Still Moving With Ted's Pain Cream...And You Can Too

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf to Ted's Pain Cream.  All opinions are my own.

This weekend the rain and cool temperatures arrived, and I finally waved my little white flag. I think summer is officially over.  But what a summer it's been!  Hiking and beaching and boating and getting outside with my family.

In the past, all of that activity would have meant serious pain in my knee.  But not anymore, thanks to Ted's Pain Cream.  I was introduced to this topical analgesic a few months ago, and now I'm a fan for life.  My knee has never felt better, and I'm able to keep up on our family adventures.  I don't know how, but it really works.  So when Ted's reached out and asked if I'd like to interview THE Ted himself, I immediately said yes.  

Read on for my chat with the very interesting Dr. Ted, and be sure to go all the way to the bottom for a chance to win your own tube of Ted's Pain Cream.  I want everyone to be pain free too!

Photo Credit:  Ted's Pain Cream website

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  What got you interested in neuroscience as a career?

I have always wanted to be a scientist but I was really more interested in physics and, specifically, astrophysics when I was young.  I did not really become interested in neuroscience until late in my undergrad education.  My advisor at the time noted that I was skilled at math, but not very good at seeing the connection to the physical world, which is really what astrophysics is all about.  He advised that I take a neuroscience lab.  The first experiment we did was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. I changed my major within a week or so and have never looked back.

How did Ted's Pain Cream come to be?

Dr. Greg, Dr. Lucas, and I were working on resveratrol as a potential pain therapeutic in the lab because it's a natural product that activates the signaling pathway we were studying, AMPK, and it's safe for human use.  A nice thing about resveratrol is that it has good absorption across skin so you can make a topical with it.  I was having a lot of tendinitis in my ankle and I was very frustrated because I couldn't play basketball, which is something I love to do. It seemed ridiculous that I was a pain expert yet I could no nothing to overcome this ceaseless tendon pain.  I got with a friend of mine in the pharmacy school, Bo Lian, and we formulated a cream that I could try on my ankle.  It was like magic!  I could play basketball again about three days later.

How does it work to stop false pain?  Oh, and...what's the difference between false pain and actual pain?

When you have an injury, pain sensing neurons that innervate the injured area become sensitized.  They start responding to very low levels of inflammation and other stimuli that do not normally cause pain.  This often does not reverse when an injury heals.  You continue to get a pain signal like you are injuring yourself even though there is not injury there anymore, or "false pain".  Work in my lab, over many years, has shown that activating AMPK can reverse this plasticity and stop "false pain".  We know that resveratrol can do this, and the mix of resveratrol and wintergreen oil should activate AMPK strongly in the areas where the cream is applied.

I also gave a tube of cream to my mom for her plantar fasciitis, and she loves it.  What other body parts is Ted's best for?

It is really great for tendon and muscle pain.  For some people it works well for low back pain, but I think this depends on how deep the pain is.  This, unfortunately, is an issue with topicals, the sensitized nerves need to be somewhat superficial for the product to get to them.  Therefore, it's not for everyone, but it is really something else for tendon, fascia, and muscle pain.

Any new products in the works?  I've got this great idea for a sunscreen pill...

We are working on a new gel formulation that is still in development.  We have also been thinking about a migraine mist, but that is still very early on.  Many people tell us that our product works for migraine when they put it on the back of their necks and temples.  We are very intrigued by that, but we honestly don't know how it works.  

Lots of my readers have kids in high school/college, and I love that you give back with a neuroscience scholarship.  Any advice to those hopeful science/medical kids out there?

Sure, research experience can be very helpful when applying to graduate school programs. If you are at a university or college with research labs, get involved!  It's a lot of fun and you'll meet wonderful people.  Doing research, especially designing and interpreting experiments, gives you critical thinking skills that you really don't learn any other way. Research is not for everyone, but I have never met anyone who regretted getting research experience.

Besides creating awesome products, what do you do for fun?

I love to hang out with my wife and daughter, who is a little over two years old.  I love to play basketball and we love to travel as a family.  I also enjoy cooking.

I also asked Ted a few of our TBB Asks summer questions...

Favorite summer beverage?  White wine, not very exciting, I know, but it's refreshing!

Popsicle flavor of choice?  Coconut

Would you rather be hot or cold?  COLD!!!

Hot dog or hamburger?  Hamburger

So there you have it.  Ted's Pain Cream really works, and was created by an interesting, philanthropic guy who also mentioned that he happens to enjoy fashion.  Win!

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Leave a comment below, and on Friday I'll draw a random winner to receive a free tube of Ted's Pain Cream, delivered straight to your door, thanks to the very kind Dr. Ted.  What are you waiting for?