Self-medication may be an effective way of dealing with mild pain, but people should only purchase medicine from licensed pharmacies and avoid folk remedies advertised on the media or the Internet, a medical official said at a conference in Taipei yesterday.
Su Chien-tien (蘇千田), chief director of the Department of Family Medicine at Taipei Medical University Hospital, said that about 70 percent to 90 percent of cases of mild pain syndrome in the country can be treated with self-medication, but most people choose to bear the pain until they can no longer ignore it.
"This shows that people are still unaware of the importance of proper self-medication and the possibility that the pain may develop into a serious illness," he said at the press conference held to address the issue.
Drawing on his clinical experience, Su said that more than 30 percent of his outpatients -- the majority of whom are above 65 years of age -- sought his advice on pain-related issues.
He added that elderly patients who suffer from chronic pain may be easy prey for folk remedies advertised in radio shows or on the Internet, which may cause their health to decline.
"[People selling] medicine from unknown sources usually exaggerate its healing power or claim the effect is mild, but the medicine may contain steroids. Long-term intake of steroids may lead to pathological changes in the joints or facial swelling," he said.
He urged people not to believe in hearsay or stories about pain relief on the Internet but to go see a doctor or purchase medicine from licensed pharmacies to deal with the discomfort.
Su warned that not every kind of pain should be relieved with painkillers.
People should also seek medical treatment when they feel discomfort that they've never experienced before or the pain is accompanied by other complications such as fever or diarrhea.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS