The Art of Living Longer - Essay Example

Pain helps the body to physically withdraw from something that is hurting and therefore makes it possible for more damage not to be done. When a person touches something hot, say hot coal, simultaneously as the pain is felt, the part of the body that is in contact with the hot substance is withdrawn very fast (Goldstein 258; Martinez-Lavin 1). This helps to avoid more damage to the part of the body that was in contact with the hot substance. This literary happens when a body is confronted with something that is hurting – if one sits on a needle accidentally, the pain felt as a result of being pricked will make the person jump up.

People who suffer from Hansen’s disease (leprosy) are insensitive to pain (Launer 467). This negatively impacts them because they hurt their bodies without knowing – say they may touch a very hot substance without realizing it is burning them. Some forms of radiation are not painful but are very dangerous to the body (Ozner 1). Because these radiations do not cause pain at the very moment one gets in contact with them, it is not possible to realize that one is exposed to danger. It is clear therefore that pain enables the body to sense danger and engage in a physical withdrawal to avert more damage. The next paragraph examines how pain helps in a case where physical withdrawal is not possible, for instance when danger is within the body.

Pain alerts the body of a physiological process going on in the wrong direction. Pain that originates from inside the body is an indication of something going on wrong which needs to be corrected. Pain in this case acts as an alarm to the body system to make adjustments to correct the wrongs (Gatchel and Dennis18; Butler and Moseley 10). For instance, abdominal pains are often an indication of stomach infections (Sartelli 1). It will be almost impossible or too late to realize that one has stomach infections or ulcers if no abdominal pain has ever been experienced.

This is the reason why physicians more often than not do not treat pain but rather are more interested in the location of the pain. The location of pain helps them to diagnose the cause (Cohn and Cohn 530). It is the cause that is treated after which pain goes away – it is not the pain that is treated. Therefore, pain sounds the alarm and further points to the direction of trouble. It is only after a person feels some form of pain that a physician is consulted. Therefore, if the pain is absent, the problem will build up and will lead to sudden death. Pain, as shown in the next paragraph, is a medicine of its own.

Feeling pain keeps us strong and is a medicine of its own. It has been shown that pain plays a crucial role in triggering healing processes (Richard, David, and Lucy 26). British scientists at Bristol University have discovered that the intense pain felt in the course of heart attacks may be very significant in saving lives. They have shown that pain helps to heal heart attacks and prevents arthritis breakouts (Richard, David, and Lucy 26). They have argued that reducing this pain fades the survival chances of the patients.

They have noted that the pain signals felt at the cardiac nerves act as an attraction for stem cells located in the bone marrow. The stem cells move to the heart to repair any damage done by blood clots (Richard, David, and Lucy 26). It has further been argued that using painkillers is actually dangerous because it stops the alarm from being sounded and therefore the stem cells cannot move to make repairs at the heart though the damage is already done. Prof. Paolo Madeddu was quoted saying the following concerning pain “it seems to cause the brain to start physiological processes that are involved in the repair mechanism” (Naish para. 9).

Relieving pain has been shown to cause more pain. Studies carried out in pain relieving mechanisms have shown that painkillers change how the human brain responds to pain (Mizumura 69). It has been further argued that painkillers degenerate nerve cells in the brain making the body depend on external painkillers instead of its painkillers (endorphins) (Burke para. 2). Opioid-induced hyperalgesia is a condition caused by exposure to opioids (painkillers). This condition worsens the current status of pain by making a patient hypersensitive to pain (Lee, Silverman, Hansen, Patel, and Manchikanti 145). The pain, therefore, is a medicine of its own and should not be relieved.

Conclusion

Pain is important and helps the body to be stronger. It can be thought of as an alarm system that goes off every time there is danger in sight. Shutting off this alarm system is dangerous and a loophole through which the body can be systematically weakened. Pain is good and should be embraced if one wishes to live longer. Read More