Nobody really knows how anesthesia works. All we know is that it does work.
Discussion
one of the most commonly used pain meds is acetaminophen/paracetamol and we don't really know how it works
Just the name ending in "mol" gives you an idea about how it works.
Same receptors as alcohol.
It's why you never mix it with alcohol, it gives you brain damage without making you get drunk.
Penrose-hameroff orchestrated object reduction theory touches on that. Quite fascinating.
Have either of you ever been under anaesthesia?
Not me
I have many times, it’s a very bizarre experience.
You fall asleep with a second, and it feels like literally a min later they wake you up!
The surgery may have been hours but it feels like a min to you.
Sometimes I have seen things whilst under, other times it’s just blank - nothing.
They always wake you up in theatre to make sure you’re ok, but you don’t remember at all.
Then they wake you in recovery.
Strange
According to Brown, anesthetic drugs cause brain circuits to change their oscillation patterns in particular ways, thereby preventing neurons in different brain regions from communicating with each other. The result is a loss of consciousness—an unnatural state that he compares to a “reversible coma”—that differs from sleep. The oscillations vary, he explains, based on the type and amount of anesthetic used and the age of the patient’s brain (since brains age at different rates).
The EEG of someone under anesthesia looks quite distinct from any of the normal brain states (stage 1, stage 2, REM, or slow wave sleep). If anesthesia is deep enough, you see a pattern on EEG called burst suppression, which means bursts of electrical activity interspersed with periods where activity is almost completely suppressed. If anesthesia is deep enough, the bursts disappear completely.
https://eegatlas-online.com/index.php/en/alphabetical-index/burst-suppression-guest
Yeah it's weird, woozy and strange once you're first awake, like being drunk or on drugs.
Dogs are funny too. Mosha has been under twice. Both times she was quite sleepy & stumbly when I went to pick her up, and she took a poop on the floor as soon as the nurse put her down 😂 It wasn't so funny when she got home and had no bladder control for a few hours 😬
I have & wow.
Best sleep ever hey.
Yes indeed & all it felt like was a quick eye blink. Twice have I gone under & twice I was shocked because it felt like I blinked my eye for a split second & without knowing it 13 hours went by.
Exactly
You know sometimes I think about it & go wow it's actually scary to know it felt like a quick eye blink & no idea someone was cutting into me & cutting my flesh up then sowing me back together. Like when I came out the hospital & it was 3AM I was like so stunned. I was saying it was just broad daylight.
Yeah I have been under many times and it always fascinates me how quickly it feels and that you lose all sense of time.
May I ask what happened to you?
That’s some major surgery for that length of time.
I broke my anke & needed surgery to rebuild it because it broke in the shape of a lightning bolt. My ankle was zapped!
Dude, I broke my ankle too!!
I only did it 8 weeks ago, broke all 3 bones and have a plate and 10 screws in it now!
Still bloody recovering, in a moon boot and using elbow crutches!
That was me 6 months ago 8 screws a bioorganic replacement a bar & a plate. You can say I am augmented & part bionicle.
How long did it take you to fully recover?
And yeah I feel kinda like that now.
3 months till I was out of the boot & i'm still recovering you never feel the same just keep working out & try to make it the best you can. the worst was having a itch in 4 spots & not being able to scratch it because the cast was all the way up my leg. Do you have an itch you can't scratch?
Oh yeah I hear ya!
Luckily I only had a half cast on for 2 weeks, then into the moon boot.
Hmmm yeah not sure if I will ever be back to normal with this, my only concern is that I may not be able to accomplish my ‘gorilla trekking’ in the next couple of years 😩
Lucky I guess you didn't have to go mad. I learned you can really go insane when you can't scratch 4 different spots itching for 3 months. That was brutal!
Becker developed a method for anesthesia effect without the side effects of traditional anesthesia by using electromagnetic frequencies.
I don't know how either of these really work tho so your point remains 🤣
That seems like an oversimplification of science’s understanding. AI was able to provide a fair bit of insight without trouble
While we have a good grasp of how anesthesia works at a practical level, the exact molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying some of its effects are still being explored. This ongoing research helps improve the safety and efficacy of anesthetic practices.
Science has made significant progress in understanding anesthesia, but there are still aspects of its mechanisms that remain not fully understood. Here's what we know:
Mechanisms of Action: Anesthetics work by targeting various sites in the central nervous system, particularly the brain. They primarily affect the transmission of nerve impulses by modulating neurotransmitter systems. Common targets include GABA receptors (which are enhanced by anesthetics like propofol and sevoflurane), NMDA receptors (blocked by ketamine), and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (affected by muscle relaxants).
States of Anesthesia: Anesthesia induces different states, including unconsciousness, amnesia, analgesia (pain relief), and muscle relaxation. Different anesthetics contribute to these states to varying degrees. For example, propofol is excellent for inducing unconsciousness, while opioids like fentanyl provide analgesia.
Monitoring and Safety: Modern anesthesia practice relies heavily on monitoring devices to track vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and the depth of anesthesia. This helps ensure patient safety and adjust anesthetic doses as needed.
Individual Variability: The response to anesthetics can vary significantly between individuals due to factors like genetics, age, weight, and overall health. Anesthesiologists tailor anesthetic plans to each patient's specific needs.
Emergence and Recovery: Understanding how patients emerge from anesthesia and recover is also crucial. Researchers are studying ways to improve postoperative recovery and reduce side effects like nausea, vomiting, and cognitive dysfunction.
Research and Development: Ongoing research aims to develop new anesthetics with fewer side effects and better safety profiles. There is also interest in understanding the long-term effects of anesthesia, particularly in vulnerable populations like the elderly and young children.
That's what I meant. We know what things do in the body. But we don't really know how some inhaled/IV chemicals induce and, more importantly, maintain anesthesia. It's all trial and error.
Doesn't this depend which one?
Because they don't all work exactly the same.
E sabemos que algumas nos deixam numa ressaca bem feliz e outras nao 🤣