Weintraub, Arlene. “Prickly Painkiller.” Scientific American July 2013: 14. Print.
Weintraub’s article divulges experimental research that could possibly cure inflammatory pain permanently. Using a toxin derived from cactus-like plants called resiniferatoxin (RTX), the compound would require a single injection to be effective. It works by killing neurons that convey inflammatory pain and interfering with the brain’s receipt of the sensation. According to Weintraub, the localized injection doesn’t destroy healthy tissue or other pain-related nerves.
The potential complications of this drug are a little unsettling to me. It doesn’t necessarily solve the problem behind the pain, just stops the brain from registering that pain exists at all. This violates the “Listen to your body.” mantra that I think is crucial for living healthy and fixing bodily problems (as much as possible) when they arise. Bodies send us signals for a reason. But for chronic conditions like bone cancer’s inflammatory pain, this is completely a valuable discovery.
