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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: pain

pain stories: 9 news summaries
THAT %#*&! SMARTS

 Swearing Reduces Pain 

Coarse words help us deal with painful stimuli

Nov 9, 09 1:48 PM CST
(Newser) - If your reaction to slamming your finger in a door is to curse the air blue, you might be onto something: A new study shows that swearing relieves pain. Intrigued by the fact that people seem to swear in painful situations, UK researchers put the idea to the test: they... More »

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pain relief • swearing • pain

(Newser) - The feel of green can make people more resistant to low-level pain, NPR reports. Building on earlier research about the psychological power of money, experts in China conducted a study asking subjects to dip their fingers in water heated to 122 degrees Fahrenheit; those who had counted money ahead of... More »

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study • money • research • pain • cash

 Swearing Cuts Pain, Dammit 

Scientists suggest link to fight-or-flight response

Jul 12, 09 12:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stubbed your toe? Let loose a torrent of profanity and you may actually feel better, a study suggests. Scientists had subjects stick their hands in ice water for as long as they could, once while cursing and again using only G-rated language. The researchers discovered that cursing subjects could keep... More »

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study • language • swearing • pain • aggression

No Wonder They're Crabby: Crabs Feel Pain

Laws should consider the suffering of crustaceans, scientist says

Mar 27, 09 12:20 PM CDT
(Newser) - Before you drop another crab into a boiling pot of water, take note: Crabs feel pain. Scientists don’t fully understand pain in humans, but do now know that crustaceans respond to discomfort and keep a memory of it, LiveScience reports. Hermit crabs that were shocked fled their shells, “... More »

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research • human • crab • pain • lobster

Want a Mind-Blowing Orgasm? Have a Kid 

Labor pains can be overwhelmed by pleasure, some say

Mar 18, 09 9:47 AM CDT
(Newser) - Going into labor, most women would agree, is not much fun. But for Amber Hartnell of Hawaii, childbirth offered "the most overwhelming pleasure I have ever felt in my life"—a 4-hour sexual climax. As the Guardian reports, she's one of the women in a recent documentary on... More »

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women • labor • sexuality • childbirth • pain

Bush Gets Shoulder MRI, Visits Soldiers at Walter Reed

President's pain likely just result of wear and tear, docs say

Dec 22, 08 2:26 PM CST
(Newser) - President Bush underwent an MRI today after complaining of pain in his shoulder, the AP reports. The test was done at Walter Reed Medical Center where Bush was visiting convalescing Iraq war veterans, perhaps for the last time during his presidency. A White House doctor said the injury had not... More »

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White House • Walter Reed Army Medical Center • MRI • Iraq veterans • George W. Bush • pain • shoulder

 5 Facts About Pain

And why it's hard to treat

Jul 28, 08 5:55 AM CDT
(Newser) - Electrical signals carry pain impulses to the brain—that much scientists know. But how to treat pain remains a question, LiveScience reports. Here's the scoop:
  1. It "is a complex mixture of emotions, culture, experience, spirit, and sensation," one expert said. In other words, it's hard to even
... More »

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health • science • list • medical study • pain

That Irritating Itch? It May Just Be Your Brain

In fact, our noodles could be inventing 90% of what we call real

Jun 24, 08 3:17 PM CDT
(Newser) - A woman suffers from an itch so severe that she scratches right through to her brain—yet doctors find no medical ailment. War victims feel the sensations of a real limb—but from phantom appendages. What does it all add up to? Perhaps a new understanding of how our brains... More »

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medicine • science • brain • neuroscience • pain • itch • phantom limb • scratch

 Hypertension
 Linked to
 Fewer Migraines 

High blood pressure may interfere with pain signals

Apr 15, 08 11:37 AM CDT
(Newser) - Beta blockers and other medications that lower blood pressure are routinely prescribed for migraines, but now a new study has discovered that people with high blood pressure had 40% fewer headaches. "This is a paradox," the lead researcher told WebMD. One possibility is that high blood pressure interferes... More »

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hypertension • migraines • blood pressure • American Heart Association • Mayo Clinic • headaches • migraine triggers • pain • beta blockers • Norwegian National Headache Center • baroreflex • high blood pressure

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