Toronto, Canada, June 27, 2016 – Bel Marra Health (www.BelMarraHealth.com), a company offering specially formulated vitamins and nutritional products, is weighing in on a study published in the journal Nature in which spider venom was used to discover a method to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) pain.
“What’s most positive about this study is that there is no known cure for irritable bowel syndrome,” says Dr. Victor Marchione, spokesperson for Bel Marra Health. “So having a team come together to conduct this research can go a long way to helping a lot of people who are suffering.” Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) affects about 15% of the U.S. population, the majority being women. (Source: International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders, “Facts About IBS,” June 22, 2016; http://www.aboutibs.org/what-is-ibs/facts-about-ibs-2.html, last accessed June 24, 2016.)
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A team of international researchers from both the U.S. and Australia conducted a study to discover a much-needed way to relieve the pain of IBS, a subject that has so far stumped most of the medical community.
Because of its pain-inducing abilities, the research team thought spider venom would be an effective means to identify pain pathways in the nervous system, specifically in relation to IBS.
“The spider venom elicits a pain response, so it can be used to find out what areas are active in different types of pain, including the gut pain IBS sufferers experience,” says Dr. Marchione.
Using the spider venom, the U.S.-Australian team pinpointed Nav 1.1, a protein found in nerves and muscles, as the pathway for IBS abdominal pain. (Source: “Spiders put the bite on irritable bowel syndrome,” UQ News web site, June 7, 2016; https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2016/06/spiders-put-bite-irritable-bowel-syndrome-pain.)
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“This may initially seem like an uncommon approach,” Dr. Marchione continues. “But scientists and researchers often resort to unconventional out-of-the-box approaches to find solutions.”
Because they believe they’ve now identified the pain pathway in IBS sufferers, the research team is now working on molecules that can be used to block the Nav 1.1 protein. “Starting with spider venom and ending up with a plan for a pain treatment for a frustrating illness—this study is a prime example of how our natural world and our medical advances go hand in hand,” Dr. Marchione says.
Bel Marra Health has an expert panel of doctors who lend their expertise on natural health news, health methods, and health trends. Learn more about Bel Marra by visiting its website at www.BelMarraHealth.com.
