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Science
Friday > Archives
> 1998
> July
> July 17, 1998:
Hour Two: Pain
Ouch!
There's a report out this week about two naturally-produced cannabis-like chemicals in the body that work together to block pain signals, both in the central nervous system and at the site of injuries. The findings raise the possibility of treating pain by delivering medicine to the site of injury, instead of delivering potent painkillers to the brain. | From the light prick of a pin to the mind-numbing pain felt by some cancer patients, we all have some experience with pain - either our own pain or that of others. So what exactly is pain? Where does it come from, and how does it work? And how can people balance the need for relief from serious pain with the desire not to use powerful narcotics that could cloud the mind or become addictive? |  | Pain normally is the body's way of telling us to stop doing what we're doing - a protective signal that something's wrong. But often, that signal goes on and on, long after we know that something's wrong - leaving patients suffering with no real reason.
And pain doesn't affect everyone equally. Some people are afflicted with hyperalgesia, a condition that heightens the sensation of normally slightly painful events. Some people feel any touch, even normally pleasant ones, as excruciating pain - a condition called allodynia. Others face the opposite problem. An extremely rare genetic condition called Group 4 hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathies (HSAN) causes some people to lack the ability to feel any pain at all. People with this condition often suffer serious injuries without knowing it because of the lack of danger signals from their bodies.
Plus - do men and women respond differently to pain? We'll find out, on this hour of Science Friday.
Guests:
Bill Isenberg
Assistant Professor
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Services
University of California at San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Daniele Piomelli
Pharmacologist
The Neurosciences Institute
San Diego, CA
Judith Paice
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Pain Management
Department of Neurosurgery
Rush/Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center
Professor, College of Nursing
Rush University
Chicago, IL
Cheryl Kitt
Program Director for Pain
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
Books/Articles Discussed:
"Control of Pain by Endogenous Cannabinoids," by A. Calignano, G. La Rana, A. Giuffrida and D. Piomelli. Nature magazine, July 16, 1998, pp 277-281.
Related Links:
How Pain Moves in the Body
Opiates
Pain Imaging Lab (has some nice movies)
Painmed
Pain.com
Paincare.org
American Pain Society
American Chronic Pain Association
Scientific American--Back Pain Issue | 
