Lots of people deal with occasional aches and pains from time to time
If you’re dealing with chronic pain of any kind you know there are some days it just feels unbearable. Many people combat the pain by turning to prescription drugs. In the case of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy, or PDN, it’s estimated more than 95-percent of people turn to some type of medication.
Unfortunately, some treatments on the market either don’t work very well or have some pretty intense side effects. The good news is, there are some emerging medical devices out there that are already showing promise in connection with PDN. Last July, the FDA approved the first capsaicin medicated patch. Called Qutenza, the 8-percent capsaicin patch is already approved for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy. Essentially, it’s a man-made version of the compound already naturally found in chili peppers. It’s not the first time capsaicin’s been used to help treat and manage pain. Sure, capsaicin gives your taste buds a real kick when you eat chili peppers and use spicy pepper products, but it turns out it also has another purpose.
Capsaicin is a known compound for helping relieve pain.
While in this case it’s being used in patches, it can also be used in gels and creams for the treatment of pain. It’s been studied for the treatment of arthritis, diabetic neuropathy, muscle pain and even potentially migraines. Other research suggest capsaicin may be able to be used to treat other health concerns, too. While it’s probably not a great idea to just grab a handful of hot peppers and cut into them with your bare skin, the capsaicin patch may be beneficial for certain painful health conditions. Of course, capsaicin medicated or not, there’s probably not any patch, cream or gel out there that can top the hotness scale of natural capsaicin.
