ANY drug that affords instant relief from headache should be regarded with suspicion, and should be considered unsafe to employ for that purpose.
THEY ARE COAL-TAR PRODUCTS
The drugs that at present are almost universally used in relieving headaches are the coal-tar products known as acetanilid, phenacetin, and antipyrin. They are present in practically every patent medicine, whether in the form of a liquid or a powder, that claims to give instant relief from pain. These drugs may be employed internally, or they may be applied externally. It matters not whether absorption takes place through the alimentary canal or through the skin. The effect is the same.
PHYSICIAN'S UNFORTUNATE DISCOVERY
Before the year 1886, there were none of these products on the market. A physician connected with the Strasburg hospital made the discovery that acetanilid lowered the temperature in fever patients and caused freedom from pain. The discovery was made known to the medical profession; and medical men, being constantly on the lookout for remedies that will produce the quickest results, to satisfy their impatient patients, naturally welcomed this new remedy.
Gradually the drug passed into general use.
Soon it was observed that in many instances, after-effects followed which were of a serious nature. Physicians began to look elsewhere for their fever-reducing and pain-relieving agents. At present, these drugs, which the reputable physician fears to prescribe without at least first making a careful examination of a patient's physical condition, are dispensed at every soda-fountain and in practically all the headache remedies.
DANGEROUS TO THE HEART
These drugs are dangerous heart depressants. In ordinary doses, as prescribed by physicians or contained in headache remedies, they have been known to cause almost instant death from heart failure. Numerous cases of death from their employment have been reported.
Among others, I will simply cite one case: Two roommates at college had been "cramming" for a week in the hope of passing the final examination. One of them, whose system was pretty well run down, had been troubled with headaches, and had been taking "cephalgine." Late one night he took another tablet, and went back to his books, while his roommate went to bed. When his friend awoke in the morning, the boy was still sitting at the table, his head bowed on his arms. He was dead.
Palpitation of the heart, muscular weakness, shortness of breath, pallor of the face, blueness of the lips and ears, resulting from the weakened condition of the heart, are only a few of the many symptoms that result from the employment of these drugs.
THESE CASES ARE A WARNING
The following are a few of the many cases that have been reported to the United States government by practising physicians:
"Child six weeks old: Frequent application of a powder consisting of equal parts of acetanilid and subgallate of bismuth to inflamed portion of the body, was followed by blueness of the skin of the entire body."
"Child, four months: Application of powder containing acetanilid to the skin was followed by intense blueness."
"Woman, thirty-seven: For eleven months she dressed an ulcer of the leg with acetanilid, and during that time lost seventy pounds and had greatly run down in health. Suffered from abdominal pain, blueness of skin, general nervousness, nausea, and dizziness."
"Woman, young: Injection of five grains of antipyrin was followed by appearance of an eruption resembling hives."
RESULTED FROM BROMO-SELTZER
"Woman, thirty-four: For six weeks she had suffered from dizziness, shortage of breath, nausea, and severe headaches. Her physician found her unconscious, skin blue, and in profound collapse. Inquiry developed the fact that she had been taking bromo-seltzer for two weeks in tablespoonful doses for pain."
"Woman, thirty-six: had been taking bromo-seltzer for headache for two months. Collapsed on the street."
A SYMPTOM AND NOT A DISEASE
Headache is not a disease, it is a symptom of disease, a danger-signal which nature erects. To pull down this signal does not remove the danger.
The headache may be due to chronic constipation and the absorption of poisons from the colon. It may be due to dietetic errors. It may result from eye strain. In any case, the causes should be sought out and removed.
There are many causes of headache, and each demands different treatment. How utterly foolish, then, to resort to a universal remedy!
THE MOST COMMON CAUSES
The most common cause is the free use of coffee, tea, and uric acid as served in meat. These are all heart stimulants — or527possibly a better term would be heart irritants. They produce constriction of the blood-vessels of the body, thus increasing the blood pressure; and the increased blood pressure causes distention of the blood-vessels of the brain, where the walls are thinnest, and what is termed cerebral hyperæmia. This intra-cranial pressure causes headache.
A SAFE REMEDY
The coal-tar products, being heart depressants, afford almost instant relief from such headaches. But a far safer procedure would be to make cold applications to the head, and at the same time place the feet in hot water. It is more rational to draw the blood from the brain in this manner than to shut it off with acetanilid.
THE PERMANENT RIDDANCE
The only way to get rid of these periodical headaches permanently is by the removal of the cause or causes. There are many persons who, by merely giving up the use of tea or coffee, have ridded themselves of headaches which had afflicted them for years. Others, by cutting down or out their use of flesh foods, have accomplished the same results. Still others, on ridding themselves of constipation, have ceased to have these periodic headaches.
If you are unable to ascertain the cause of a headache, a thorough examination by a competent physician is recommended. But whatever you do, or do not do, never take these headache remedies that give instant relief.
