Jean Carruthers, a Canadian ophthalmologist, was treating a patient in 1987 for a rare eye disorder known as blepharospasm and treated the woman with Botox, a then largely unknown substance which reduces activity in overactive muscles by blocking nerve impulses. It was a seemingly unlikely use of the botulinium toxin, which -- in its purest form -- is the deadliest poison known.

However, tiny amounts worked well and halted the Carruthers patient’s debilitating eye disorder. But, even with no symptoms, the patient kept coming back, telling the doctor that each time she received a Botox injection, the wrinkles between her brows seemed to disappear, leaving a relaxed, untroubled expression.

Jean’s husband, Alastair, a dermatologist, found the story intriguing and looked further into how Botox could be used to enhance people’s appearance.

It was there, over pillow talk, that one of the world’s most popular drugs came into wide usage. The rest, as they say, is history.

Botox is approaching three million uses for 2004 and is the number one non-surgical procedure used in the U.S. Plastic surgeons use the substance to remove deep smile lines around the mouth, neck band wrinkles and crow’s feet.

But Botox is not only for smoothing wrinkles anymore. As time goes on, more and more medical uses – other than plastic surgery -- are turning up. The substance is finding more uses many because many medical woes are caused by muscles that contract when they should not. Botox performs its magic by halting nerve impulses that fire the muscles into action.

Yet another case of serendipity later turned up another use for Botox. An Atlanta plastic surgeon noticed many of his patients saying Botox had indeed removed wrinkles – along with their migraine headaches. Word spread and soon, doctors began using Botox on migraines, “off-label,” meaning a medical use that seems to work but one for which the drug was not originally approved. Studies found about 80 percent of research subjects get do indeed fast, fast migraine relief with the substance.

Current approved Botox uses in the U.S. include fighting cervical dystonia, a condition that causes the neck to twitch, twist, go through repetitive movements and carry the head in abnormal postures. Another current approved use is halting severe underarm sweating, an embarrassing condition known as axillary hyperhydrosi. The disorder releases such a flood of perspiration; some sufferers are forced to carry several changes of clothing to make it through the day. The excessive sweating is caused by over stimulation of sweat glands. But Botox interferes with the nerves responsible for the drenching. In Canada, the substance is used to combat sweaty palms.

Botox can help children with cerebral palsy (CP) because the substance relaxes muscles and allows for improved limb function and less pain.

Other uses for Botox are still out on the medical horizon. Recently, researchers have found that Botox can help treat overactive bladders, control pain during some operations, help children with cerebral palsy, prevent ringing in the ears, assist diabetics with weight gain and control drooling in some cerebral palsy patients. For instance, overactive bladder is caused by spasms of the muscles that control the organ; the syndrome gives sufferers the urgent feeling they constantly have to go to the bathroom. But Botox injected directly into the bladder (through an endoscope) solves the problem and only requires about ten minutes in the doctor’s office.

A study on pain control with Botox found women who had mastectomies, followed by breast reconstruction used 89 percent less morphine in the first 24 hours after surgery, had a shorter hospital stay and required three fewer physician visits than a control group.

Type I diabetics frequently have another condition known as diabetic gastroparesis which causes nausea, vomiting and weight loss because the contents of the stomach can’t pass through to the colon due to spasms in a tiny valve – the pylorus – at the bottom of the stomach. But Botox injections, given through an endoscopic tube, help the pylorus work more normally, according to a study done at Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

Additional studies are being done on using Botox to combat cerebral palsy, low back pain, ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and other conditions brought on by muscles spasms.

Whether people use the substance as a fountain of youth or to combat more serious medical woes, the many faces of Botox are becoming more of a household word.

More info: http://www.CosmeticSurgery.com

Dr. Raval website: http://www.facesfirst.com/

© 2005 HealthNewsDigest.com