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 05 July 2008 14:45 BST

Heat proven to be effective pain killer

Wednesday, 05 Jul 2006 16:57
Heat proven to be effective pain killer

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Despite the long-term belief that heat can effectively target pain, scientists have now officially confirmed its beneficial properties.

Dr Brian King of the University College London's (UCL) department of physiology has found that heat is able to reduce internal pain for up to an hour as it deactivates it at a molecular level.

"The pain of colic, cystitis and period pain is caused by a temporary reduction in blood flow to or over-distension of hollow organs such as the bowel or uterus, causing local tissue damage and activating pain receptors," said Dr King, who will present his findings at the Physiological Society's annual conference hosted by UCL.

"The heat doesn't just provide comfort and have a placebo effect – it actually deactivates the pain at a molecular level in much the same way as pharmaceutical painkillers work."

This molecular process occurs when heat of 40C or above is applied to the skin near where internal pain is felt as it switches on heat receptors at the site of the injury. These receptors (known as TRPV1) then block the effect of chemical messengers (known as P2X3) that cause pain to be detected by the body.

Dr King said that the findings are significant in that they add to a body of work "showing that P2X3 receptors are key to the development of drugs that will alleviate debilitating internal pain".

Future research conducted by Dr King and his colleagues will focus on discovering and developing drugs which will block the P2X3 receptors in the same way that heat is able to.



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