We’ve all stubbed our toe, jammed a finger, had a migraine, and immediately thought to ourselves: “How can I alleviate this pain as fast as possible?” Well scientists have been working on that solution for decades, nay, centuries. From the dawn of time, it was tribal instinct and prayer that was thought to cure sickness. Eventually, this evolved into voodoo rituals, involving crushed plant matter and natural ingredients that would be fed to the injured, or placed on the spot of the pain.
Modern medicine didn’t come until breakthrough scientists like Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur dared to think out of the box. Curie experimented with so much radiation that it caused her short-lived life to end, but she did it all in the name of science. In essence, she died so we could have the modern medicine we do today. Or something like that.
Science eventually discovered the “nociceptor” which alerted the brain that cells were being damaged, essentially causing the body to recognize this as pain. But it wasn’t enough for the public for scientists to just find a way to relieve the pain… they wanted instant relief. Medicine had to be faster, stronger, and more effective.
Nowadays, pain relievers work fast in order to either block or stop the sensors before they can overwhelm the brain. So essentially, you have thousands of years of random experimentation to thank for that migraine pill you pop the morning after a hangover, or the Sensodyne Rapid Relief you use to alleviate sensitivity every morning (and night, because you should brush your teeth at least twice a day).
