A middle-aged Scottish woman has two genetic mutations that virtually prevent her from feeling pain. Without the slightest problem, she is able to eat the hottest Scottish chili peppers. She never needed any painkillers at birth and is endowed with extremely low anxiety or fear. One of her genetic mutations is new to science and could be a potential breakthrough for every human being on this planet experiencing chronic pain.

Jo Cameron feels almost no pain

It reminds us of the story of American Henrietta Lacks, whose immortal cancer cells have transformed medical research. Jo Cameron, living in the Highlands, has virtually no pain, fear or anxiety - and the wounds heal faster than usual.

“I felt something. It was like my body stretching. I had strange feelings, but not pain. ”

Her perception of pain is so limited that she can burn and find out when she smells burned meat.

"I broke my hand and didn't realize it for two days. I was about nine years old. It was only when my mother saw my hand that something was wrong with my hand and we had to go to the doctor to find out that I had some trouble. They had to break my hand again because the bones had already begun to grow. "

When Jo does homework, she is often at risk of hurting herself without knowing it.

"When I iron, I often find that I have burned my hand," she said. But I won't find out until I see the imprint of the iron on that hand. "

Throughout her life, Mrs. Cameron thought that the perception of pain was normal. But when she had to go to surgery for sixty years, the doctors realized something unusual was happening.

“When I look back, I realize that I never needed painkillers. But if you don't need them, don't ask why. A person is simply himself until someone shows him to question him. I was just an ordinary happy soul who didn't even realize she was different from others. ”

She never needed painkillers

After the wrist surgery she refused pain medication, which confused the doctor first. As long as Jo Cameron insisted, the doctor looked at her medical records and found that she never needed them in her life, or at the birth of her two children. When we talk about childbirth, Jo said:

"It was strange, but I didn't feel the pain. It was really nice. ”

The reason is two gene mutations

Why not feeling any pain at all was investigated by researchers from two universities. They found it to have two gene mutations, one of which was completely new to science. The first mutation inhibits the enzyme called LESS FAAH, which acts to break down the natural analgesic in the blood. The second mutation, known as FAAH-OUT, could be the first recorded of its kind.

Due to the absence of this enzyme, Cameron has twice the level of natural analgesic compared to other people in the body. Her mutation causes her less anxiety and fear, but also some memory outages. In addition, doctors think Cameron has the ability to heal faster.

It's called a happy or forgetful gene. I annoyed the people around me by being happy and forgetful all my life - now I have an apology. ”

Millions of people suffering from chronic and acute pain are currently reliant on addictive painkillers. Millions of others will need analgesics after the surgery. Imagine if doctors found a way to temporarily eliminate this pain without the use of drugs.

Jo Cameron can help other people with chronic pain

John Wood, a professor at the Department of Molecular Neurobiology at University College in London, studies Mrs. Cameron's unique genetic equipment. He says what scientists find could have a huge impact on millions of suffering people around the world. Researchers' discoveries could help people with chronic or postoperative pain, anxiety disorders, and accelerate wound healing.

John Wood says:

"We hope to be able to help other people in the future, using the knowledge we have gained from studying Joina's mutation. We try to imitate it with the help of gene therapy, or possibly in a pharmacological way. "

Wood says people like Cameron are probably more, but she's unique to science at the moment because she has two genetic mutations at once. Scientists hope her story will inspire other similarly affected individuals to know about each other and perhaps help millions of other people who age and will most likely need painkillers. Jo Cameron is very pleased that research on her genes can help people around the world.