In World War II, Doctor Henry beachr It was noticed that some of his military patients, despite being injured in the battlefield, did not require any strong pain reliever to manage their pain. In some cases, the injury was severe as losing part of an organ.
In fact, a remarkable event came into the game – the effect of fear, stress and emotion on the brain stopped their pain. But how does it work – and how can we use it for our profit?
We all struggle with pain many times. Burning of indigestion, vins of a scalled from kettle. Strong stab of a chopped finger.
But despite its unpleasantness, pain has a serious significant purpose, designed to protect the body rather than damaging. A fundamental concept to understand first is that you do not detect pain – this is a sensation. A sensation that your brain has created – from information it is obtained from countless neurons (nerve cells) that supplies your skin.
These special neurons are called nociceptors – They detect stimuli that are toxic, or potentially harmful to the body. it Excitement From a mechanical cut or crush injury, ranging, ranging from extremely hot or cold temperatures.
Therefore, if you touch a warm iron, or stand on a sharp nail, the correct response is to move your hand or leg away from it. The brain responds to pain by starting contraction of muscles in your hand or leg. In doing so, some other damage is postponed.
The courses of information, running to another with one neuron in a relay, are transported as an electric current called action potential. These begin on the skin, traveling with nerve highways and spinal cord. When the information reaches the upper level of the brain – Cerebral Cortex – A sensation of pain arises,
Pain
Many different factors can interfere with this broadcast of information – we do not experience pain if the passage of the cortex is blocked. For example, use anesthetics.
Local anesthetics Nosesceptors (eg lidocaine) are injected directly into the skin to neutralize – perhaps in+E to put stitches. Other agents inspire the loss of consciousness – these are General anestheticsFor more comprehensive surgical operations.
Pain is also a very variable experience. Usually, we ask patients to give a value to determine their pain Zero to tenOne person will consider one in five of ten pains, the other can consider one seven – and the other one two.
Some patients originate without the ability to pain – this rare situation is called Congenital analgesiaYou may think that this is an advantage, but the truth is quite opposite. These individuals will be unaware of the circumstances where their bodies are being damaged, and can maintain more intensive injuries, or remember them completely and suffer the results.
How to dodge your mind
What is more extraordinary that we all have a congenital ability to control the level of our pain. In fact, a natural pain reliever is found deeper within the nervous system.
The secret lies in a structure located in the middle of your brain: Pericwadctal gray (PAG)This small, heart -sized area contains neurons whose role is to reach the upcoming pain signals to the cerebral cortex. In doing so, it is capable of reducing any pain that will be experienced otherwise.
Let’s consider this in practice using the extreme example of the battlefield. This is an example where sensing pain can actually prove to be a more obstacle than help. This can interrupt a soldier’s ability to run, or to help with peers. In temporarily numbness of pain, the soldier is able to avoid a dangerous environment and take refuge.
But we face many examples of this ability that take action in our everyday routine. Never raised something in the kitchen that you suddenly realize that it is very hot? Sometimes he descends on the casserole dish or saucepan floor, but sometimes we are able to hold it for a long time to move it to the stove-top. This action can be dropped down to stop the sensation of heating something very heated by the steps, just enough to stop it.
The substances that produce this effect are called MalevolentThey are produced in many different regions (including pag) and spinal cord, and may have similar functions as strong analgesic. It has also been suggested that long term or Long -term Pain – which is continuously and useful for the body – may occur as a result of abnormalities within this natural analgesic system.
This question arises: How can you go about hacking your own nervous system to create analgesic effects?
There is a growing evidence to suggest that the release of pain reliever nakefelin can be increased in various ways. Exercise There is an example – One of the reasons that the prescribed exercise may be able to do amazing work for pain and pain (eg pain) rather than popping popping popping.
Other than this, stressful situations, Feeding And gender The activity of enkephalins and other related compounds can also affect.
So, how can we go about it? Take strength or endurance training? Reduce our stress? Good food? Good sex? While these options in pain management require more work to clarify a role, their reward may be more than our thoughts.
Pain is a complex, poorly deemed experience, but the future is bright. Only last month, FDA approved the use of a new drug magazine For management of acute pain.
It works by Switch to nociceptors In peripheral nervous systemAnd so prevent the pain signals caused by the brain. It represents a possible new success in a world that has become dependent Addictive Opioid drugsSuch as morphine and fantanel.
Developing new pain relieving treatments depends on the work of pain researchers to highlight complex neuronal circuitry and function. There is no denying that this is a difficult task. But considering how our body generates and suppresses pain, we can expect to understand how they can act as their own doctors.
,Author: Dan bomguardSenior Lecturer, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of bristle,
,disclosure statement: Dan does not work for Bomguard, consults, works for funding from any company or organization that will benefit from this article, and has not revealed any relevant affiliation beyond his educational appointment )
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