People have been trying to relieve the misery of pain for a very long time. Opium use in Egypt was recorded by 1300 B.C., as was the use of coca plant leaves in pre-Inca cultures. Zaps from electric fish were used to treat headaches and arthritis in antiquity. The first reference to acupuncture in a Chinese medical text was in 300 B.C.
Many centuries later, scientists are still laboring to treat chronic pain, with limited success. That stalemate leaves patients and doctors feeling helpless.
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