Here are five takeaways:
1. Researcher Kevin Jilgore, PhD, of the Cleveland Functional Electrical Stimulation Center, will use a $2.4 federal grant to find a way to provide patients pain relief without using addictive drugs.
2. Dr. Jilgore expects human trials to begin in nearly four years.
3. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke provided the grant for Dr. Jilgore’s research.
4. Dr. Jilgore’s team has conducted some research which indicates raising the electrical cycles into the kilohertz range may stop the nerve from conducting, which stops the pain signals from reaching the brain.
5. The U.S. Substance and Mental Health Administration estimated nearly 1.9 million Americans are addicted to opioid painkillers, as reported in the 2013 National Survey of Drug Use and Health.
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