Hot sauce is used to spice up your food. Now, capsaicin -- the active principle that gives chili peppers their punch -- is knocking out knee pain.
At age 71, Ron Johnson says his knee is in better shape than it was in his fifties.
"It was constant pain in both knees," Johnson says.
That pain limited his work as a funeral director.
"One of the things that bothered me the most was limping down the aisle of a church funeral trying to push the casket," Johnson says.
The spicy new treatment is part of a study that uses Adlea, an ultra-purified form of capsaicin. Dr. Birbera injects it into a patient's knee to relieve pain.
"It allows the entry of calcium which de-sensitizes the nerve for a prolonged period of time," says Charles A. Birbara, M.D., a rheumatologist with the Clinical Pharmacology Study Group in Worcester, Mass.
Doctors say capsaicin binds to specific receptors on nerves responsible for pain. When the cells open, extra calcium enters. The nerves become overwhelmed and shut down, thus numbing the pain from several weeks to months.
"What we are looking at here is a very targeted therapy," Dr. Birbara says.
Doctors say because capsaicin pinpoints the pain, patient's are reporting few major side effects except the initial burning sensation when first injected.
"If you can take it in your stomach you certainly can put it in your knee," Johnson reasons.
Heat that's making the hurt to go away.
Doctors are also studying Adlea for surgical pain. Initial reports suggest pain is improved and patients may need less pain medication afterwards. Adlea is not FDA approved and doctors are still testing to see just how long the pain is relieved.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Anesiva
Web: www.anesiva.com
Phone: (650) 624-9600
Gilbert Wong, MD
Director of Clinical Research
Email: cbwang@wcpglobal.com
