Support at Home Another Tool for Pain Sufferers

Acetaminophen is a common over-the-counter pain killer as well as a component used in some prescription pain killers. Now there is new research out about this popular pain killer. Researchers studying acetaminophen found it has a previously unknown side effect: It blunts positive emotions.

Previous research had shown that acetaminophen works not only on physical pain, but also on psychological pain. This study takes those results one step further by showing that it also reduces how much users actually feel positive emotions, said Geoffrey Durso, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in social psychology at Ohio State University.

“Rather than just being a pain reliever, acetaminophen can be seen as an all-purpose emotion reliever,” he said.

Research revealed that people who took acetaminophen didn’t feel the same highs or lows as did the people who took placebos.

Be sure to give your doctor a clear picture of how you’re feeling, physically, mentally and emotionally. And discuss ways that you could better manage your pain, such as with the help of a physical therapist, until you can have the surgery on your hand.

In the meantime, why not contact your local Home Instead Senior Care^® office to learn how a CAREGiver^SM could assist with personal care as well as with tasks around the house and transportation. CAREGivers – both men and women – are screened, trained, bonded and insured to offer the best in companionship services for seniors like you. Support at home could help you feel less overwhelmed.

To learn more about this study, visit http://news.osu.edu/news/2015/04/13/emotion-reliever/. 

Each Home Instead Senior Care^® franchise office is independently owned and operated