Anything I can do to increase my pain tolerance?

dmo — Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:38:05 -0800

Tomorrow at 11:00 am I have an appointment to have 5 tiny cavities taken care of. The dentist says I shouldn't need numbing. What, if anything, can I do to maximize my pain tolerance? I've tried this once before, and twitched immediately, so the dentist numbed my gums. But because of a friend's several-month-long numbness that resulted from a purportedly simple dental procedure, I'd prefer to skip the novocaine this time. I don't know if this is relevant or not, but I have a relatively low caffeine intake - less than 60 mg a day.

Capsaicin

Eamon — Mon, 13 Sep 2004 07:55:47 -0800

Physiologyfilter: After reading about capsaicin in this Straight Dope article by following a link from this thread, I got to thinking...

The compound has a powerful irritant effect on certain mammalian pain receptors (nociceptors). The key receptor molecule, a protein on the outer surface of the cell, was identified in 1997. When capsaicin comes into contact with it, a cascade of intracellular reactions is triggered that is perceived by the brain as pain.

People feel pain when capsaicin comes in contact with certain cells. Pain, of course, is usually the body's way of telling us that it's damaged. In the case of capsaicin, however, it's just a biophysical fluke (this molecule just happens to fit in that receptor): no harm is being done to the body, it just feels like it.

Are there other ways the body can be tricked into feeling pain when no damage is being done? Is there any danger in fooling the brain in this manner? What are the adverse affects of going through frequent or dramatic pain/endorphin cycles?

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Anything I can do to increase my pain tolerance?

Capsaicin