New research from neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania has found that chronic pain can be suppressed by feelings of hunger. This unique evolutionary quirk, controlled by a very small population of brain cells, could offer researchers novel new targets for pain treatments.
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New research has identified an area in the brain responsible for modulating our feeling of pain. The discovery suggests new pathways toward non-opioid pain control if this natural painkilling system can be artificially activated.
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Many modern opioid-based painkillers don't target the specific site of pain but instead interfere with the brain's sensation of that pain. Researchers have now revealed a novel method for reducing our responsiveness to pain and it involves tricking our body’s pain-signaling processes.
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How is it that some frogs are able to flush toxins through their bodies that poison would-be predators without causing any harm to themselves? Scientists have pinpointed the mechanism that enables some types of frog to dodge the danger.
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Opioids may be an effective means of post-operative pain relief, but they're also potentially addictive. With this drawback in mind, scientists have developed a new pain management system that incorporates ultrasound and tiny sacs full of a nerve-blocking agent.
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Measuring pain in babies is difficult, but scientists have been working on a more precise way of doing things. Using brainwave recordings, they say they've uncovered a signature that appears indicative of infant pain, which can then help gauge infant response to pain relief.
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Although opioids may help relieve chronic pain, they can cause serious side effects. So, what alternatives are there? Well, new research from the University of Arizona indicates that exposure to green light may be another way to go.
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With an epidemic of addiction to opioid painkillers on the rise, researchers say they've found an alternative for pain relief from an unlikely source – a small snail found in the Caribbean Sea. The little cone snail Conus regius produces a venom that blocks a different pain pathway.
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The Better Back harness is a simple strap-based contraption that promises better posture and less lower back pain. We tried out Better Back for a few weeks to see if it makes good on its promises.
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New research has shown success at blocking specific molecules involved in maintaining pain following a nerve injury, significantly lowering patient discomfort. The tests were successful in laboratory mice, indicating that it might prove effective in human tests.
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