THESE indefatigable Australians were at it again in 2014.
A team of researchers studied people in Sydney with "acute lower back pain".
The 1,650 volunteers were split into three groups.
The first group were given regular doses of paracetamol-the treatment most widely recommended by doctors.
The second were given paracetamol only when they felt they needed pain relief, and the third group were given dummy pills: placebos.
All the patients received "advice and reassurance" and follow-up help for three months.
The research was published in The Lancet (the world's leading general medical journal).
And the results? Not awfully impressive, from the point of view of the drugs.
The placebo group had an average recovery time of 16 days-which was a day faster than the other two groups.
Other research showed that ibuprofen, doctors' other remedy of choice, was no better than paracetamol.
And if your medic suggests that bed rest is the answer, pay no attention.
It won't do your aching back any good at all.
I'd never suggest that a drug was the answer to back pain-or much else.
It's always better to do a little research and find if there's a natural alternative.
I started a talk once by saying I'd recently discovered that most of my friends and acquaintances were on drugs.
But before you jump to the conclusion that I keep some pretty dodgy company, I should point out that I'm talking about pharmaceutical products.
They'd been prescribed for high blood pressure, insomnia, osteoporosis, you name it.
And in all of these cases, simple, natural, and highly effective remedies would have made all the difference.
But try persuading a friend or a member of your family to consider alternatives to a doctor-prescribed drug and you'll most likely find you're wasting your breath.
A team of researchers studied people in Sydney with "acute lower back pain".
The 1,650 volunteers were split into three groups.
The first group were given regular doses of paracetamol-the treatment most widely recommended by doctors.
The second were given paracetamol only when they felt they needed pain relief, and the third group were given dummy pills: placebos.
All the patients received "advice and reassurance" and follow-up help for three months.
The research was published in The Lancet (the world's leading general medical journal).
And the results? Not awfully impressive, from the point of view of the drugs.
The placebo group had an average recovery time of 16 days-which was a day faster than the other two groups.
Other research showed that ibuprofen, doctors' other remedy of choice, was no better than paracetamol.
And if your medic suggests that bed rest is the answer, pay no attention.
It won't do your aching back any good at all.
I'd never suggest that a drug was the answer to back pain-or much else.
It's always better to do a little research and find if there's a natural alternative.
I started a talk once by saying I'd recently discovered that most of my friends and acquaintances were on drugs.
But before you jump to the conclusion that I keep some pretty dodgy company, I should point out that I'm talking about pharmaceutical products.
They'd been prescribed for high blood pressure, insomnia, osteoporosis, you name it.
And in all of these cases, simple, natural, and highly effective remedies would have made all the difference.
But try persuading a friend or a member of your family to consider alternatives to a doctor-prescribed drug and you'll most likely find you're wasting your breath.