After more than 39 years, a woman with an extremely rare genetic condition has finally felt pain for the first time in her entire life—and she absolutely loved it!
According to newscientist.com, the woman, who wishes to remain anonymous for now, signed up to try an experimental drug, usually prescribed to treat opioid overdoses.
Once she took the risky drug, called naloxone, the woman was then burned with a hot laser. And she finally felt pain for once in her life!
As the researchers point out in their study, naloxone has the power to block opioid peptides, the body’s natural painkillers.
“I think she quite enjoyed the experiment,” said John Wood, who studied neurobiology at University College London.
As the shocking new report brings up, only “a handful of people around the world” are unable to feel pain at all, but their rare genetic mutation can help scientists learn more information about pain management.
While being incapable of experiencing pain seems like an amazing idea at first, it’s actually extremely dangerous.
Pain tells us when something isn’t right in our bodies, plus it helps us avoid putting ourselves in potentially harmful situations.
With this incredible breakthrough, scientists hope they can use the information to figure out a better way to manage pain in individuals suffering from serious conditions, such as arthritis.
“It looked like a fantastic drug target,” said Wood. “Pharma companies went bananas and made lots of drugs.”
