Botox is not only for wrinkles anymore. It is used to treat many other illnesses. Botox is becoming a versatile drug that enables medical professionals to treat a variety of illnesses.

“Botulinum Toxin Type A is a protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. When used in medical settings, small doses of the toxin are injected into the affected muscles and block the release of a chemical acetylcholine that signals the muscle to contract. The toxin thus paralyzes or weakens the injected muscle.”

Botox can be effective in treating an enlarged prostate for men suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) when it is injected directly into the gland.

“The team found that nearly three-quarters of the patients experienced a 30 percent improvement in their symptoms for up to a year following the injection. None of the patients experienced significant side effects, such as erectile dysfunction or urinary incontinence.”

In some patients after a three month, follow up the prostate had lessened in size nearly fifteen percent. If botox is injected into the prostate, it improves the quality of life and was compared to the effect of current oral treatments. Although more research is required, it is definitely a subject that researchers are exploring more in depth.

Botox may also be used to treat cerebral palsy in children. Cerebral Palsy affecting one limb enhances the effects of physical therapy

“In the study, Dr. Remo N. Russo, from Flinders University in Daw Park, South Australia, and colleagues randomly assigned 43 children with hemiplegic (one-sided) cerebral palsy to receive four sessions of occupational therapy (over 4 weeks) alone or in combination with a shot of Botox in the affected limb.”

The children who were treated with botox had shown an improvement in body structure and an increased participation in activities. Self-perception was also increased at three months. By six months, there were no differences but the children injected with the botox had still shown improvement.

Local injections of Botox may also help to relieve the pain of headaches, spasms, writer’s cramp or tremor. Eighty percent of patients who had suffered from migraines and received botox injections found relief of the migraines after the injections.

The important thing to remember is that these are all preliminary results but isn’t it fascinating nonetheless to hear about new indications of drugs that were created for another disorder? It seems more often than not lately every time I visit a news page there is always a story like this. It causes me to wonder if there is a treatment for diseases right under our nose for fatal diseases.