Food, Health, Life

Scientists Discover A Breakthrough In Diabetic Neuropathy Pain Management

Scientists in Germany conducted a study and now believe that they have made an immense breakthrough to help reverse pain that comes with diabetic neuropathy. Diabetic neuropathy occurs when patients suffering from diabetes have nerve damage that normally affects the legs, feet, hands and arms. Some of the symptoms are tingling, burning sensations, cramps, and sharp pain that can be incredibly intense, causing even the slightest touch to be excruciating. According to this research, their new discovery for this common diabetes complication could “significantly improve the lives of people.”

Source: https://clf1.medpagetoday.com

The research was headed by Senior Australian co-author Dr. Kate Poole, and conducted at the Max Delbruck Centre for Molecular Medicine in Germany. During the study, it was discovered that a ‘chemical agent applied to the skin of mice helped block nerve channels which trigger pain.’ Despite the study not finding ways to actually repair the damaged nerve cells, it has laid the foundation for a possible future drug that might be able to treat the pain associated with the nerve damage caused by the diabetic neuropathy.
According to Dr. Poole, “While a potential new treatment for the pain associated with diabetic neuropathy is still some years away, the research is an important first step in changing the accepted thinking around how to treat the condition.” She added, “Directly targeting nerve receptors in the skin could help manage pain in a way that does not trigger the negative side effects of drugs that act on the body’s central nervous system, which is how most current treatments work.” Professor Gary Lewi, Senior co-author on the study who is also from the Max Delbruck Centre for Molecular Medicine added, “If human patients respond the same way, this will represent a major step in treating a neuropathology that has a devastating effect on the lives of many people.”

Source: https://www.findhealthremedies.com

A grant was recently given to Dr. Poole that will allow her to proceed with her research in the hopes that she will find even more favorable results. Dr. Poole explained, “We will be studying force sensing molecules in the cells that make our cartilage to see if we can identify a way to reverse the cartilage damage that occurs when people develop osteoarthritis.” She continued, “This also involves going back to the drawing board to look more closely at force sensing proteins in other cells and tissues so we can increase our understanding of how human cells sense their physical surroundings.” For a closer look into her study and findings, you may find it published in the Nature Neuroscience journal.