Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Is Your Microbiome Connected to Your Pain
993 Is Your Microbiome Connected to Your Pain
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr. David Niesel.
And I’m Dr. Norbert Herzog.
We’re learning more, every day, the role microbes play in our health. The largest and most diverse collection of microbes lives in our intestinal tract.
They affect our immune system, appetite, digestion of food, how we store fat, and produce essential nutrients such as vitamin K.
But our microbiome can also make us sick, when it becomes unhealthy. Stress, whether emotional or physical can affect it. An unhealthy gut can raise our risk for inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, allergies, and some cancers.
Now, a new study suggests our microbiome can respond to pain. Pain from fibromyalgia, arthritis, and even migraines can change microbes in the gut.
In fact, the microbial “signature” of someone in pain was distinct enough that scientists could diagnose fibromyalgia and other pain conditions with ninety percent accuracy, just by looking at their gut bacteria. That’s helpful since fibromyalgia is tough to identify.
What’s striking is when they transplanted a sample of the microbiome from a fibromyalgia patient into a healthy mouse, it began showing the same pain behaviors.
We already know that people with fibromyalgia who get fecal transplants of healthy microbiome experience relief. Why is this? One theory is the microbiomes of people in chronic pain don’t produce enough short-chain fatty acids.
Could probiotics help? Maybe. What’s clear is a healthy gut plays a key role in preventing disease and maybe one day, it could help us control chronic pain.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or listen to our podcast on your favorite podcast service.
