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Health The World3. January 2023

Greenery: a Natural Painkiller!

A team of researchers found that the color green has the potential to significantly reduce pain, and the results on mice show promise for future investigation in humans.

“Green light might have provided improved health and safety benefits for humans and animals from an evolutionary perspective,” explain the authors of the study. “Exposure to an environment rich in the color green – such as forest bathing – can decrease physiological and psychological pain.”

Mice were used to test the researchers’ hypothesis. Being exposed to full-field green light reduced “nociceptive [i.e., painful] behavioral responses,” alleviating pain in the animals since cone cells release a signaling molecule that activates opioid receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus, which plays a central role in pain control. According to recent studies, uncomfortable sensations due to chronic migraines and fibromyalgia can be reduced through the sight of the color green which also triggers positive emotions. The authors concluded that their findings “suggest that this signaling pathway could be exploited for reducing pain.”

Source:
IFLScience

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