Max
08-22-2006, 12:10 PM
The Mystery of BenGay
A study reveals how age-old cooling remedies help to alleviate nerve-related pain.
By Jennifer Chu
http://www.technologyreview.com/articlefiles/17342-082206-Peppermint.jpg Scientists have identified the neural pathway that allows cooling agents like menthol, a natural anesthetic found in peppermint, to act as an analgesic for certain types of chronic pain. (Credit: Istockphoto.com/Soroom)Creams like BenGay can relieve minor aches and pains. But exactly why they work is a mystery. Now researchers have discovered a neurological mechanism behind such cooling remedies that, if tapped just right, could have implications for people with chronic and nerve-related pain.
A study published yesterday in the journal Current Biology reveals that activating a crucial protein in the skin may counteract the nerve signals associated with chronic pain brought on by nerve injury. One trigger for this protein receptor is menthol, an active ingredient in topical analgesics like BenGay. But an even more effective trigger is icilin -- a chemical originally designed for toothpaste and nasal sprays. The researchers found that when applied to the skin, icilin stimulates the body's natural cooling system, and helps block chronic, nerve-related pain.
"There's a crying need to find safe painkillers for chronic pain use," says Susan Fleetwood-Walker (http://www.cnr.ed.ac.uk/links/suefleetwoodwalker.htm), a neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and co-author of the study. "It's extremely difficult to treat -- and we never expected this cooling effect would have this huge effect that it does."
Cooling remedies have
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17342&ch=infotech
A study reveals how age-old cooling remedies help to alleviate nerve-related pain.
By Jennifer Chu
http://www.technologyreview.com/articlefiles/17342-082206-Peppermint.jpg Scientists have identified the neural pathway that allows cooling agents like menthol, a natural anesthetic found in peppermint, to act as an analgesic for certain types of chronic pain. (Credit: Istockphoto.com/Soroom)Creams like BenGay can relieve minor aches and pains. But exactly why they work is a mystery. Now researchers have discovered a neurological mechanism behind such cooling remedies that, if tapped just right, could have implications for people with chronic and nerve-related pain.
A study published yesterday in the journal Current Biology reveals that activating a crucial protein in the skin may counteract the nerve signals associated with chronic pain brought on by nerve injury. One trigger for this protein receptor is menthol, an active ingredient in topical analgesics like BenGay. But an even more effective trigger is icilin -- a chemical originally designed for toothpaste and nasal sprays. The researchers found that when applied to the skin, icilin stimulates the body's natural cooling system, and helps block chronic, nerve-related pain.
"There's a crying need to find safe painkillers for chronic pain use," says Susan Fleetwood-Walker (http://www.cnr.ed.ac.uk/links/suefleetwoodwalker.htm), a neuroscientist at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and co-author of the study. "It's extremely difficult to treat -- and we never expected this cooling effect would have this huge effect that it does."
Cooling remedies have
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17342&ch=infotech