Coffee May Treat Chronic Pain

The Daily Mail reports that coffee may be a better treatment for chronic pain than over-the-counter pills. Scientists from Boston Children's Hospital gave exhausted lab mice either painkillers, coffee or more time asleep. They found the most wide-awake mice, after consuming caffeine or waking up from a long nap, were less sensitive to pain than those given the painkillers. Specifically in the coffee-drinking mice, the scientists reported a rush of dopamine to the brain's pleasure center that alleviated feelings of pain.