"It would be nice if you could do that but I'm not sure it would work - it depends whether it is a simple mechanical component or something more complex, " Prof Pillinger, who now works at the Planetary and Space Sciences department at the Open University, told BBC News.
You know, the doctor is going to not only know about the state of the science about these things, but they also know the patient's medical history and are, I think, a very important component here of helping to give clear, simple messages about what people can do about it.
Its founder, Nicolas Bazan, a 60-year-old neuroscientist, has a seemingly simple and elegant answer to the pain problem: chemically combine a derivative of acetaminophen with a saccharinelike component.