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Hot n' Cold
Scientists are testing whether or not the chemical which makes peppers hot could be used as a kind of anesthesia. Capsaicin not only blows your head off in a chili pepper, it also numbs nerves. It's hoped this could lead to new treatments for post-operative pain.
There's some indication that this might be able to treat Type I Diabetes. It's possible that the pancreas stops producing insulin due to an inflammatory reaction in the pancreas, rather than an autoimmune reaction destroying the cells. Capsaicin could be used to stun the nerves in the pancreas and reduce the inflammation; in mouse experiments, diabetic mice were restored to full function.
Posted by: DensityDuck on October 31, 2007 02:10 PM