New anesthesia blocks pathologic pain - and uses more chiles!
New anesthesia blocks pathologic pain - and uses
more chiles!
Scientists have combined a normally inactive
lidocaine derivative with capsaicin, the ‘heat’-generating
ingredient in chili peppers, to produce pain-specific local anesthesia. When injected
into rats, this combination completely blocked pain without interfering with
either motor function or sensitivity to non-painful stimuli. The finding
suggests an improved way to treat pain from childbirth and surgical procedures.
It may also lead to new treatments to help the millions of Americans who suffer
from chronic
pain.
Yes, I live in a chile-exporting state. We think chiles can cure everything. Science just happens to be proving us correct.
The study used a combination of capsaicin — the substance that makes chili peppers hot — and a drug called QX-314. This combination exploits a characteristic unique to pain-sensing neurons, also called nociceptors, in order to block their activity without impairing signals from other cells. In contrast, most pain relievers used for surgical procedures block activity in all types of neurons. This can cause numbness, paralysis and other nervous system disturbances.
Researchers think this may be effective on incident-specific and surgical pain, perhaps even chronic pain. And itching.
Yes, I live in a chile-exporting state. We think chiles can cure everything. Science just happens to be proving us correct.
The study used a combination of capsaicin — the substance that makes chili peppers hot — and a drug called QX-314. This combination exploits a characteristic unique to pain-sensing neurons, also called nociceptors, in order to block their activity without impairing signals from other cells. In contrast, most pain relievers used for surgical procedures block activity in all types of neurons. This can cause numbness, paralysis and other nervous system disturbances.
Researchers think this may be effective on incident-specific and surgical pain, perhaps even chronic pain. And itching.
Posted: Thu - October 4, 2007 at 06:40 AM