Gender Inequality--In Pain Transmission

In the ever constant struggle for gender equality comes this news from the world of pain management...and in this case, it would be much easier for science and medicine to resolve if it did not exist.

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent conditions in the medical realm. Nearly one in four Americans has experienced it. Pain management is a very tricky business...medical practitioners are struggling with when to use potentially addicting medications, antidepressants, complementary and alternative medical practices..the list goes on. This has now become more complicated...because a recent study published in Nature Neuroscience reports that pain sensitivity differs with respect to gender. In other words, this study (conducted in mice) concluded that pain is transmitted via the nervous system differently in men than it is in women.

This opens up a whole new avenue into the world of pain management. In the future we may see different treatment options depending on the gender of the individual patient. No one can say for sure, but it sure is interesting, isn't it?

You can read an article about this topic by clicking here.

Sources: Medical News Today; Wikimedia

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