Drug firm launches ‘Know Your Pain’ drive
Pain is the most basic warning system in the human body, alerting us to existing or possible upcoming threats to our health. There are different types of pain — that caused by inflammation differs from pain resulting from nerve entrapment, which differs from pain caused by migraine, diabetes or menstruation.
Regardless of the type or cause, most people who experience pain believe that it will cure itself or that it will disappear naturally. As a result, people tend to ignore this simple sign of a threat to their health until the pain becomes ‘‘chronic’’ — meaning that it lasts for a long time.
Pfizer (Thailand) recently marked its 55th anniversary and launched a health campaign called ‘‘Know Your Pain’’ to raise awareness of the causes of pain and the need to prevent and treat pain before it becomes chronic. The campaign aims to reach over 45,000 people across different age groups around the country and share useful information on pain through schools, hospitals, office buildings and quality drug stores.
‘‘In the Asia-Pacific region, around 50 million people suffer from diabetic nerve pain and around 10% of adults have chronic lower back pain. Pain and chronic pain can significantly reduce a person’s quality of life,’’ said Christian Malherbe, country manager for Pfizer (Thailand).
Market research carried out by the American Academy of Pain Medicine indicates that more than 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain and that approximately 3% to 4.5% of the global population suffers from neuropathic pain (commonly described as ‘‘aching pain’’), with the incidence rate increasing in tandem with age.
Part of Pfizer (Thailand)’s campaign involves working with Boots Retail (Thailand) to train 360 Boots pharmacists nationwide, this and next month, on the causes of pain, types of pain, how to prevent and treat pain, and particularly on the symptoms of so-called ‘‘office syndrome’’. These trained pharmacists will then share with the public useful information about prevention before pain gets intense and becomes chronic.
Interested members of the public can visit any branch of Boots around the country to talk to the pharmacists as well as pick up a free brochure entitled ‘‘Know Your Pain (Fighting Office Syndrome)’’.
Throughout the month of August, Pfizer will also organise a roadshow, visiting large office buildings in an effort to raise awareness about the effect of office syndrome. The company will also visit 50 secondary schools in Bangkok and nearby provinces to talk to more than 15,000 young women who are reaching puberty.
‘‘These young women are undergoing physical changes and they are often concerned about pain before and during menstruation,’’ explained Dr Sakonthon Sivarososkul, business operations director for Pfizer (Thailand). ‘‘Our trained staff will share with them knowledge on the causes of pain and proper care for menstrual pain, using modern media techniques such as an interactive film plus mobile-phone apps designed to enable fast and easy self-monitoring of one’s menstrual cycle.’’ Pfizer (Thailand) is also teaming up with private hospitals here with the objective of setting up exhibitions and booths to disseminate knowledge about pain and its treatment.