Discovery of new means to erase pain

Discovery of new means to erase pain

A study published in the scientific journal Nature Neuroscience by Yves De Koninck and Robert Bonin, two researchers at Université Laval, reveals that it is possible to relieve pain hypersensitivity using a new method that involves rekindling pain so that it can subsequently be erased. This discovery could lead to novel means to alleviate chronic pain.

The researchers from the Faculty of Medicine at Université Laval and Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Québec (IUSMQ) were inspired by previous work on memory conducted some fifteen years ago. These studies had revealed that when a memory is reactivated during recall, its neurochemical encoding is temporarily unlocked. Simultaneous administration of a drug that blocks neurochemical reconsolidation of the memory results in its erasure.

The investigators wanted to see whether a similar mechanism was at play during neurochemical encoding of pain sensitization. To this end, they injected capsaicin in the foot of mice. Capsaicin, the pungent chemical in chili pepper, triggers a burning sensation. The procedure, which causes no physical damage, triggers pain hypersensitivity through a process of protein synthesis in the spinal cord. After capsaicin injections, the mechanical pressure at which mice would flinch was about a third of that in the normal situation.

Three hours later, the researchers administered a second dose of capsaicin and, at the same time, a drug that blocks protein synthesis. The hypersensitivity then vanished rapidly. Within less than 2 hours, the pressure tolerated by the mice was back to 70% of normal.

WOW!!! This is great news for those who suffer with chronic pain.

I have chronic headaches and that can be quite debilitating but I couldn't imagine having a chronic pain all the time. This drug could be used for those people who have cluster headaches. I saw a documentary one time about cluster headaches and I couldn't believe what they have to go through. This one guy had to be on an oxygen tank & he was talking about how he had wanted to end his life because he couldn't stand the pain anymore.

Now I'm not sure if this will ever see the light of day because it will take money away from Pharmacies and we all know how much they hate that.

This is great news in one way, but terrible in another; Someone who has serious lower back problems could do more damage to their backs by not being able to feel the signs when their body is telling them that something is too much. It will be interesting to see this tested on people with bad backs and severe chronic pain.

a reply to: knoledgeispower

I am always on the lookout for information like this, S&F! After fractured bones, a gunshot wound, herniated discs, bone spurring, Ankylosing Spondylitis (degenerative bone disease) and 5 dislocated vertebrae. I need all the help I can get as I am resistant to narcotics like demorol, morphine, oxycot, percs, ***liums, etc., even some anesthetics. I get migraines as well but fortunately (or not), they are almost always purely visual, the optical distortion kind and I have about 10 minutes of warning before I can't see. I feel for you though, my mother has full blown visual and pain migraines and I know how debilitating that can be (from an observer's perspective).

I'll have to find out if my doctor can get hold of this "Capsaicin" and see if I can run some trials on myself. Done that kind of thing before on my own and I'd do it again because there is not a lot that's worse than operating in a pain amplifier.

Cheers - Dave

originally posted by: bobs_uruncle
a reply to: knoledgeispower

I am always on the lookout for information like this, S&F! After fractured bones, a gunshot wound, herniated discs, bone spurring, Ankylosing Spondylitis (degenerative bone disease) and 5 dislocated vertebrae. I need all the help I can get as I am resistant to narcotics like demorol, morphine, oxycot, percs, ***liums, etc., even some anesthetics. I get migraines as well but fortunately (or not), they are almost always purely visual, the optical distortion kind and I have about 10 minutes of warning before I can't see. I feel for you though, my mother has full blown visual and pain migraines and I know how debilitating that can be (from an observer's perspective).

I'll have to find out if my doctor can get hold of this "Capsaicin" and see if I can run some trials on myself. Done that kind of thing before on my own and I'd do it again because there is not a lot that's worse than operating in a pain amplifier.

Cheers - Dave

Dang your pain must be intense. Hopefully you can get access to Capsaicin. Maybe see if you can contact anyone from the research team via email and tell them what you want to do & find out what protein shot they were using with it.

I've had to go to the hospital when the migraine has exceeded more than 2 days. At that point I feel like I'm going insane from the pain. I can't eat without throwing up (intense pain always make me throw up) which means I also struggle to keep fluids in me. I'm naturally borderline dehydrated because I have a small bladder & with my other symptoms I have (undiagnosed still) my body has a hard time absorbing the water that I do drink.

originally posted by: Fylgje
This is great news in one way, but terrible in another; Someone who has serious lower back problems could do more damage to their backs by not being able to feel the signs when their body is telling them that something is too much. It will be interesting to see this tested on people with bad backs and severe chronic pain.

That is true but sometimes with the pain killers they are already on, that can be an issue. Especially if they are on a cocktail of medications.

Even if it ended up being a huge reduction in pain without it being fully gone, I think that would be super awesome for people.

Can dehydration over the long term mess with cerebral circulation? I too always pee brown ,I was raised in Albuquerque until 11 and got used to NOT drinking water I only needed about a gallon a day during D Storm. I also retain water.

Dunno, it sounds too tricky to me.
I hear there's a pretty good way of getting rid of pain for free with a simple plant.
Maybe after decades of real research and no casualties this will be fine.
Only thing that makes me really nervous, we get pain for a reason.
It tells us something is wrong with us.
Kind of like those drugs that mask one symptom and bring on a dozen more deadly things.
Like Captain Kirk said, "I like my pain, it makes me who I am"!

a reply to: knoledgeispower

I am a cluster headache sufferer...cheers for the kudos.

We are the warriors of pain.

I have all the kit...and the meds.

Still this new drug might offer something different.

Early days...

a reply to: knoledgeispower

I went through years of migraines, and also a short period, thankfully, of cluster headaches. I was on oxygen, too, and know what that man said that he wanted to end his own life. They are also known as "suicide headaches." It's absolutely indescribable. I finally went to a neurologist who put me on Topomax. While the Topomax did take the migraines away, it left me with hair loss and the hair in the front of my head looks like I've had chemo... it's all burned at the ends and it will not cut off. I'll trim it and it just stays the same, so I don't know what's up with that.

I also have degenerative disc disease and have chronic low and mid back pain. I went to an American Indian who makes her own pills for different things from plants she grows in her garden, and bought some pills she had for inflammation. She said sometimes she takes up to 6 a day, but after just one of her pills, my back pain has left me. For the first time this year I have been able to weed my garden, mow my lawn, and different tasks around the house that I have been unable to do for a long time. I swear by these pills, and they are all natural. The pills consist of 4 different plants, and every plant takes away inflammation. I guess just the combination did the trick for me. I agree with the poster, though, that said you have to be careful with back pain. If your pain is gone, you think you can do everything you did before, which may end up hurting you more.

Hope the Capsaicin works, though, for everyone. The Topomax is dreadful.

Simultaneous administration of a drug that blocks neurochemical reconsolidation of the memory results in its erasure.

Not sure why my mind is in darkside mode today, but does anyone else think this could lead to bad things as well?

I would hope it just meant good things for people in pain, but if a buck can be made using it badly, we know it will.

originally posted by: cavtrooper7
Can dehydration over the long term mess with cerebral circulation? I too always pee brown ,I was raised in Albuquerque until 11 and got used to NOT drinking water I only needed about a gallon a day during D Storm. I also retain water.

I'm not sure. I've always been borderline dehydrated. Up until I was 3yrs old, whenever I got sick I was hospitalized. I never exhibited the signs of dehydration back then so my Mom had to assume with how sick I was & for how long I was sick for, that I was dehydrated. The doctors were puzzled by it in the beginning.

Now I know how to better manage but it's hard to stay hydrated when you have a small bladder & your body doesn't get enough time to absorb the water it does get. This means summer is hell for me!! With how much water I have to drink in order to avoid heatstroke, I'm peeing at least 2ce in an hour. >_< Really sucks when I'm sleeping and have to get up every 2hrs to pee.

The color of my pee is either a light yellow or clear.

originally posted by: midicon
a reply to: knoledgeispower

I am a cluster headache sufferer...cheers for the kudos.

We are the warriors of pain.

I have all the kit...and the meds.

Still this new drug might offer something different.

Early days...

It was one of the things I instantly thought of for chronic pain and I guess that's because of how often I get headaches. It made work real hard because I always worked at places with florescent lights & loud sounds. I worked at a Booster Juice for a time but the 4 heavy duty blenders were killer on my head. I also had a bit of hearing damage from working there.

I'm hoping that this new drug can help those with really bad chronic pain like cluster headaches.

originally posted by: hebegbes
a reply to: knoledgeispower

I went through years of migraines, and also a short period, thankfully, of cluster headaches. I was on oxygen, too, and know what that man said that he wanted to end his own life. They are also known as "suicide headaches." It's absolutely indescribable. I finally went to a neurologist who put me on Topomax. While the Topomax did take the migraines away, it left me with hair loss and the hair in the front of my head looks like I've had chemo... it's all burned at the ends and it will not cut off. I'll trim it and it just stays the same, so I don't know what's up with that.

I also have degenerative disc disease and have chronic low and mid back pain. I went to an American Indian who makes her own pills for different things from plants she grows in her garden, and bought some pills she had for inflammation. She said sometimes she takes up to 6 a day, but after just one of her pills, my back pain has left me. For the first time this year I have been able to weed my garden, mow my lawn, and different tasks around the house that I have been unable to do for a long time. I swear by these pills, and they are all natural. The pills consist of 4 different plants, and every plant takes away inflammation. I guess just the combination did the trick for me. I agree with the poster, though, that said you have to be careful with back pain. If your pain is gone, you think you can do everything you did before, which may end up hurting you more.

Hope the Capsaicin works, though, for everyone. The Topomax is dreadful.

That really sucks that Topomax did that to you. I'm glad those natural pills are helping. I hate all the side effects that my pills have, most of them are things I already suffer with like depression & headaches. I was on a migraine medication that's side effect was headaches. >_< fail much

The neurologist doesn't know why I get headaches like I do, nothing showed up on the MRI or CT scan they did. I take a crappy pill called Gabapentin but it doesn't completely help. My doctor doesn't want to put me on anything stronger because all that's left is narcotic pills. ((T3 give me heart palpitations & messes with my IBS like symptoms.)) I need to find a new doctor though.

Do you know what 4 plants are in that pill? I used Lakota (the jell form) when I was younger for my arthritis (it's basically in all joints) and it worked wonders for me. I stopped taking it because my arthritis calmed down.

Most nitrogen compounds can overload pain sensors and relieve pain. Icy hot is an example. You could also eat hot pickled eggs or some hot spicy chicken or something like that. How about Cajun food?

You can also go out and get some clover flowers and chew on them. That helps back pain pretty much, but it only lasts about three hours and in that time you can do too much and make it worse. They are better after the bee visits it, because it boosts some chemistry after the bee gets to it.

A cigarette helps relieve pain, so does a cup of coffee. If you are sore in the morning, just suck down some coffee and have a butt. People did it for years.

I'm busy cleaning strawberries, got twenty quarts from someone up north. Freezing some whole, some with sugar, and making about ten pints and ten half pints of freezer jam. Strawberries are good for slowing cancer growth and also can boost special T cells to fight viruses. But they can take away some protection from bacteria because virus fighting T cells are formed. I am sure the vitamin C in them will help with fighting bacteria though.

Next project next week, pick three gallons of tart cherries from my brothers tree and process those. After that it's wild raspberry season then wild blueberry season. Talk about a busy time of year. All these berries have special properties, but too much can make you B12 deficient. Now freezing them helps reduce this problem.

Pain pain go away, come back some other day. My back is killing me, splitting firewood jars it. I bought a woodsplitter, but it is too slow, I can split the wood by hand twice as fast. At the expense of my back.

I should make some hot pickled eggs.

a reply to: knoledgeispower

The pills consist of Tumeric, Bromelain, Grapeseed, and Astragalus. Google them - they are all natural with attributes that fight inflammation. Simply amazing. While I hate Big Pharma and all the side effects pills cause, if anybody suffered from migraines or cluster headaches as I did, I would have to recommend the Topomax just for them. I only stayed on them for 6 months because when I started noticing a lot more hair in my shower drain, I simply weaned myself off. The migraines never returned. I had a constant, 24-hour a day migraine, and the only thing that would stop it was Imitrex, which I just had to take every 12 hours like clockwork. I have an osteophyte, which is just a bony growth off your spine, at the top of my neck that pushes into my occipital nerve at the base of my head that was causing them. I had no surgery, and I don't really know why the Topomax stopped the pain, but it did.

I also took Gabapentin for one day, but it made me so nauseous that I had to stop. I had a steroid injection at the base of my skull directly into my occipital nerve, which helped briefly, but didn't last. I also have a suspicion that that's what caused me to then start getting the cluster headaches because they occurred on the same side of my head as the injection.

It's awful having to deal with this kind of pain. While I don't ever want to take Topomax again, if I ever get like I was (fingers crossed I don't), I'll have no choice. I don't know how the natural plant pills would work on migraines. I have a feeling they won't.

I have a friend who suffers from arthritis in her hands, spine, and knees. She is in constant pain and has spoken of ending her life to escape. The pain medication the doctors are prescribing her help relieve the pain, but she is f###ed up when she is on them. She usually takes more than is prescribed, and then just has to suffer until the next refill. I'll make a point of showing to this her.

I can't be certain without reading the actual pharmacological report on this study but it sounds like the capsaicin is the source of the pain and the drug that inhibits protein synthesis is the mechanism by which they are getting their positive results.

If it is the other way around, i.e., capsaicin is causing the pain threshold to increase then I must be bulletproof to pain. I eat every hot food imaginable and even ghost chilis are becoming tame.

a reply to: knoledgeispower

Hi

Sorry to hear about your headaches.

One of the problems with cluster headaches is that painkillers don't work. The drugs we use are vascular constricters that tighten up the smooth muscle that lines the arteries. Oxygen works in the same way...the brain reacts to the increase by slowing the blood flow and tightening the arteries.
In the early days ergot was a gift from god but they have taken it off the market here. I did abuse it though and on two occasions managed to build up a tolerance. Those were difficult times.
I now have sumatriptan which hasn't been so good. So much so that I have now just recently swapped the inhalers for injecters. I haven't tried those yet....looking forward to it...sarcasm.
And we get the bog standard verapamil...more blood pressure stuff.

Sorry about all that...sounds a bit depressing. It isn't so bad for me...those headaches come in bouts and I have good long runs in between them. It is never something I talk about in real life...I hide it or make light of it...I'm not sure why. Not from anyone close to me of course I can't hide it from them. I tell you truly, I don't care...it is my lot, I deal with it and I am happy.


Midicon.

Mask the symptoms, but never get to the source that would not be good.

Sounds like BS.
I have fibromyalgia and causing more pain with capsaicin will do nothing but make it worse.

In 2006 i had heart bypass surgery and the pain from it caused to fibromyalgia to get about 4 times worse.

for me pain meds were not the answer but a medication called gabapentin blocks the pain.

gabapentin is a inhibitory neurotransmitter and to increase GABA.
Increasing GABA at the neuronal synapse inhibits the generation of the action potential of the neuron, thereby making it less likely to excite nearby neurons.