Botox — It's Not Just For Wrinkles

Thursday, November 06, 2003

ROCHESTER, Minn. — Botox does far more than help erase wrinkles. It can help alleviate more than a dozen health conditions and researchers are continuing to find new uses. Botox, a purified form of the botulinum toxin, is produced by the bacterium that causes food poisoning. Injected in small doses to specific muscles, Botox blocks chemical signals that cause muscles to contract.

The November issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource details some of the other current uses for Botox.

Headaches: Botox is effective at treating migraine, tension and chronic, daily headaches. Benefits last from two to five months.

Blepharospasm: Uncontrolled eyelid twitching is a symptom of this disorder. Botox injections are very effective, with up to 90 percent of people obtaining almost complete relief.

Voice problems: Botox may help re-establish verbal communication in people who have had their voice boxes removed as part of cancer treatment. It relaxes throat muscles, which can then be trained to help create sounds resulting in speech that's near normal.

Botox is being tested or used for many other health conditions including facial tics, stuttering, carpal tunnel syndrome, writer's cramp, tennis elbow and excessive sweating of hands and armpits.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Carol Lammers
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511(evenings)
email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
Erik Kaldor
904-953-2299
Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale
Anne Tewksbury
480-301-4368

Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource is published monthly to help women enjoy healthier, more productive lives. Revenue from subscriptions is used to support medical research at Mayo Clinic. To subscribe, please call 800-876-8633, extension 9PK1.

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