Optogenetics: Update

In August 2014, I wrote a post for this blog about an exciting new approach to pain management known as "optogenetics." You can read the post in its entirety here...but here is a brief refresher:

Optogentics is an evolving new field that sheds promise on the treatment of many conditions including chronic pain management. In a nutshell, optogenetics is a technology that employs beams of light to control selected areas of the brain, essentially turning them on or off.

The use of various forms of light to treat disease is not a new idea...consider the use of UV light to treat psoriasis...or light boxes for seasonal affective disorder...or lasers used in surgical procedures. It's not surprising to think that light beams can be used in other ways to treat other disorders..right?

Fast forward to November 2015. Now there are reports of studies of implantable optoelectronic systems for treatment of many health conditions via wireless. These implants, when strategically placed, will make it possible to activate or deactivate light sensitive proteins in the nervous system.

As this field of study grows , the potential to treat many chronic pain conditions may change dramatically in years to come. Stay tuned for updates as they become available!

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Living with Chronic pain hits the big screen!

Been to the movies lately? Jennifer Aniston is on the big screen in a recent release titled "Cake." Her character, Claire is a victim of chronic pain...she belongs to a support group, where all of the members are coming to terms with the suicide of one of their members. Of course, she also takes pain medication and addiction is another of her problems...and of course there's more! I guess I am writing this post just to bring readers' attention to the fact that Hollywood has become aware of the crisis that is chronic pain. This movie is a testament to that. People that don't have to live with this kind of pain don't fully understand the whole story. Maybe this movie will shed some light on the issues. Here is the official trailer for the movie: Sources: prweb;NorthJersey.com;YouTube

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