Neurology

In World War II Henry beecher Some of his soldier patients noticed that even though they were injured on the battlefield, they did not need strong analgesic medications to manage their pain. In some cases, the wound was as severe as losing a part of a leg.

The truly remarkable event came into operation – the effects of fear, stress and emotion in the brain extinguished their pain. But how does it work – how can we use it for our benefit?

We are all struggling with pain sometimes. Burning indigestion is the victory of a scalt from kettle. Sharp punching of the sliced ​​finger.

But despite its undesirable, it has an important important purpose for pain, designed to protect more than harm the body. A basic concept to understand first is that you don’t find pain – this is a feeling. A feeling created by your brain – from the information that receives from the numerous neurons (nerve cells) that provide your skin.

These special neurons are called Nosyphers – They detect harmful, or damage to the body. It Incitement A mechanical cut or crushing wound, can be up to a serious hot or cold temperature.

So, if you touch a hot iron or stand on a sharp nail, the right reaction is to move your hand or foot from it. Brain pain responds by starting muscle contractions on your arm or leg. In doing so, further damage is avoided.

The course of the information is rushed to another with a neuron and is transported to the other, as the possibilities. These start with the skin, travel with nerve highways and into the spine. When information reaches the top level of the brain – the cerebral cortex – the feeling of pain develops.

Preventing pain signals

Many different factors may interfere in spreading this information – we do not feel the pain if the path to the courtex is blocked. For example, use anesthesia.

Local anesthesia The Nosheptars (such as lidocaine) are injected directly on the skin – perhaps in A+E to do stitches. Other agents stimulate the loss of consciousness – these General anesthesiaFor more detailed surgical activities.

Pain is a very different experience. Generally, we ask that they calculate their pain by giving a value to patients From ten to ten. One person will consider five of the ten pains, and the other can consider seven – the other two.

Some patients are born without the ability to feel pain – this is called rare condition Hypogexis. You may think that it gives an advantage, but the truth is very opposite. These people do not know about the circumstances of their bodies, and retain more deep injuries, or they may not see them completely and experience its consequences.

How to cheat your brain

The most unusual is that we all have an inherent ability to control our pain levels. In fact, a natural analgesic is found deep into the nervous system.

The secret is in a structure located in the middle of your brain: The Large gray (PAG). Neurons are neurons in this small, heart -shaped region, which is to change the incoming pain signals that reach the cerebral cortex. In doing so, you can reduce any pain that experiences.

Let us consider this in practice using a serious example of the battlefield. It is an event that can prove a barrier rather than really help with sensitivity. This can prevent a soldier’s running ability or help the guys. In the reduction of pain, the soldier can seek refuge in a dangerous environment.

But we face many examples of this skill in our daily practices. Did you feel that something in the kitchen was suddenly too hot? Sometimes that casually dish or a saucepan goes to the ground, but sometimes we can keep it for a long time to replace the stove-top. This action can be supported by stopping the impression of something that is unable to handle, and it is long to prevent it from abandoning.

The materials that make this effect are called Enepalins. They are made in many parts of the brain (including PAG) and spinal cord, and may have similar actions for strong analgesic drugs like chest. Long -term or recommended Chronic Pain – It is continuous and not effective for the body – this natural analgesic system may arise as a result of abnormalities within the system.

It asks the question: How to hacking your own nervous system to create an analgesic effect?

There is a growing evidence that the release of analgesic enefallins can improve in various ways. Gymnastics An example .

It is, except that, Stressful circumstancesOvarian Eating And Sex You can also affect the activity of enefallins and other related compounds.

So, how can we go about it? Take strength or endurance training? Query our stress? Good food? Good sex? Although there is more work to clarify the role of these options in pain management, their reward may be greater than we thought.

Pain is a complex, poorly understood experience, but the future is bright. FDA approved the use of new drug last month alone Journaws To manage severe pain.

It works Off the nosypherters In Acoute nervousSo pain signals prevent the brain from coming. This refers to a new improvement in the world, which depends on it Drug opioid drugsLike the chest and the fendan.

Creating new painkillers relies on the work of painful researchers to help unravel the complex neurological circuit and function. There is no denying that this is a difficult task. But in considering the neurological concept of how our bodies produce and suppresses, we can believe that they can act as their own healers.

And Bamgart Senior Lecturer, Physiological School, Pharmaceutical and Neurology, University of Bristol.

This article was first published Conversation.