In the body, there is a “relay” system that bounces messages from your brain to tell you that you hurt and where. The skin also has a relay system of peripheral nerves that sense hot and cold, sending those messages to the brain. Scientists found that an application of heat actually interferes with pain signals being sent to the brain. They don’t exactly know how this interference occurs, but the sensation of pain seems to lessen with the application of heat. It seems like when the brain senses heat, it becomes “confused” and closes down the intensity of the sensation of pain.

The association between pain and the brain can be somewhat daunting. Because some pain seems to go beyond a reason for the pain, since there seems to be no longer an organic cause, scientists have been exploring how to relieve it without drastic measures.… Read the rest

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