THE ballroom of the Jamaica Pegasus was transformed last week into a Greco-Roman tableau: imposing columns and floral arrangements and the music of new age composer-performer Yanni.

But the focus was not on culture or history but on pain, a very present bugbear of everyday life and productivity. Roughly 80 per cent of all adults and children, according to medical analysts, have suffered a tension headache.

And the pain is not the only deleterious effect. Migraine and tension headache sufferers invariably are unable to continue work or to sleep properly, thus opening the door to other ailments.

Pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithkline has sought to even the odds for severe pain sufferers (chronic pain, the next level, will require prescribed treatments, usually the morphine or more powerful sedatives).

Panadol Ultra is a specially designed formulation combining the well-known reliever acetaminophen with the equally well-known diuretic, caffeine. The latter speeds the absorption of the former into the bloodstream, thereby providing faster relief and less downtime.

During the launch, dominated by the brand's cherry red colour, company officials mingled with medical and consumer interests, answering questions and members of the group ASHE gave dramatisations of pain as well as a musical exposition.

Good food and beverage were readily available but a few were understandably reticent, given that excessive alcohol consumption, along with cigarette smoking, intense work periods and fatigue are among the primary factors that generate the contractions in the neck and hairline muscles that trigger tension headaches. And with headaches known to last up to seven days, nobody wants that level of discomfort.

Executive Class

Gardens with Gravel

Death to the Mullet!