New research shows that painkillers might make headaches come back. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Considering himself a tough young guy, 26-year-old Wang Yulong seldom takes medicine when he starts to feel sick.

 "Knowing that I'll get better soon without the medicine is not the only reason why I avoid taking drugs," said Wang. "I've always heard that if you take too much medicine too often you might end up developing a resistance to drugs. So when I come down with something like a common cold, I don't take anything during the first week. If it lasts longer than that, I'll turn to medicine."

For tough guys like Wang, small everyday discomforts such as colds, minor headaches, cold weather and hot days without an air-conditioner are easily bearable. He might actually be on to something as recent scientific research shows that these little discomforts in life are actually good for our health because they improve our resistance to unpleasant conditions.

According to a report in the Daily Mail from January, researchers have found that pain killers such as ibuprofen might actually prolong colds and make minor pains such as headaches more likely to recur.

On the one hand, this type of medicine lowers one's body temperature, which in turn makes it easier for viruses to replicate. "Ibuprofen suppresses inflammation, and it's possible it also suppresses an important part of the body's response to infection," Professor Paul Little, from the University of Southampton, wrote in the report.

On the other hand, "Taking pain killers regularly makes the brain more sensitive to pain signals and actually triggers a condition called 'medication overuse headache,'" Dr Manjit Matharu, a neurologist from the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, told the Daily Mail.

Of course, not everybody shares the same opinion when it comes to ignoring those little pains. Chen Rui, a general medical practitioner at a community hospital belonging to the Chengdu Qingyang People's Hospital in Sichuan Province, told Metropolitan that some minor sicknesses and pains might lead to bigger problems: "For example, cerebral hemorrhages can manifest as minor headaches, and bearable pain occurs before a myocardial infarction," Chen said.

Liu Ying, a doctor at the First Affiliated Hospital of the Medical College of Zhejiang University, feels that finding a balance is important, and that going too far is as bad as not going far enough.

"Take holding off using the bathroom," Liu told Metropolitan. "An adult's bladder capacity is 300 to 500 milliliters. When there's around 150 to 200 milliliters of urine in your bladder, you might feel like going to the toilet."

The report in the Daily Mail mentioned that by emptying one's bladder too often, basically rushing to the bathroom as soon as you feel a bit of pressure, your bladder will start to send signals to your brain sooner, which in turn could lead to an overactive bladder.

Although Liu didn't oppose this, she added that people should limit their waits to within half an hour. "If you wait too long and too often, allowing urine to accumulate beyond 500 milliliters, your bladder muscles will become flaccid and this may lead to urinary tract infections."

Staying healthy isn't always a completely painless process. Physiotherapist Sammy Margo pointed out in the Daily Mail report that sleeping on a hard mattress can be good for your spine and wearing tight clothing can help you stand up straight and keep muscles active.

"As an old Chinese saying goes, 'one prospers in worries and hardships, and perishes in ease and comfort.' I think this is the right perspective to take when it comes to personal health," Chen said.

"But remember maintaining a balance is always the best. People shouldn't seek out ways to make themselves feel uncomfortable. Just do what comes naturally and get a feel for what your body needs."
Newspaper headline: Just take two