eat soaked raisins, drumstick leaves, fresh pomegranate.

Avoid Meftal-Spas fully.

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For Nisha (Headaches + Hormones):

Daily oil pack on belly before bed.

Weekly hair and scalp massage with warm castor and coconut oil.

No screens after 8 PM.

Sleep by 10.

Start fermented food: dosa batter, ambali, buttermilk.

Add ghee to lunch.

Stop instant coffee. Replace with cardamom jeera tea.

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PART 6: DEALING WITH WITHDRAWAL

Nisha:

“What if the pain comes back hard?”

Madhukar:

“It will. For 3–5 days, sometimes more. Your body is adjusting. Use warm water, rest, oil, sun. If needed, one painkiller — but not two, not daily.”

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PART 7: DAILY LOGGING

Madhukar gives each a notebook.

He draws three columns.

1. Where is pain?

2. What did I do today to support healing?

3. Any reaction (good or bad)?

He adds:

“Write honestly. This is not for me. This is for your own eyes.”

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PART 8: RESISTANCE AND RELAPSE

Lalitha (hesitantly):

“My sister is laughing at me. She says we are fools to stop modern medicine.”

Madhukar:

“Let her laugh. She laughed when you were bleeding heavily too. People who never pause never heal.”

Krishna Murthy:

“I won’t lie. I’m scared. I’m weak already.”

Madhukar:

“You’ve done everything for others. This is the first time you’ll do something for your own body. That’s not weakness. That’s maturity.”

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PART 9: A WEEK LATER (FOLLOW-UP)

They return after 7 days.

Krishna Murthy’s swelling reduced a little. No painkiller for 4 days.

Lalitha had less cramps this period. Digestion better.

Nisha finally slept 8 hours. Headache returned only once.

Anju (Madhukar’s daughter, age 10):

“Amma says pain is like a red traffic light. If you jump it every time, you’ll crash.”

They laugh. Krishna Murthy nods slowly.

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EPILOGUE

As they leave, Madhukar says:

“You may never get back the body of your youth.

But if you respect your body now, it will still carry you with dignity.”

They fold hands. Take the next month’s oil.

Lalitha quietly throws her Meftal strip in the bin before walking out.

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THE BODY NEVER FORGETS

(A Long, Slow, Exhaustive Essay in Disguise)

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they said take the pill

so you took the pill.

they said it would help

and it did, for about four hours.

the pain came back

and they gave you a stronger one.

a blue one.

then a white one.

then a red strip that cost half your wage

but you took it anyway

because you had to work.

because pain is weakness, right?

wrong.

pain was your body knocking.

not politely.

but like a drunk, fed-up landlord.

knocking to say —

something’s wrong inside.

not on paper. not in your tests.

but deep. raw.

in the bone, in the belly, in the blood.

but you didn’t open the door.

you took another pill.

you closed the curtain.

you swallowed silence.

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HEADACHE

headache from the light.

headache from your boss.

headache from screens and unspoken fights.

you popped paracetamol like peanuts.

then your liver took the hit.

silent. stoic. faithful like your old dog.

until one day the scans said:

abnormal enzymes.

and you said: how? I don’t even drink.

but you drank pills.

not one.

but three decades of them.

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PERIOD PAIN

you curled up every month.

but still washed vessels, cooked for guests, taught the kid math.

the uterus screamed.

you took Meftal-Spas.

three per day.

ten days a month.

for twenty years.

fibroids grew.

you fed them with cold buttermilk and rage.

your mother said, “This is normal.”

but this wasn’t normal.

this was burial.

every month a piece of you got buried

under pain you refused to pause for.

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JOINT PAIN

your father used Voveran spray.

your husband used tablets.

your son uses the gel now.

three generations of men

avoiding floors.

blaming age.

worshipping the MRI reports

like religious texts.

but refusing to rest.

refusing to stretch.

refusing to squat.

they greased the knees with diclofenac

and let the bones grind louder.

they call it arthritis.

but it’s just laziness, pride, and television chairs.

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BACK PAIN

bad mattress. bad belly.

bad lifestyle.

you never bent properly.

you never sat on the ground.

you worked twelve hours in a cubicle.

and when the pain came

you didn’t ask why.

you asked what to swallow.

you numbed the disc.

again and again.

until it cracked like an overused joint.

and then you wore a belt.

a corset for a crumbling body.

a band-aid for a system that needed rebuilding.

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TOOTH PAIN

you ignored it.

until it spread.

then you chewed the painkiller like gum.

and when your jaw swelled,

you blamed the weather.

your teeth weren’t weak.

your habits were.

sugar. no floss. cheap toothpaste.

but hey, the pill helped.

until it didn’t.

and then it was root canal.

or nothing.

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STOMACH PAIN

gas.

bloating.

constipation.

every Indian adult’s three best friends.

you didn’t change your food.

you didn’t fast.

you didn’t chew.

you swallowed spicy pain and salty rage

and then you swallowed Cyclopam.

the gut is not a dustbin.

but you treated it like one.

and when the lining tore

and acid burnt your throat

you thought, this is ageing.

no.

this is negligence.

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MUSCLE PAIN

you finally exercised.

your body celebrated with soreness.

but you didn’t like that.

you wanted six-packs without pain.

so you took ibuprofen.

you numbed the growth.

you killed the ache.

you killed the lesson.

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EAR PAIN / THROAT PAIN

steam?

too much effort.

gargle?

no time.

but one painkiller and one lozenge

and you were ready to shout again.

the infection spread.

to the lungs.

to the ears.

and when your child lost hearing in one ear,

you said it was “fate.”

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POST-SURGERY

the doctor told you to rest.

you didn’t.

you had people to impress.

so you kept taking the painkillers.

even when you couldn’t feel your feet.

even when your stitches strained.

you moved.

you lifted.

you damaged again.

then you cried: why is healing so slow?

because you never gave it a chance.

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THE BIGGER STORY

you thought you were smart.

you thought the pharmacy uncle was your doctor.

he smiled and gave you what you asked for.

he never asked about your liver.

your kidneys.

your cartilage.

they broke quietly.

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kidneys died in silence.

liver collapsed under daily Dolo.

cartilage wore off.

periods became punishments.

headaches turned to migraines.

and you still believed the pill was helping.

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SIDE EFFECTS?

no one told you.

not your neighbour.

not your office.

not your trusted uncle who sells drugs in his tiny store.

they all said:

take this. you'll be fine.

they were wrong.

you weren’t fine.

you were functioning.

not healing.

not listening.

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THE BODY REMEMBERS

it remembers every ignored scream.

every over-the-counter lie.

every skipped meal.

every tight bra.

every night of no sleep.

every insult swallowed with food.

every headache drowned in caffeine.

and one day,

the body files a case.

organ failure.

tumour.

fatigue.

depression.

nothing shows in the blood report.

but you know.

you know you’ve wrecked something.

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HEALING?

it’s not sexy.

it’s not instant.

it won’t get likes on Instagram.

healing is castor oil packs.

fermented foods.

sun.

silence.

saying no to relatives.

saying no to unnecessary meetings.

resting when the pain comes.

accepting weakness.

not fighting the signal.

not running to the strip.

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YOU WANTED A SHORTCUT

but pain isn’t a shortcut problem.

and pills aren’t the answer.

you want control.

not healing.

you want silence.

not truth.

and now your kidneys are gone.

your joints scream.

your daughter is 25 and already bleeding heavily every month.

but no one taught you to sit with your pain.

to question it.

to watch it.

to try castor oil before trying codeine.

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AND NOW?

now you begin again.

if you have the guts to slow down.

to feel.

to sweat.

to face what you avoided.

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the body doesn’t hate you.

you hated it.

you silenced it.

and still,

it kept you alive.

start again.

strip by strip.

ache by ache.

honestly.

or wait till the next dialysis visit.

your choice.

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