| Pain is something that everyone
experiences at some time, to a greater of lesser degree(在或大或小的程度) Chronic or long-term pain, however, is in a category(种类，范畴)of its own. This is the kind of pain that dominates and pervades(蔓延，渗透)the life of the sufferer. Relent- less(持续的), grinding, exhausting pain, from which there is no escape(无法逃避的). Most individuals who experience this kind of pain are paraplegics(截瘫患者)and tetrap1egics(四肢麻痹患者). These people, despite their disabilities, would often be capable of leading fulfilled and happy lives were it not for the fact(要不是/如果没有这一事实) that they suffer this terrible and debilitating(使衰弱)pain on an almost continuous basis. To date(到目前为止), treatment has been mainly in the form of heavy drug therapy, which produces unpleasant side effects. But there has been a breakthrough in pain control. A new device, SPES(Sub Perception Electro Stimulation) (不知觉电刺激), should radically (根本地) improve quality of life for many chronic pain sufferers. Professor I for Cape l, scientist and inventor, has conducted clinical trials of SPES on chronic pain sufferers with extremely encouraging results. SPES works by transmitting electrical signals controlled by microprocessors(微型信息处理机 ), in particular patterns across the brain, using tiny electrodes(电板) attached to the patient's earlobes. These signals stimulate chemical messages from the hypothalamus(下丘脑), the area of the brain which controls our bodily functions. As a result, a hormonal release is triggered, which alters the perception of pain. "The pain is still there", says Professor Cape l "but SPES helps you live with(接受某种局面)it. We are using .the body's natural ability to cope with pain." The treatment is painless and convenient, lasting for about an hour a day. The equipment is portable, so the person using it can move around comfortably. Other benefits are that it is non-addictive(不成瘾的) and the patient does not build up a tolerance(忍受)to SPES. It can be used at home without medical supervision. SPES should not, however, be used by pregnant women, epileptics(癫病患者), people who have pacemakers fitted(装上起搏器)and those who are taking certain prescribed drugs. |