February 23
Pain and How it Affects Us
	Can you really lose yourself in a game to where you feel no pain? Do newborns feel pain—and should it be treated? Today there’s new information. There is a growing body of evidence that suggests that there are differences between the sexes in how pain is perceived—and what raises the pain threshold. There are also new findings on alleviating pain in newborn babies. In a study of 63 college students, researchers measured the participants’ level of pain before and after three kinds of activities—running in a track meet, running on a treadmill and competing in a video game contest. The results—competing in a track meet did raise the pain threshold for both genders, but significantly more for men than women. Video games raised the threshold for men, but not for women. And the non-competitive activity, treadmill running, numbed the pain for women, but not for men. The researchers concluded that for men, painkilling is more dependent on competition than on physical activity alone and for women, exercise is more important than competition. In another article on pain, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, a panel of experts contends that newborns are very sensitive to pain, and may experience long-term consequences from painful episodes. The panel recommends that steps be taken to reduce a newborn's exposure to pain whenever possible. That includes allowing newborns to be comforted by swaddling, skin to skin contact with the mother, or sucking on a pacifier with sugar water during painful procedures, and providing pain relievers and topical numbing medicines. The experts also suggest using less painful alternatives to certain procedures if they are available. Just a reminder—at home, check with your doctor before giving your newborn any medicine.
	Resources: Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. 2001:155:173-180 Journal of Pain. 2001: 2