The Narcotics Trap

    When you show up complaining that something hurts, the easiest way for a doctor to get you out of the office is to send you off with a prescription for a pain medication that contains a narcotic (like Vicodin or OxyContin). The drugs are relatively easy to get and tempting to take, but you should never use them for chronic pain. Narcotics addiction is insidious. The drugs change who you are, and over time they make any and every pain worse. Stay away from them except in cases of acute, time-limited pain — and if you're on them already, work hard to get off them.

    Risks of Coumadin

    There is one drug whose reportedly serious complications are not publicized nearly enough, in my opinion: the blood-thinner Coumadin (warfarin). If you're taking it, your doctor should be continually monitoring its effect via regular blood tests (at least once a month). And even if you've been taking the same dose for years, the degree to which it thins your blood may suddenly change because of changes in your other meds, your diet or your underlying metabolism. That can lead to severe joint problems, gastrointestinal bleeding, strokes and hemorrhage.

    Statins' Side Effects

    Millions of Americans take statins to lower their cholesterol. Common side effects from these drugs include muscle pain and soreness. Usually those effects are just annoying, but some patients suffer muscle weakness as well, especially around the haunches, which can be debilitating. My findings? The side effects don't always go away when you stop taking the pills. Orthopedists see this all the time and say it is a concern, but most docs downplay it. Be vigilant if you're starting a statin regimen, and talk to your doctor about switching or discontinuing drugs immediately if you develop severe or disabling symptoms.

    Delaying Treatment

    Most folks will hurry to the emergency room for pain in their chest, belly or head. What many patients don't realize is that pain, numbness or weakness in other parts of the body — particularly in the limbs — can be a sign of something serious too. It could be a fractured bone, an infection or nerve damage and needs to be seen by a doctor immediately. Too many patients compromise their long-term health by ignoring nerve problems like carpal tunnel, tendon issues like rotator cuff tears or curious moles that they assume are harmless. Don't wait until your hand freezes numbly in a claw or your knee is crippled by arthritis or the little black spot on your arm turns into metastatic cancer. By then it's too late. Too macho or scared to see a doctor? Too bad. Don't wait.

    Exercising an Injury

    When you rip, tear, sprain or break something, it needs to be immobilized, not stretched, kneaded, heated or worked. A large number of patients (and some trainers) mistakenly take dysfunction as a sign of needing more exercise. So they recommend overusing athletic injuries, like muscle tears and stress fractures, which prolongs pain and delays healing for months and months. A good rule of thumb: no stretching or hard work until tenderness (pain when you push on the muscle or joint) is gone.

    麻醉陷阱

    當你由于某種受傷而痛苦不堪求助醫生時，對他們來說最簡單的方法就是給你開一些用于止疼的處方藥，這些藥常常含有麻醉成分（比如維柯定和奧克斯康定）。這種藥物相對來說比較常見，效用也很明顯，但是對于一些慢性疼痛，你不應該再服用這種藥物了。這種藥物有潛在上癮危險。他們會使你的生理機能產生變化，事實上，一旦你服用這些藥物，你的病患就會變的更加嚴重。除非非常緊急、極大的病痛，否則不要服用這種藥物，但是如果你現在已經在服用了，那么要想停止服用，就很困難了。

    可邁丁風險

    可邁丁具有嚴重的并發癥，但是這一風險卻沒有被詳盡告知于患者，在我看來：像可邁丁（華法林）這樣的抗凝劑，假如你使用它，那么你的醫生應該通過定期的血液測驗持續觀察它的影響（至少一個月一次）。并且即使你是多年前服用過此藥物，它對于你血液的稀釋程度也可能會因為你服用其他藥物，你的日常飲食或者基本的新陳代謝的改變而突然改變。這可能會導致嚴重的關節病癥、腸胃出血、中風和大出血。

    斯他丁的副作用

    數百萬的美國人服用斯他丁類藥物降低膽固醇含量。這種藥物的常見副作用有肌肉疼痛，發炎。通常這些癥狀就已經很讓人煩惱了，但是還有些病人會感覺肌肉無力，特別是在腰部，這使人非常虛弱，這可不是我首先發現的！這些副作用常常不會因為你停止服藥而消失。骨科醫生常常發現這種癥狀，也因此憂心忡忡，但大多數醫生會低調處理此事。如果你即將開始一個斯他丁藥物的治療療程，希望你保持警惕，當你發現有嚴重反應的或者其他相關癥狀時，立即告訴你的醫生更換或者干脆停止服用該藥物。
    
    耽誤治療

    大多數人們在感覺到胸腔疼痛，肚子疼或者頭疼的時候都會火速到急癥室就醫，但是許多病人都沒有意識到這種疼痛----身體其他部位的麻木或者虛弱無力，特別是在肢體部位，這也是某種嚴重疾病的癥狀。這能導致骨折，某種感染或者神經損害，需要立即看醫生。眾多病人損害了自身的長期健康，正是由于忽略了像腕管綜合癥這樣的神經疾病、肩袖撕裂這樣的肌腱問題、或者長出奇怪的痣，但自己卻猜想無損健康。不要等到僵硬的手在一次撕扯中折碎、你的關節因為關節炎而變跛或者手臂上小小的黑點變成轉移性癌癥的時候才會想到去看醫生，到那個時候就太晚了。無畏的人或者膽小的人才會去看醫生嗎？如果是這樣就太糟了，不要等待！！

    受傷時鍛煉

    當你有傷口、撕裂、扭傷或者身體某處折斷時，你需要使受傷處固定，不要伸展、揉、捂或者動它。很多病人（包括一些教練）錯誤的把機能失調當作需要更多鍛煉的信號。所以他們出現運動損傷時，往往更加過度運動，比如肌肉撕裂、應力骨折等情況，這樣會數月數月的延長痛苦、耽誤治療。告訴大家一個很好的拇指判別法：除非觸痛（當你用拇指按肌肉或者關節時）消失，否則不要拉伸患處或者做大量運動！