A machine the size of pea could be the answer to healing the painful inflammation that comes from arthritis.
Dr. Kevin Tracey joined HuffPost Live's Josh Zepps to discuss a tiny nerve stimulator that can put a stop to the neural transmissions that cause inflammation. As described in The New York Times Magazine, the stimulator is embedded onto a critical nerve within the body to lessen symptoms by directing the nerve to send certain signals to specific organs.
Tracey said the device worked wonders on the first person who was ever treated using the machine: a middle-aged Bosnian man who was unable to work or play with his children because of the severity of his pain.
"He was essentially homebound and disabled by painful rheumatoid arthritis, for which he had exhausted the treatment options in Bosnia. And within weeks of having this device implanted, he was playing with his kids and went out and played tennis and hurt his knee. So a guy that was homebound had to be cautioned against too much exercise," Tracey said.
So how exactly does the nerve stimulator work? Tracey gives an easy-to-understand explanation of the technology and its benefits in the video above.
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